44.EIRIK BROUGHT TO THE SOVEREIGNTY.
When King Harald was eighty years of age (A.D.930) he became very heavy, and unable to travel through the country, or do the business of a king.Then he brought his son Eirik to his high-seat, and gave him the power and command over the whole land.Now when King Harald's other sons heard this, King Halfdan the Black also took a king's high-seat, and took all Throndhjem land, with the consent of all the people, under his rule as upper king.After the death of Bjorn the Chapman, his brother Olaf took the command over Vestfold, and took Bjorn's son, Gudrod, as his foster-child.Olaf's son was called Trygve; and the two foster-brothers were about the same age, and were hopeful and clever.Trygve, especially, was remarkable as a stout and strong man.Now when the people of Viken heard that those of Hordaland had taken Eirik as upper king, they did the same, and made Olaf the upper king in Viken, which kingdom he retained.Eirik did not like this at all.Two years after this, Halfdan the Black died suddenly at a feast in Throndhjem and the general report was that Gunhild had bribed a witch to give him a death-drink.
Thereafter the Throndhjem people took Sigrod to be their king.
45.KING HARALD'S DEATH.
King Harald lived three years after he gave Eirik the supreme authority over his kingdom, and lived mostly on his great farms which he possessed, some in Rogaland, and some in Hordaland.
Eirik and Gunhild had a son on whom King Harald poured water, and gave him his own name, and the promise that he should be king after his father Eirik.King Harald married most of his daughters within the country to his earls, and from them many great families are descended.Harald died on a bed of sickness in Hogaland (A.D.933), and was buried under a mound at Haugar in Karmtsund.In Haugesund is a church, now standing; and not far from the churchyard, at the north-west side, is King Harald Harfager's mound; but his grave-stone stands west of the church, and is thirteen feet and a half high, and two ells broad.One stone was set at head and one at the feet; on the top lay the slab, and below on both sides were laid small stones.The grave, mound, and stone, are there to the present day.Harald Harfager was, according to the report of men~of knowledge, or remarkably handsome appearance, great and strong, and very generous and affable to his men.He was a great warrior in his youth; and people think that this was foretold by his mother's dream before his birth, as the lowest part of the tree she dreamt of was red as blood.The stem again was green and beautiful, which betokened his flourishing kingdom; and that the tree was white at the top showed that he should reach a grey-haired old age.The branches and twigs showed forth his posterity, spread over the whole land; for of his race, ever since.Norway has always had kings.
46.THE DEATH OF OLAF AND OF SIGROD.
King Eirik took all the revenues (A.D.934), which the king had in the middle of the country, the next winter after King Harald's decease.But Olaf took all the revenues eastward in Viken, and their brother Sigrod all that of the Throndhjem country.Eirik was very ill pleased with this; and the report went that he would attempt with force to get the sole sovereignty over the country, in the same way as his father had given it to him.Now when Olaf and Sigrod heard this, messengers passed between them; and after appointing a meeting place, Sigrod went eastward in spring to Viken, and he and his brother Olaf met at Tunsberg, and remained there a while.The same spring (A.D.934), King Eirik levied a great force, and ships and steered towards Viken.He got such a strong steady gale that he sailed night and day, and came faster than the news of him.When he came to Tunsberg, Olaf and Sigrod, with their forces, went out of the town a little eastward to a ridge, where they drew up their men in battle order; but as Eirik had many more men he won the battle.Both brothers, Olaf and Sigrod, fell there; and both their grave-mounds are upon the ridge where they fell.Then King Eirik went through Viken, and subdued it, and remained far into summer.Gudrod and Trygve fled to the Uplands.Eirik was a stout handsome man, strong, and very manly, -- a great and fortunate man of war; but bad-minded, gruff, unfriendly, and silent.Gunhild, his wife, was the most beautiful of women, -- clever, with much knowledge, and lively;but a very false person, and very cruel in disposition.The children of King Eirik and Gunhild were, Gamle, the oldest; then Guthorm, Harald, Ragnfrod, Ragnhild, Erling, Gudrod, and Sigurd Sleva.All were handsome, and of manly appearance (1).
ENDNOTES:
(1) Of Eirik, his wife, and children, see the following sagas.
HAKON THE GOOD'S SAGA.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
Of Eirik Blood-axe's five years' reign Snorre has no separate saga.He appears not to have been beloved by the people and his queen Gunhild seems to have had a bad influence on him.
Other accounts of Hakon may be found in "Fagrskinna" (chaps.
25-34), "Agrip", "Historia", "Norvegiae", and in "Thjodrek"(chap.4).
The reader is also referred to "Saxo", "Egla", "Laxdaela", "Kormaks Saga", "Gisle Surssons Saga", "Halfred's Saga", "Floamanna Saga", "Viga Glum's Saga", and to "Landnamabok".
Skald mentioned in this Saga are: -- Glum Geirason, Thord Sjarekson, Guthorm Sindre, Kormak Ogmundson, and Eyvind Skaldaspiller.In the "Egla" are found many poems belonging to this epoch by Egil Skallagrimson.
In "Fagrskinna" is found a poem (not given by Snorre) which Gunhild (his wife) had made on King Eirik after his death, telling how Odin welcomed him to Valhal.The author or skald who composed it is not known, but it is considered to be one of the gems of old Norse poetry, and we here quote it in Vigfusson's translation in his "Corpus Poeticum", vol.i.pp.260, 261.
