Magnus Erlingson's Saga

22. KING MAGNUS'S CONSECRATION.

Erling Skakke then had a great feast prepared in the king's
house. The large hall was covered with costly cloth and
tapestry, and adorned with great expense. The court-men and all
the attendants were there entertained, and there were numerous
guests, and many chiefs. Then King Magnus received the royal
consecration from the Archbishop Eystein; and at the consecration
there were five other bishops and the legate, besides a number of
other clergy. Erling Skakke, and with him twelve other
lendermen, administered to the king the oath of the law; and the
day of the consecration the king and Erling had the legate, the
archbishop, and all the other bishops as guests; and the feast
was exceedingly magnificent, and the father and son distributed
many great presents. King Magnus was then eight years of age,
and had been king for three years.

23. KING VALDEMAR'S EMBASSY.

When the Danish king Valdemar heard the news from Norway that
Magnus was become king of the whole country, and all the other
parties in the country were rooted out, he sent his men with a
letter to King Magnus and Erling, and reminded them of the
agreement which Erling had entered into, under oath, with King
Valdemar, of which we have spoken before; namely, that Viken from
the east to Rygiarbit should be ceded to King Valdemar, if Magnus
became the sole king of Norway. When the ambassadors came
forward and showed Erling the letter of the Danish king, and he
heard the Danish king's demand upon Norway, he laid it before the
other chiefs by whose counsels he usually covered his acts. All,
as one man, replied that the Danes should never hold the
slightest portion of Norway; for never had things been worse in
the land than when the Danes had power in it. The ambassadors of
the Danish king were urgent with Erling for an answer, and
desired to have it decided; but Erling begged them to proceed
with him east to Viken, and said he would give his final answer
when he had met with the men of most understanding and influence
in Viken.

24. ERLING AND THE PEOPLE OF VIKEN.

Erling Skakke proceeded in autumn to Viken, and stayed in
Tunsberg, from whence he sent people to Sarpsborg to summon a
Thing (1) of four districts; and then Erling went there with his
people.

When the Thing was seated Erling made a speech in which he
explained the resolutions which had been settled upon between him
and the Danish king, the first time he collected troops against
his enemies. "I will," said Erling, "keep faithfully the
agreement which we then entered into with the king, if it be your
will and consent, bondes, rather to serve the Danish king than
the king who is now consecrated and crowned king of this
country."

The bondes replied thus to Erling's speech: "Never will we become
the Danish king's men, as long as one of us Viken men is in
life." And the whole assembly, with shouts and cries, called on
Erling to keep the oath he had taken to defend his son's
dominions, "should we even all follow thee to battle." And so
the Thing was dissolved.

The ambassadors of the Danish king then returned home, and told
the issue of their errand. The Danes abused Erling, and all
Northmen, and declared that evil only proceeded from them; and
the report was spread, that in Spring the Danish king would send
out an army and lay waste Norway. Erling returned in autumn
north to Bergen, stayed there all winter, and gave their pay to
his people.

25. LETTERS OF THE THRONDHJEM PEOPLE.

The same winter (A.D. 1165) some Danish people came by land
through the Uplands, saying they were to go, as was then the
general practice, to the holy King Olaf's festival. But when
they came to the Throndhjem country, they went to many men of
influence, and told their business; which was, that the Danish
king had sent them to desire their friendship, and consent, if he
came to the country, promising them both power and money. With
this verbal message came also the Danish king's letter and seal,
and a message to the Throndhjem people that they should send back
their letters and seals to him. They did so, and the most of
them received well the Danish king's message; whereupon the
messengers returned back towards Lent. Erling was in Bergen; and
towards spring Erling's friends told him the loose reports they
had heard by some merchant vessels that had arrived from
Throndhjem, that the Throndhjem people were in hostility openly
against him; and had declared that if Erling came to Throndhjem,
he should never pass Agdanes in life. Erling said this was mere
folly and idle talk. Erling now made it known that he would go
to Unarheim to the Gangdag-thing; and ordered a cutter of twenty
rowing benches to be fitted out, a boat of fifteen benches, and a
provision-ship. When the vessels were ready, there came a strong
southerly gale. On the Thursday of the Ascension week, Erling
called his people by sound of trumpet to their departure; but the
men were loath to leave the town, and were ill inclined to row
against the wind. Erling brought his vessels to Biskupshafn.
"Well," said Erling, "since ye are so unwilling to row against
the wind, raise the mast, hoist the sails, and let the ship go
north." They did so, and sailed northwards both day and night.
On Wednesday, in the evening, they sailed in past Agdanes, where
they found a fleet assembled of many merchant vessels, rowing
craft, and boats, all going towards the town to the celebration
of the festival, -- some before them, some behind them -- so that
the townspeople paid no attention to the long-ships coming.

26. ERLING AND THE PEOPLE OF THRONDHJEM.

Erling came to the town just as vespers was being sung in Christ
church. He and his men ran into the town, to where it was told
them that the lenderman, Alf Rode, a son of Ottar Birting, was
still sitting at table, and drinking with his men. Erling fell
upon them; and Alf was killed, with almost all his men. Few
other men were killed; for they had almost all gone to church, as
this was the night before Christ's Ascension-day. In the morning
early, Erling called all the people by sound of trumpet to a
Thing out upon Evrar. At the Thing Erling laid a charge against
the Throndhjem people, accusing them of intending to betray the
country, and take it from the king; and named Bard Standale, Pal
Andreason, and Razabard, who then presided over the town's
affairs, and many others. They, in their defence, denied the
accusation; but Erling's writer stood up, produced many letters
with seals, and asked if they acknowledged their seals which they
had sent to the Danish king; and thereupon the letters were read.
There was also a Danish man with Erling who had gone with the
letters in winter, and whom Erling for that purpose had taken
into his service. He told to these men the very words which each
of them had used. "And you, Razabard, spoke, striking your
breast; and the very words you used were, `Out of this breast are
all these counsels produced.'" Bard replied, "I was wrong in the
head, sirs, when I spoke so." There was now nothing to be done
but to submit the case entirely to the sentence Erling might give
upon it. He took great sums of money from many as fines, and
condemned all those who had been killed as lawless, and their
deeds as lawless; making their deaths thereby not subject to
mulct. Then Erling returned south to Bergen.

27. KING VALDEMAR'S EXPEDITION TO NORWAY.

The Danish king Valdemar assembled in spring (A.D. 1165) a great
army, and proceeded with it north to Viken. As soon as he
reached the dominions of the king of Norway, the bondes assembled
in a great multitude. The king advanced peacefully; but when
they came to the mainland, the people shot at them even when
there were only two or three together, from which the ill-will of
the country people towards them was evident. When they came to
Tunsberg, King Valdemar summoned a Hauga-thing; but nobody
attended it from the country parts. Then Valdemar spoke thus to
his troops: "It is evident that all the country-people are
against us; and now we have two things to choose: the one to go
through the country, sword in hand, sparing neither man nor
beast; the other is to go back without effecting our object. And
it is more my inclination to go with the army to the East against
the heathens, of whom we have enough before us in the East
country, than to kill Christian people here, although they have
well deserved it." All the others had a greater desire for a
foray; but the king ruled, and they all returned back to Denmark
without effecting their purpose. They pillaged, however, all
around in the distant islands, or where the king was not in the
neighbourhood. They then returned south to Denmark without doing
anything.

28. ERLING'S EXPEDITION TO JUTLAND.

As soon as Erling heard that a Danish force had come to Viken, he
ordered a levy through all the land, both of men and ships, so
that there was a great assemblage of men in arms; and with this
force he proceeded eastward along the coast. But when he came to
Lidandisnes, he heard that the Danish army had returned south to
Denmark, after plundering all around them in Viken. Then Erling
gave all the people of the levy permission to return home; but he
himself and some lendermen, with many vessels, sailed to Jutland
after the Danes. When they came to a place called Dyrsa, the
Danes who had returned from the expedition lay there with many
ships. Erling gave them battle, and there was a fight, in which
the Danes soon fled with the loss of many people; and Erling and
his men plundered the ships and the town, and made a great booty,
with which they returned to Norway. Thereafter, for a time,
there was hostility between Norway and Denmark.

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