Harald Harfager's Saga

8. HARALD SEIZES NAUMUDAL DISTRICT.

North in Naumudal were two brothers, kings, -- Herlaug and
Hrollaug; and they had been for three summers raising a mound or
tomb of stone and lime and of wood. Just as the work was
finished, the brothers got the news that King Harald was coming
upon them with his army. Then King Herlaug had a great quantity
of meat and drink brought into the mound, and went into it
himself, with eleven companions, and ordered the mound to be
covered up. King Hrollaug, on the contrary, went upon the summit
of the mound, on which the kings were wont to sit, and made a
throne to be erected, upon which he seated himself. Then he
ordered feather-beds to be laid upon the bench below, on which
the earls were wont to be seated, and threw himself down from his
high seat or throne into the earl's seat, giving himself the
title of earl. Now Hrollaug went to meet King Harald, gave up to
him his whole kingdom, offered to enter into his service, and
told him his whole proceeding. Then took King Harald a sword,
fastened it to Hrollaug's belt, bound a shield to his neck, and
made him thereupon an earl, and led him to his earl's seat; and
therewith gave him the district Naumudal, and set him as earl
over it ((A.D. 866)). (1)

9. KING HARALD'S HOME AFFAIRS.

King Harald then returned to Throndhjem, where he dwelt during
the winter, and always afterwards called it his home. He fixed
here his head residence, which is called Lade. This winter he
took to wife Asa, a daughter of Earl Hakon Grjotgardson, who then
stood in great favour and honour with the king. In spring the
king fitted out his ships. In winter he had caused a great
frigate (a dragon) to be built, and had it fitted-out in the most
splendid way, and brought his house-troops and his berserks on
board. The forecastle men were picked men, for they had the
king's banner. From the stem to the mid-hold was called rausn,
or the fore-defence; and there were the berserks. Such men only
were received into King Harald's house-troop as were remarkable
for strength, courage, and all kinds of dexterity; and they alone
got place in his ship, for he had a good choice of house-troops
from the best men of every district. King Harald had a great
army, many large ships, and many men of might followed him.
Hornklofe, in his poem called "Glymdrapa", tells of this; and
also that King Harald had a battle with the people of Orkadal, at
Opdal forest, before he went upon this expedition.

"O'er the broad heath the bowstrings twang,
While high in air the arrows sang.
The iron shower drives to flight
The foeman from the bloody fight.
The warder of great Odin's shrine,

The fair-haired son of Odin's line,
Raises the voice which gives the cheer,
First in the track of wolf or bear.
His master voice drives them along
To Hel -- a destined, trembling throng;
And Nokve's ship, with glancing sides,
Must fly to the wild ocean's tides. --
Must fly before the king who leads
Norse axe-men on their ocean steeds."

10. BATTLE AT SOLSKEL

King Harald moved out with his army from Throndhjem, and went
southwards to More. Hunthiof was the name of the king who ruled
over the district of More. Solve Klofe was the name of his son,
and both were great warriors. King Nokve, who ruled over
Raumsdal, was the brother of Solve's mother. Those chiefs
gathered a great force when they heard of King Harald, and came
against him. They met at Solskel, and there was a great battle,
which was gained by King Harald (A.D. 867). Hornklofe tells of
this battle: --

"Thus did the hero known to fame,
The leader of the shields, whose name
Strikes every heart with dire dismay,
Launch forth his war-ships to the fray.
Two kings he fought; but little strife
Was needed to cut short their life.
A clang of arms by the sea-shore, --
And the shields' sound was heard no more."

The two kings were slain, but Solve escaped by flight; and King
Harald laid both districts under his power. He stayed here long
in summer to establish law and order for the country people, and
set men to rule them, and keep them faithful to him; and in
autumn he prepared to return northwards to Throndhjem. Ragnvald
Earl of More, a son of Eystein Glumra, had the summer before
become one of Harald's men; and the king set him as chief over
these two districts, North More and Raumsdal; strengthened him
both with men of might and bondes, and gave him the help of
ships to defend the coast against enemies. He was called
Ragnvald the Mighty, or the Wise; and people say both names
suited him well. King Harald came back to Throndhjem about
winter.

11. FALL OF KINGS ARNVID AND AUDBJORN.

The following spring (A.D. 868) King Harald raised a great force
in Throndhjem, and gave out that he would proceed to South More.
Solve Klofe had passed the winter in his ships of war, plundering
in North More, and had killed many of King Harald's men;
pillaging some places, burning others, and making great ravage;
but sometimes he had been, during the winter, with his friend
King Arnvid in South More. Now when he heard that King Harald
was come with ships and a great army, he gathered people, and was
strong in men-at-arms; for many thought they had to take
vengeance of King Harald. Solve Klofe went southwards to
Firdafylke (the Fjord district), which King Audbjorn ruled over,
to ask him to help, and join his force to King Arnvid's and his
own. "For," said he, "it is now clear that we all have but one
course to take; and that is to rise, all as one man, against King
Harald, for we have strength enough, and fate must decide the
victory; for as to the other condition of becoming his servants,
that is no condition for us, who are not less noble than Harald.
My father thought it better to fall in battle for his kingdom,
than to go willingly into King Harald's service, or not to abide
the chance of weapons like the Naumudal kings." King Solve's
speech was such that King Audbjorn promised his help, and
gathered a great force together and went with it to King Arnvid,
and they had a great army. Now, they got news that King Harald
was come from the north, and they met within Solskel. And it was
the custom to lash the ships together, stem to stem; so it was
done now. King Harald laid his ship against King Arnvid's, and
there was the sharpest fight, and many men fell on both sides.
At last King Harald was raging with anger, and went forward to
the fore-deck, and slew so dreadfully that all the forecastle men
of Arnvid's ship were driven aft of the mast, and some fell.
Thereupon Harald boarded the ship, and King Arnvid's men tried to
save themselves by flight, and he himself was slain in his ship.
King Audbjorn also fell; but Solve fled. So says Hornklofe: --

"Against the hero's shield in vain
The arrow-storm fierce pours its rain.
The king stands on the blood-stained deck,
Trampling on many a stout foe's neck;
And high above the dinning stound
Of helm and axe, and ringing sound
Of blade and shield, and raven's cry,
Is heard his shout of `Victory!'"

Of King Harald's men, fell his earls Asgaut and Asbjorn, together
with his brothers-in-law, Grjotgard and Herlaug, the sons of Earl
Hakon of Lade. Solve became afterwards a great sea-king, and
often did great damage in King Harald's dominions.

12. KING VEMUND BURNT TO DEATH.

After this battle (A.D. 868) King Harald subdued South More; but
Vemund, King Audbjorn's brother, still had Firdafylke. It was
now late in harvest, and King Harald's men gave him the counsel
not to proceed south-wards round Stad. Then King Harald set Earl
Ragnvald over South and North More and also Raumsdal, and he had
many people about him. King Harald returned to Throndhjem. The
same winter (A.D. 869) Ragnvald went over Eid, and southwards to
the Fjord district. There he heard news of King Vemund, and came
by night to a place called Naustdal, where King Vemund was living
in guest-quarters. Earl Ragnvald surrounded the house in which
they were quartered, and burnt the king in it, together with
ninety men. The came Berdlukare to Earl Ragnvald with a complete
armed long-ship, and they both returned to More. The earl took
all the ships Vemund had, and all the goods he could get hold of.
Berdlukare proceeded north to Throndhjem to King Harald, and
became his man; and dreadful berserk he was.

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