Hakon the Good's Saga

10. OF GUNHILD S SONS.

King Harald Gormson ruled over Denmark at that time. He took it
much amiss that King Hakon had made war in his dominions, and the
report went that he would take revenge; but this did not take
place so soon. When Gunhild and her sons heard there was enmity
between Denmark and Norway, they began to turn their course from
the West. They married King Eirik's daughter, Ragnhild, to
Arnfin, a son of Thorfin Hausakljufer; and as soon as Eirik's
sons went away, Thorfin took the earldom again over the Orkney
Islands. Gamle Eirikson was somewhat older than the other
brothers, but still he was not a grown man. When Gunhild and her
sons came from the westward to Denmark, they were well received
by King Harald. He gave them great fiefs in his kingdom, so that
they could maintain themselves and their men very well. He also
took Harald Eirikson to be his foster-son, set him on his knee,
and thereafter he was brought up at the Danish king's court.
Some of Eirik's sons went out on viking expeditions as soon as
they were old enough, and gathered property, ravaging all around
in the East sea. They grew up quickly to be handsome men, and
far beyond their years in strength and perfection. Glum Geirason
tells of one of them in the Grafeld song: --

"I've heard that, on the Eastland coast,
Great victories were won and lost.
The king, whose hand is ever graced
With gift to skald, his banner placed
On, and still on; while, midst the play
Of swords, sung sharp his good sword's sway
As strong in arm as free of gold,
He thinn'd the ranks of warriors bold."

Then Eirik's sons turned northwards with their troops to Viken
and marauded there; but King Trygve kept troops on foot with
which he met them, and they had many a battle, in which the
victory was sometimes on one side, and sometimes on the other.
Sometimes Eirik's sons plundered in Viken, and sometimes Trygve
in Sealand and Halland.

11. KING HAKON AS A LAW-GIVER.

As long as Hakon was king in Norway, there was good peace between
the bondes and merchants; so that none did harm either to the
life or goods of the other. Good seasons also there were, both
by sea and land. King Hakon was of a remarkably cheerful
disposition, clever in words, and very condescending. He was a
man of great understanding also, and bestowed attention on law-
giving. He gave out the Gula-thing's laws on the advice of
Thorleif Spake (the Wise); also the Frosta-thing's laws on the
advice of Earl Sigurd, and of other Throndhjem men of wisdom.
Eidsiva-thing laws were first established in the country by
Halfdan the Black, as has before been written.

12. THE BIRTH OF EARL HAKON THE GREAT.

King Hakon kept Yule at Throndhjem, and Earl Sigurd had made a
feast for him at Hlader. The night of the first day of Yule the
earl's wife, Bergljot, was brought to bed of a boy-child, which
afterwards King Hakon poured water over, and gave him his own
name. The boy grew up, and became in his day a mighty and able
man, and was earl after his father, who was King Hakon's dearest
friend.

13. OF EYSTEIN THE BAD.

Eystein, a king of the Uplands, whom some called the Great, and
some the Bad, once on a time made war in Throndhjem, and subdued
Eyna district and Sparbyggia district, and set his own son Onund
over them; but the Throndhjem people killed him. Then King
Eystein made another inroad into Throndhjem, and ravaged the land
far and wide, and subdued it. He then offered the people either
his slave, who was called Thorer Faxe, or his dog, whose name was
Saur, to be their king. They preferred the dog, as they thought
they would sooner get rid of him. Now the dog was, by
witchcraft, gifted with three men's wisdom; and when he barked,
he spoke one word and barked two. A collar and chain of gold and
silver were made for him, and his courtiers carried him on their
shoulders when the weather or ways were foul. A throne was
erected for him, and he sat upon a high place, as kings are used
to sit. He dwelt on Eyin Idre (Idre Isle), and had his mansion
in a place now called Saurshaug. It is told that the occasion of
his death was that the wolves one day broke into his fold, and
his courtiers stirred him up to defend his cattle; but when he
ran down from his mound, and attacked the wolves, they tore him
into pieces. Many other extraordinary things were done by this
King Eystein against the Throndhjem people, and in consequence of
this persecution and trouble, many chiefs and people fled and
left their udal properties.

14. JAMTALAND AND HELSINGJALAND.

Ketil Jamte, a son of Earl Onund of Sparabu, went eastward across
the mountain ridge, and with him a great multitude, who took all
their farm-stock and goods with them. They cleared the woods,
and established large farms, and settled the country afterwards
called Jamtaland. Thorer Helsing, Ketil's grandson, on account
of a murder, ran away from Jamtaland and fled eastward through
the forest, and settled there. Many people followed, and that
country, which extends eastward down to the seacoast, was called
Helsingjaland; and its eastern parts are inhabited by Swedes.
Now when Harald Harfager took possession of the whole country
many people fled before him, both people of Throndhjem and of
Naumudal districts; and thus new settlers came to Jamtaland, and
some all the way to Helsingjaland. The Helsingjaland people
travelled into Svithiod for their merchandise, and thus became
altogether subjects of that country. The Jamtaland people,
again, were in a manner between the two countries; and nobody
cared about them, until Hakon entered into friendly intercourse
with Jamtaland, and made friends of the more powerful people.
Then they resorted to him, and promised him obedience and payment
of taxes, and became his subjects; for they saw nothing but what
was good in him, and being of Norwegian race they would rather
stand under his royal authority than under the king of Sweden:
and he gave them laws, and rights to their land. All the people
of Helsingjaland did the same, -- that is, all who were of
Norwegian race, from the other side of the great mountain ridge.

15. HAKON SPREADS CHRISTIANITY.

King Hakon was a good Christian when he came to Norway; but as
the whole country was heathen, with much heathenish sacrifice,
and as many great people, as well as the favour of the common
people, were to be conciliated, he resolved to practice his
Christianity in private. But he kept Sundays, and the Friday
fasts, and some token of the greatest holy-days. He made a law

that the festival of Yule should begin at the same time as
Christian people held it, and that every man, under penalty,
should brew a meal of malt into ale, and therewith keep the Yule
holy as long as it lasted. Before him, the beginning of Yule, or
the slaughter night, was the night of mid-winter (Dec. 14), and
Yule was kept for three days thereafter. It was his intent, as
soon as he had set himself fast in the land, and had subjected
the whole to his power, to introduce Christianity. He went to
work first by enticing to Christianity the men who were dearest
to him; and many, out of friendship to him, allowed themselves to
be baptized, and some laid aside sacrifices. He dwelt long in
the Throndhjem district, for the strength of the country lay
there; and when he thought that, by the support of some powerful
people there, he could set up Christianity he sent a message to
England for a bishop and other teachers; and when they arrived in
Norway, Hakon made it known that he would proclaim Christianity
over all the land. The people of More and Raumsdal referred the
matter to the people of Throndhjem. King Hakon then had several
churches consecrated, and put priests into them; and when he came
to Throndhjem he summoned the bondes to a Thing, and invited them
to accept Christianity. They gave an answer to the effect that
they would defer the matter until the Frosta-thing, at which
there would be men from every district of the Throndhjem country,
and then they would give their determination upon this difficult
matter.