Saga of King Harald Grafeld and of Earl Hakon Son of Sigurd

8. EARL EIRIK'S BIRTH.

Earl Hakon came one winter to the Uplands to a feast, and it so
happened that he had intercourse with a girl of mean birth. Some
time after the girl had to prepare for her confinement, and she
bore a child, a boy, who had water poured on him, and was named
Eirik. The mother carried the boy to Earl Hakon, and said that
he was the father. The earl placed him to be brought up with a
man called Thorleif the Wise, who dwelt in Medaldal, and was a
rich and powerful man, and a great friend of the earl. Eirik
gave hopes very early that he would become an able man, was
handsome in countenance, and stout and strong for a child; but
the earl did not pay much attention to him. The earl himself was
one of the handsomest men in countenance, -- not tall, but very
strong, and well practised in all kinds of exercises; and withal
prudent, of good understanding, and a deadly man at arms.

9. KING TRYGVE OLAFSON'S MURDER.

It happened one harvest (A.D. 962) that Earl Hakon, on a journey
in the Uplands, came to Hedemark; and King Trygve Olafson and
King Gudrod Bjornson met him there, and Dale-Gudbrand also came
to the meeting. They had agreed to meet, and they talked
together long by themselves; but so much only was known of their
business, that they were to be friends of each other. They
parted, and each went home to his own kingdom. Gunhild and her
sons came to hear of this meeting, and they suspected it must
have been to lay a treasonable plot against the kings; and they
often talked of this among themselves. When spring (A.D. 963)
began to set in, King Harald and his brother King Gudrod
proclaimed that they were to make a viking cruise, as usual,
either in the West sea, or the Baltic. The people accordingly
assembled, launched the ships into the sea, and made themselves
ready to sail. When they were drinking the farewell ale, -- and
they drank bravely, -- much and many things were talked over at
the drink-table, and, among other things, were comparisons
between different men, and at last between the kings themselves.
One said that King Harald excelled his brothers by far, and in
every way. On this King Gudrod was very angry, and said that he
was in no respect behind Harald, and was ready to prove it.
Instantly both parties were so inflamed that they challenged each
other to battle, and ran to their arms. But some of the guests
who were less drunk, and had more understanding, came between
them, and quieted them; and each went to his ship, but nobody
expected that they would all sail together. Gudrod sailed east
ward along the land, and Harald went out to sea, saying he would
go to the westward; but when he came outside of the islands he
steered east along the coast, outside of the rocks and isles.
Gudrod, again, sailed inside, through the usual channel, to
Viken, and eastwards to Folden. He then sent a message to King
Trygve to meet him, that they might make a cruise together in
summer in the Baltic to plunder. Trygve accepted willingly, and
as a friend, the invitation; and as heard King Gudrod had but few
people with him, he came to meet him with a single boat. They
met at Veggen, to the east of Sotanes; but just as they were come
to the meeting place, Gudrod's men ran up and killed King Trygve
and twelve men. He lies buried at a place called Trygve's Cairn
(A.D. 963).

10. KING GUDROD'S FALL.

King Harald sailed far outside of the rocks and isles; but set
his course to Viken, and came in the night-time to Tunsberg, and
heard that Gudrod Bjornson was at a feast a little way up the
country. Then King Harald set out immediately with his
followers, came in the night, and surrounded the house. King
Gudrod Bjornson went out with his people; but after a short
resistance he fell, and many men with him. Then King Harald
joined his brother King Gudrod, and they subdued all Viken.

11. OF HARALD GRENSKE.

King Gudrod Bjornson had made a good and suitable marriage, and
had by his wife a son called Harald, who had been sent to be
fostered to Grenland to a lenderman called Hroe the White.
Hroe's son, called Hrane Vidforle (the Far-travelled), was
Harald's foster-brother, and about the same age. After his
father Gudrod's fall, Harald, who was called Grenske, fled to the
Uplands, and with him his foster-brother Hrane, and a few people.
Harald staid a while there among his relations; but as Eirik's
sons sought after every man who interfered with them, and
especially those who might oppose them, Harald Grenske's friends
and relations advised him to leave the country. Harald therefore
went eastward into Svithjod, and sought shipmates, that he might
enter into company with those who went out a cruising to gather
property. Harald became in this way a remarkably able man.
There was a man in Svithjod at that time called Toste, one of the
most powerful and clever in the land among those who had no high
name or dignity; and he was a great warrior, who had been often
in battle, and was therefore called Skoglar-Toste. Harald
Grenske came into his company, and cruised with Toste in summer;
and wherever Harald came he was well thought of by every one. In
the winter Harald, after passing two years in the Uplands, took
up his abode with Toste, and lived five years with him. Toste
had a daughter, who was both young and handsome, but she was
proud and high-minded. She was called Sigrid, and was afterwards
married to the Swedish king, Eirik the Victorious, and had a son
by him, called Olaf the Swede, who was afterwards king of
Svithjod. King Eirik died in a sick-bed at Upsala ten years
after the death of Styrbjorn.

12. EARL HAKON'S FEUDS.

Gunhild's sons levied a great army in Viken (A.D. 963), and
sailed along the land northwards, collecting people and ships on
the way out of every district. They then made known their
intent, to proceed northwards with their army against Earl Hakon
in Throndhjem. When Earl Hakon heard this news, he also
collected men, and fitted out ships; and when he heard what an
overwhelming force Gunhild's sons had with them, he steered south
with his fleet to More, pillaging wherever he came, and killing
many people. He then sent the whole of the bonde army back to
Throndhjem; but he himself, with his men-at-arms, proceeded by
both the districts of More and Raumsdal, and had his spies out to
the south of Stad to spy the army of Gunhild's sons; and when he
heard they were come into the Fjords, and were waiting for a fair
wind to sail northwards round Stad, Earl Hakon set out to sea
from the north side of Stad, so far that his sails could not be
seen from the land, and then sailed eastward on a line with the
coast, and came to Denmark, from whence he sailed into the
Baltic, and pillaged there during the summer. Gunhild's sons
conducted their army north to Throndhjem, and remained there the
whole summer collecting the scat and duties. But when summer was
advanced they left Sigurd Slefa and Gudron behind; and the other
brothers returned eastward with the levied army they had taken up
in summer.

13. OF EARL HAKON AND GUNHILD'S SONS.

Earl Hakon, towards harvest (A.D. 963), sailed into the Bothnian
Gulf to Helsingjaland, drew his ships up there on the beach, and
took the land-ways through Helsingjaland and Jamtaland, and so
eastwards round the dividing ridge (the Kjol, or keel of the
country), and down into the Throndhjem district. Many people
streamed towards him, and he fitted out ships. When the sons of
Gunhild heard of this they got on board their ships, and sailed
out of the Fjord; and Earl Hakon came to his seat at Hlader, and
remained there all winter. The sons of Gunhild, on the other
hand, occupied More; and they and the earl attacked each other in
turns, killing each other's people. Earl Hakon kept his dominions
of Throndhjem, and was there generally in the winter; but in
summer he sometimes went to Helsingjaland, where he went on board
of his ships and sailed with them down into the Baltic, and
plundered there; and sometimes he remained in Throndhjem, and
kept an army on foot, so that Gunhild's sons could get no hold
northwards of Stad.

14. SIGURD SLEFA'S MURDER.

One summer Harald Grayskin with his troops went north to
Bjarmaland, where be forayed, and fought a great battle with the
inhabitants on the banks of the Vina (Dwina). King Harald gained
the victory, killed many people, plundered and wasted and burned
far and wide in the land, and made enormous booty. Glum Geirason
tells of it thus: --

"I saw the hero Harald chase
With bloody sword Bjarme's race:
They fly before him through the night,
All by their burning city's light.
On Dwina's bank, at Harald's word,
Arose the storm of spear and sword.
In such a wild war-cruise as this,
Great would he be who could bring peace."

King Sigurd Slefa came to the Herse Klyp's house. Klyp was a son
of Thord, and a grandson of Hordakare, and was a man of power and
great family. He was not at home; but his wife Alof give a good
reception to the king, and made a great feast at which there was
much drinking. Alof was a daughter of Asbjorn, and sister to
Jarnskegge, north in Yrjar. Asbjorn's brother was called
Hreidar, who was father to Styrkar, whose son was Eindride,
father of Einar Tambaskielfer. In the night the king went to bed
to Alof against her will, and then set out on his journey. The
harvest thereafter, King Harald and his brother King Sigurd Slefa
went to Vors, and summoned the bondes to a Thing. There the
bondes fell on them, and would have killed them, but they escaped
and took different roads. King Harald went to Hardanger, but
King Sigurd to Alrekstader. Now when the Herse Klyp heard of
this, he and his relations assembled to attack the king; and
Vemund Volubrjot (1) was chief of their troop. Now when they
came to the house they attacked the king, and Herse Klyp, it is
said, ran him through with his sword and killed him; but
instantly Klyp was killed on the spot by Erling Gamle (A.D. 965).

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