Saga of Olaf Haroldson

213. OF KING OLAF'S VISION.

Now when King Olaf, coming from the east, went over the keel-ridge and descended on the west side of the mountain, where it
declines towards the sea, he could see from thence far over the
country. Many people rode before the king and many after, and he
himself rode so that there was a free space around him. He was
silent, and nobody spoke to him, and thus he rode a great part of
the day without looking much about him. Then the bishop rode up
to him, asked him why he was so silent, and what he was thinking
of; for, in general, he was very cheerful, and very talkative on
a journey to his men, so that all who were near him were merry.
The king replied, full of thought, "Wonderful things have come
into my mind a while ago. As I just now looked over Norway, out
to the west from the mountains, it came into my mind how many
happy days I have had in that land. It appeared to me at first
as if I saw over all the Throndhjem country, and then over all
Norway; and the longer this vision was before my eyes the
farther, methought, I saw, until I looked over the whole wide
world, both land and sea. Well I know the places at which I have
been in former days; some even which I have only heard speak of,
and some I saw of which I had never heard, both inhabited and
uninhabited, in this wide world." The bishop replied that this
was a holy vision, and very remarkable.

214. OF THE MIRACLE ON THE CORN LAND.

When the king had come lower down on the mountain, there lay a
farm before him called Sula, on the highest part of Veradal
district; and as they came nearer to the house the corn-land
appeared on both sides of the path. The king told his people to
proceed carefully, and not destroy the corn to the bondes. The
people observed this when the king was near; but the crowd behind
paid no attention to it, and the people ran over the corn, so
that it was trodden flat to the earth. There dwelt a bonde there
called Thorgeir Flek, who had two sons nearly grown up. Thorgeir
received the king and his people well, and offered all the
assistance in his power. The king was pleased with his offer,
and asked Thorgeir what was the news of the country, and if any
forces were assembled against him. Thorgeir says that a great
army was drawn together in the Throndhjem country, and that there
were some lendermen both from the south of the country, and from
Halogaland in the north; "but I do not know," says he. "if they
are intended against you, or going elsewhere." Then he
complained to the king of the damage and waste done him by the
people breaking and treading down all his corn fields. The king
said it was ill done to bring upon him any loss. Then the king
rode to where the corn had stood, and saw it was laid flat on the
earth; and he rode round the field, and said, "I expect, bonde,
that God will repair thy loss, so that the field, within a week,
will be better;" and it proved the best of the corn, as the king
had said. The king remained all night there, and in the morning
he made himself ready, and told Thorgeir the bonde to accompany
him and Thorgear offered his two sons also for the journey; and
although the king said that he did not want them with him, the
lads would go. As they would not stay behind, the king's court-
men were about binding them; but the king seeing it said, "Let
them come with us; the lads will come safe back again." And it
was with the lads as the king foretold.

215. OF THE BAPTISM OF THE VAGABOND FOREST-MEN.

Thereafter the army advanced to Staf, and when the king reached
Staf's moor he halted. There he got the certain information that
the bondes were advancing with an army against him, and that he
might soon expect to have a battle with them. He mustered his
force here, and, after reckoning them up, found there were in
the army 900 heathen men, and when he came to know it he ordered
them to allow themselves to be baptized, saying that he would
have no heathens with him in battle. "We must not," says he,
"put our confidence in numbers, but in God alone must we trust;
for through his power and favour we must be victorious, and I
will not mix heathen people with my own." When the heathens
heard this, they held a council among themselves, and at last 400
men agreed to be baptized; but 500 men refused to adopt
Christianity, and that body returned home to their land. Then
the brothers Gauka-Thorer and Afrafaste presented themselves to
the king, and offered again to follow him. The king asked if
they had now taken baptism. Gauka-Thorer replied that they had
not. Then the king ordered them to accept baptism and the true
faith, or otherwise to go away. They stepped aside to talk with
each other on what resolution they should take. Afrafaste said,
"To give my opinion, I will not turn back, but go into the
battle, and take a part on the one side or the other; and I don't
care much in which army I am." Gauka-Thorer replies, "If I go
into battle I will give my help to the king, for he has most need
of help. And if I must believe in a God, why not in the white
Christ as well as in any other? Now it is my advice, therefore,
that we let ourselves be baptized, since the king insists so much
upon it, and then go into the battle with him." They all agreed
to this, and went to the king, and said they would receive
baptism. Then they were baptized by a priest, and the baptism
was confirmed by the bishop. The king then took them into the
troop of his court-men, and said they should fight under his
banner in the battle.

216. KING OLAF'S SPEECH.

King Olaf got certain intelligence now that it would be but a
short time until he had a battle with the bondes; and after he
had mustered his men, and reckoned up the force, he had more than
3000 men, which appears to be a great army in one field. Then
the king made the following speech to the people: "We have a
great army, and excellent troops; and now I will tell you, my
men, how I will have our force drawn up. I will let my banner go
forward in the middle of the army, and my-court-men, and
pursuivants shall follow it, together with the war forces that
joined us from the Uplands, and also those who may come to us
here in the Throndhjem land. On the right hand of my banner
shall be Dag Hringson, with all the men he brought to our aid;
and he shall have the second banner. And on the left hand of our
line shall the men be whom the Swedish king gave us, together
with all the people who came to us in Sweden; and they shall have
the third banner. I will also have the people divide themselves
into distinct flocks or parcels, so that relations and
acquaintances should be together; for thus they defend each other
best, and know each other. We will have all our men
distinguished by a mark, so as to be a field-token upon their
helmets and shields, by painting the holy cross thereupon with
white colour. When we come into battle we shall all have one
countersign and field-cry, -- `Forward, forward, Christian men!
cross men! king's men!' We must draw up our meal in thinner
ranks, because we have fewer people, and I do not wish to let
them surround us with their men. Now let the men divide
themselves into separate flocks, and then each flock into ranks;
then let each man observe well his proper place, and take notice
what banner he is drawn up under. And now we shall remain drawn
up in array; and our men shall be fully armed, night and day,
until we know where the meeting shall be between us and the
bondes." When the king had finished speaking, the army arrayed,
and arranged itself according to the king's orders.

Thereafter the king had a meeting with the chiefs of the
different divisions, and then the men had returned whom the king
had sent out into the neighbouring districts to demand men from
the bondes. They brought the tidings from the inhabited places
they had gone through, that all around the country was stripped
of all men able to carry arms, as all the people had joined the
bondes' army; and where they did find any they got but few to
follow them, for the most of them answered that they stayed at
home because they would not follow either party: they would not
go out against the king, nor yet against their own relations.
Thus they had got but few people. Now the king asked his men
their counsel, and what they now should do. Fin Arnason answered
thus to the king's question: "I will say what should be done, if
I may advise. We should go with armed hand over all the
inhabited places, plunder all the goods, and burn all the
habitations, and leave not a hut standing, and thus punish the
bondes for their treason against their sovereign. I think many a
man will then cast himself loose from the bondes' army, when he
sees smoke and flame at home on his farm, and does not know how
it is going with children, wives. or old men, fathers, mothers,
and other connections. I expect also," he added, "that if we
succeed in breaking the assembled host, their ranks will soon be
thinned; for so it is with the bondes, that the counsel which is
the newest is always the dearest to them all, and most followed."
When Fin had ended his speech it met with general applause; for
many thought well of such a good occasion to make booty, and all
thought the bondes well deserved to suffer damage; and they also
thought it probable, what Fin said, that many would in this way
be brought to forsake the assembled army of the bondes.

Now when the king heard the warm expressions of his people he
told them to listen to him, and said, "The bondes have well
deserved that it should be done to them as ye desire. They also
know that I have formerly done so, burning their habitations, and
punishing them severely in many ways; but then I proceeded
against them with fire and sword because they rejected the true
faith, betook themselves to sacrifices, and would not obey my
commands. We had then God's honour to defend. But this treason
against their sovereign is a much less grievous crime, although
it does not become men who have any manhood in them to break the
faith and vows they have sworn to me. Now, however, it is more
in my power to spare those who have dealt ill with me, than those
whom God hated. I will, therefore, that my people proceed
gently, and commit no ravage. First, I will proceed to meet the
bondes; if we can then come to a reconciliation, it is well; but
if they will fight with us, then there are two things before us;
either we fail in the battle, and then it will be well advised
not to have to retire encumbered with spoil and cattle; or we
gain the victory, and then ye will be the heirs of all who fight
now against us; for some will fall, and others will fly, but both
will have forfeited their goods and properties, and then it will
be good to enter into full houses and well-stocked farms; but
what is burnt is of use to no man, and with pillage and force
more is wasted than what turns to use. Now we will spread out
far through the inhabited places, and take with us all the men we
can find able to carry arms. Then men will also capture cattle
for slaughter, or whatever else of provision that can serve for
food; but not do any other ravage. But I will see willingly that
ye kill any spies of the bonde army ye may fall in with. Dag and
his people shall go by the north side down along the valley, and
I will go on along the country road, and so we shall meet in the
evening, and all have one night quarter."