Magnus Barefoot's Saga

18. KING MAGNUS'S MARRIAGE.

King Magnus got Margaret, King Inge's daughter, as above related;
and she was sent from Svithjod to Norway with an honourable
retinue. King Magnus had some children before, whose names shall
here be given. The one of his sons who was of a mean mother was
called Eystein; the other, who was a year younger, was called
Sigurd, and his mother's name was Thora. Olaf was the name of a
third son, who was much younger than the two first mentioned, and
whose mother was Sigrid, a daughter of Saxe of Vik, who was a
respectable man in the Throndhjem country; she was the king's
concubine. People say that when King Magnus came home from his
viking cruise to the Western countries, he and many of his people
brought with them a great deal of the habits and fashion of
clothing of those western parts. They went about on the streets
with bare legs, and had short kirtles and over-cloaks; and
therefore his men called him Magnus Barefoot or Bareleg. Some
called him Magnus the Tall, others Magnus the Strife-lover. He
was distinguished among other men by his tall stature. The mark
of his height is put down in Mary church, in the merchant town of
Nidaros, which King Harald built. In the northern door there
were cut into the wall three crosses, one for Harald's stature,
one for Olaf's, and one for Magnus's; and which crosses each of
them could with the greatest ease kiss. The upper was Harald's
cross; the lowest was Magnus's; and Olaf's was in the middle,
about equally distant from both.

It is said that Magnus composed the following verses about the
emperor's daughter: --

"The ring of arms where blue swords gleam,
The battle-shout, the eagle's scream,
The Joy of war, no more can please:
Matilda is far o'er the seas.
My sword may break, my shield be cleft,
Of land or life I may be reft;
Yet I could sleep, but for one care, --
One, o'er the seas, with light-brown hair."

He also composed the following: --

"The time that breeds delay feels long,
The skald feels weary of his song;
What sweetens, brightens, eases life?
'Tis a sweet-smiling lovely wife.
My time feels long in Thing affairs,
In Things my loved one ne'er appears.
The folk full-dressed, while I am sad,
Talk and oppose -- can I be glad?"

When King Magnus heard the friendly words the emperor's daughter
had spoken about him -- that she had said such a man as King
Magnus was appeared to her an excellent man, he composed the
following: --

"The lover hears, -- across the sea,
A favouring word was breathed to me.
The lovely one with light-brown hair
May trust her thoughts to senseless air;
Her thoughts will find like thoughts in me;
And though my love I cannot see,
Affection's thoughts fly in the wind,
And meet each other, true and kind."

19. OF THE QUARREL OF KING MAGNUS AND SKOPTE.

Skopte Ogmundson came into variance with King Magnus, and they
quarrelled about the inheritance of a deceased person which
Skopte retained; but the king demanded it with so much
earnestness, that it had a dangerous appearance. Many meetings
were held about the affair, and Skopte took the resolution that
he and his son should never put themselves into the king's power
at the same time; and besides there was no necessity to do so.
When Skopte was with the king he represented to him that there
was relationship between the king and him; and also that he,
Skopte, had always been the king's friend, and his father's
likewise, and that their friendship had never been shaken. He
added, "People might know that I have sense enough not to hold a
strife, sire, with you, if I was wrong in what I asked; but it is
inherited from my ancestors to defend my rights against any man,
without distinction of persons." The king was just the same on
this point, and his resolution was by no means softened by such a
speech. Then Skopte went home.

20. FIN SKOPTASON'S PROCEEDINGS.

Then Fin Skoptason went to the king, spoke with him, and
entreated him to render justice to the father and son in this
business. The king answers angrily and sharply. Then said Fin,
"I expected something else, sire, from you, than that you would
use the law's vexations against me when I took my seat in
Kvaldinsey Island, which few of your other friends would do; as
they said, what was true, that those who were left there were
deserted and doomed to death, if King Inge had not shown greater
generosity to us than you did; although many consider that we
brought shame and disgrace only from thence." The king was not
to be moved by this speech, and Fin returned home.

21. OGMUND SKOPTASON'S PROCEEDINGS.

Then came Ogmund Skoptason to the king; and when he came before
him he produced his errand, and begged the king to do what was
right and proper towards him and his father. The king insisted
that the right was on his side, and said they were "particularly
impudent."

Then said Ogmund, "It is a very easy thing for thee, having the
power, to do me and my father injustice; and I must say the old
proverb is true, that one whose life you save gives none, or a
very bad return. This I shall add, that never again shall I come
into thy service; nor my father, if I can help it." Then Ogmund
went home, and they never saw each other again.

22. SKOPTE OGMUNDSON'S VOYAGE ABROAD.

The spring after, Skopte Ogmundson made ready to travel out of
the country. They had five long-ships all well equipped. His
sons, Ogmund, Fin, and Thord, accompanied him on this journey.
It was very late before they were ready, and in autumn they went
over to Flanders, and wintered there. Early in spring they
sailed westward to Valland, and stayed there all summer. Then
they sailed further, and through Norvasund; and came in autumn to
Rome, where Skopte died. All, both father and sons, died on this
journey. Thord, who died in Sicily, lived the longest. It is a
common saying among the people that Skopte was the first Northman
who sailed through Norvasund; and this voyage was much
celebrated.

23. MIRACLE OF KING OLAF THE SAINT AT A FIRE.

It happened once in the merchant town (Nidaros) where King Olaf
reposes, that there broke out a fire in the town which spread
around. Then Olaf's shrine was taken out of the church, and set
up opposite the fire. Thereupon came a crazy foolish man, struck
the shrine, threatened the holy saint, and said all must be
consumed by the flames, both churches and other houses, if he did
not save them by his prayers. Now the burning of the church did
cease, by the help of Almighty God; but the insane man got sore
eyes on the following night, and he lay there until King Olaf
entreated God Almighty to be merciful to him; after which he
recovered in the same church.

24. MIRACLE OF KING OLAF ON A LAME WOMAN.

It happened once in the merchant town that a woman was brought to
the place where the holy King Olaf reposes. She was so miserably
shaped, that she was altogether crumpled up; so that both her
feet lay in a circle against her loins. But as she was diligent
in her prayers, often weeping and making vows to King Olaf, he
cured her great infirmities; so that feet, legs, and other limbs
straightened, and every limb and part came to the right use for
which they were made. Before she could not creep there, and now
she went away active and brisk to her family and home.