Saga of Hakon Herdebreid

12. THE CONFLICT UPON THE PIERS.

King Inge and Gregorius left the east in spring, and came to
Bergen; but as soon as Hakon and Sigurd heard that Inge had left
Viken, they went there by land. When King Inge and his people
came to Bergen, a quarrel arose between Haldor Brynjolfson and
Bjorn Nikolason. Bjorn's house-man asked Haldor's when they met
at the pier, why he looked so pale.

He replied, because he had been bled.

"I could not look so pale if I tried, at merely being bled."

"I again think," retorted the other, "that thou wouldst have
borne it worse, and less manfully." And no other beginning was
there for their quarrel than this. Afterwards one word followed
another, till from brawling they came to fighting. It was told
to Haldor Brynjolfson, who was in the house drinking, that his
house-man was wounded down on the pier and he went there
immediately. But Bjorn's house-men had come there before, and as
Haldor thought his house-man had been badly treated, he went up
to them and beat them; and it was told to Bjorn Buk that the
people of Viken were beating his house-men on the pier. Then
Bjorn and his house-men took their weapons, hurried down to the
pier, and would avenge their men; and a bloody strife began. It
was told Gregorius that his relation Haldor required assistance,
and that his house-men were being cut down in the street; on
which Gregorius and his men ran to the place in their armour.
Now it was told Erling Skakke that his sister's son Bjorn was
fighting with Gregorius and Haldor down on the piers, and that he
needed help. Then he proceeded thither with a great force, and
exhorted the people to stand by him; saying it would be a great
disgrace never to be wiped out, if the Viken people should
trample upon them in their own native place. There fell thirteen
men, of whom nine were killed on the spot, and four died of their
wounds, and many were wounded. When the word came to King Inge
that Gregorius and Erling were fighting down on the piers, he
hastened there, and tried to separate them; but could do nothing,
so mad were they on both sides. Then Gregorius called to Inge,
and told him to go away; for it was in vain to attempt coming
between them, as matters now stood. He said it would be the
greatest misfortune if the king mixed himself up with it; for he
could not be certain that there were not people in the fray who
would commit some great misdeed if they had opportunity. Then
King Inge retired; and when the greatest tumult was over,
Gregorius and his men went to Nikolas church, and Erling behind
them, calling to each other. Then King Inge came a second time,
and pacified them; and both agreed that he should mediate between
them.

When King Inge and Gregorius heard that King Hakon was in Viken,
they went east with many ships; but when they came King Hakon
fled from them, and there was no battle. Then King Inge went to
Oslo, and Gregorius was in Konungahella.

13. MUNAN'S DEATH.

Soon after Gregorius heard that Hakon and his men were at a farm
called Saurby, which lies up beside the forest. Gregorius
hastened there; came in the night; and supposing that King Hakon
and Sigurd would be in the largest of the houses, set fire to the
buildings there. But Hakon and his men were in the smaller
house, and came forth, seeing the fire, to help their people.
There Munan fell, a son of Ale Uskeynd, a brother of King Sigurd
Hakon's father. Gregorius and his men killed him, because he was
helping those whom they were burning within the house. Some
escaped, but many were killed. Asbjorn Jalda, who had been a
very great viking, escaped from the house, but was grievously
wounded. A bonde met him, and he offered the man money to let
him get away; but the bonde replied, he would do what he liked
best; and, adding that he had often been in fear of his life for
him, he slew him. King Hakon and Sigurd escaped, but many of
their people were killed. Thereafter Gregorius returned home to
Konungahella. Soon after King Hakon and Sigurd went to Haldor
Brynjolfson's farm of Vettaland, set fire to the house, and burnt
it. Haldor went out, and was cut down instantly with his house-
men; and in all there were about twenty men killed. Sigrid,
Haldor's wife, was a sister of Gregorius, and they allowed her to
escape into the forest in her night-shift only; but they took
with them Amunde, who was a son of Gyrd Amundason and of Gyrid
Dag's daughter, and a sister's son of Gregorius, and who was then
a boy about five years old.

14. OF THE FALL OF GREGORIUS DAGSON.

When Gregorius heard the news he took it much to heart, and
inquired carefully where they were. Gregorius set out from
Konungahella late in Yule, and came to Fors the thirteenth day of
Yule, where he remained a night, and heard vespers the last day
of Yule, which was a Saturday, and the holy Evangel was read
before him. When Gregorius and his followers saw the men of King
Hakon and Sigurd, the king's force appeared to them smaller than
their own. There was a river called Befia between them, where
they met; and there was unsound ice on the river, for there went
a stream under the ice from it. King Hakon and his men had cut a
rent in the ice, and laid snow over it, so that nobody could see
it. When Gregorius came to the ice on the river the ice appeared
to him unsound, he said; and he advised the people to go to the
bridge, which was close by, to cross the river. The bonde-troops
replied, that they did not know why he should be afraid to go
across the ice to attack so few people as Hakon had, and the ice
was good enough. Gregorius said it was seldom necessary to
encourage him to show bravery, and it should not be so now. Then
he ordered them to follow him, and not to be standing on the land
while he was on the ice, and he said it was their council to go
out upon the dangerous ice, but he had no wish to do so, or to be
led by them. Then he ordered the banner to be advanced, and
immediately went out on the ice with the men. As soon as the
bondes found that the ice was unsound they turned back.
Gregorius fell through the ice, but not very deep, and he told
his men to take care. There were not more than twenty men with
him, the others having turned back. A man of King Hakon's troop
shot an arrow at Gregorius, which hit him under the throat, and
thus ended his life. Gregorius fell, and ten men with him. It
is the talk of all men that he had been the most gallant
lenderman in Norway that any man then living could remember; and
also he behaved the best towards us Icelanders of any chief since
King Eystein the Elder's death. Gregorius's body was carried to
Hofund, and interred at Gimsey Isle, in a nunnery which is there,
of which Gregorius's sister, Baugeid, was then the abbess.

15. KING INGE HEARS OF GREGORIUS'S FALL.

Two bailiffs went to Oslo to bring the tidings to King Inge.
When they arrived they desired to speak to the king: and he
asked, what news they brought.

"Gregorius Dagson's death," said they.

"How came that misfortune?" asked the king.

When they had told him how it happened, he said, "They gave
advice who understood the least."

It is said he took it so much to heart that he cried like a
child. When he recovered himself he said, "I wanted to go to
Gregorius as soon as I heard of Haldor's murder; for I thought
that Gregorius would not sit long before thinking of revenge.
But the people here would think nothing so important as their
Yule feasts, and nothing could move them away; and I am confident
that if I had been there, he would either have proceeded more
cautiously, or I and Gregorius would now have shared one lodging.
Now he is gone, the man who has been my best friend, and more
than any other has kept the kingdom in my hands; and I think it
will be but a short space between us. Now I make an oath to go
forth against Hakon, and one of two things shall happen: I shall
either come to my death, or shall walk over Hakon and his people;
and such a man as Gregorius is not avenged, even if all were to
pay the penalty of their lives for him."

There was a man present who replied, "Ye need not seek after
them, for they intend to seek you."

Kristin, King Sigurd's daughter and King Inge's cousin, was then
in Oslo. The king heard that she intended going away. He sent a
message to her to inquire why she wished to leave the town.

She thought it was dangerous and unsafe for a female to be there.
The king would not let her go. "For if it go well with me, as I
hope, you will be well here; and if I fall, my friends may not
get leave to dress my body; but you can ask permission, and it
will not be denied you, and you will thereby best requite what I
have done for you."

16. OF KING INGE.

On Saint Blasius' day (February 3, 1161), in the evening, King
Inge's spies brought him the news that King Hakon was coming
towards the town. Then King Inge ordered the war-horns to call
together all the troops up from the town; and when he drew them
up he could reckon them to be nearly 4000 men. The king let the
array be long, but not more than five men deep. Then some said
that the king should not be himself in the battle, as they
thought the risk too great; but that his brother Orm should be
the leader of the army. The king replied, "I think if Gregorius
were alive and here now, and I had fallen and was to be avenged,
he would not lie concealed, but would be in the battle. Now,
although I, on account of my ill health, am not fit for the
combat as he was, yet will I show as good will as he would have
had; and it is not to be thought of that I should not be in the
battle."

People say that Gunhild, who was married to Simon, King Hakon's
foster-brother, had a witch employed to sit out all night and
procure the victory for Hakon; and that the answer was obtained,
that they should fight King Inge by night, and never by day, and
then the result would be favourable. The witch who, as people
say, sat out was called Thordis Skeggia; but what truth there may
be in the report I know not.

Simon Skalp had gone to the town, and was gone to sleep, when the
war-shouts awoke him. When the night was well advanced, King
Inge's spies came to him, and told him that King Hakon and his
army were coming over the ice; for the ice lay the whole way from
the town to Hofud Isle.