Magnus Barefoot's Saga

The greater part of the contents of this saga is also found in "Agrip", "Fagrskinna", and "Morkinskinna".

Magnus and his cousin Hakon became kings in 1093, but Hakon ruled only two years and died in 1095. King Magnus fell in the year 1103.

Skalds quoted are: Bjorn Krephende, Thorkel Hamarskald, and Eldjarn.


1. BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF KING MAGNUS AND HIS COUSIN HAKON.

Magnus, King Olaf's son, was, immediately after King Olaf's
death, proclaimed at Viken king of all Norway; but the Upland
people, on hearing of King Olaf's death, chose Hakon, Thorer's
foster-son, a cousin of King Magnus, as king. Thereupon Hakon
and Thorer went north to the Throndhjem country, and when they
came to Nidaros they summoned the Eyrathing; and at that Thing
Hakon desired the bondes to give him the kingly title, which was
agreed to, and the Throndhjem people proclaimed him king of half
of Norway, as his father, King Magnus, had been before. Hakon
relieved the Throndhjem people of all harbour duties, and gave
them many other privileges. He did away with Yule-gifts, and
gained by this the good-will of all the Throndhjem people.
Thereafter Hakon formed a court, and then proceeded to the
Uplands, where he gave the Upland people the same privileges as
the Throndhjem people; so that they also were perfectly well
affected to him, and were his friends. The people in Throndhjem
sang this ballad about him: --

"Young Hakon was the Norseman's pride,
And Steig-Thorer was on his side.
Young Hakon from the Upland came,
With royal birth, and blood, and name.
Young Hakon from the king demands
His royal birthright, half the lands;
Magnus will not the kingdom break, --
The whole or nothing he will take."

2. HAKON'S DEATH.

King Magnus proceeded north to the merchant town (Nidaros), and
on his arrival went straight to the king's house, and there took
up his abode. He remained here the first part of the winter
(A.D. 1094), and kept seven longships in the open water of the
river Nid, abreast of the king's house. Now when King Hakon
heard that King Magnus was come to Throndhjem, he came from the
East over the Dovrefield, and thence down from Throndhjem to the
merchant town, where he took up his abode in the house of Skule,
opposite to Clement's church, which had formerly been the king's
house. King Magnus was ill pleased with the great gifts which
Hakon had given to the bondes to gain their favour, and thought
it was so much given out of his own property. This irritated his
mind; and he thought he had suffered injustice from his relative
in this respect, that he must now put up with less income than
his father and his predecessors before him had enjoyed; and he
gave Thorer the blame. When King Hakon and Thorer observed this,
they were alarmed for what Magnus might do; and they thought it
suspicious that Magnus kept long-ships afloat rigged out, and
with tents. The following spring, after Candlemas, King Magnus
left the town in the night with his ships; the tents up, and
lights burning in the tents. They brought up at Hefring,
remained there all night, and kindled a fire on the land. Then
Hakon and the men in the town thought some treachery was on foot,
and he let the trumpets call all the men together out on the
Eyrar, where the whole people of the town came to him, and the
people were gathering together the whole night. When it was
light in the morning, King Magnus saw the people from all
districts gathered together on the Eyrar; and he sailed out of
the fjord, and proceeded south to where the Gulathing is held.
Hakon thanked the people for their support which they had given
him, and got ready to travel east to Viken. But he first held a
meeting in the town, where, in a speech, he asked the people for
their friendship, promising them his; and added, that he had some
suspicions of his relation, King Magnus's intentions. Then King
Hakon mounted his horse, and was ready to travel. All men
promised him their good-will and support whenever he required
them, and the people followed him out to the foot of Steinbjorg.
From thence King Hakon proceeded up the Dovrefield; but as he was
going over the mountains he rode all day after a ptarmigan, which
flew up beside him, and in this chase a sickness overfell him,
which ended in his death; and he died on the mountains. His body
was carried north, and came to the merchant town just half a
month after he left it. The whole townspeople went to meet the
body, sorrowing, and the most of them weeping; for all people
loved him with sincere affection. King Hakon's body was interred
in Christ church, and Hakon and Magnus had ruled the country for
two years. Hakon was a man full twenty-five years old, and was
one of the chiefs the most beloved by all the people. He had
made a journey to Bjarmaland, where he had given battle and
gained a victory.

3. OF A FORAY IN HALLAND.

King Magnus sailed in winter (A.D. 1095) eastward to Viken; but
when spring approached he went southwards to Halland, and
plundered far and wide. He laid waste Viskardal and many other
districts, and returned with a great booty back to his own
kingdom. So says Bjorn Krephende in his song on Magnus: --

"Through Halland wide around
The clang and shriek resound;
      The houses burn,
      The people mourn,
Through Halland wide around.
The Norse king strides in flame,
Through Viskardal he came;
      The fire sweeps,
      The widow weeps,
The Norse king strides in flame."

Here it is told that King Magnus made the greatest devastation
through Halland.

4. OF THORER OF STEIG.

"There was a man called Svein, a son of Harald Fietter. He was a
Danish man by family, a great viking and champion, and a very
clever man, and of high birth in his own country. He had been
some time with King Hakon Magnuson, and was very dear to him; but
after King Hakon's decease Thorer of Steig, his foster-father,
had no great confidence in any treaty or friendship with King
Magnus, if the whole country came into his power, on account of
the position in which Thorer had stood to King Magnus, and the
opposition he had made to him. Thereupon Thorer and Svein took
counsel with each other, which they afterwards carried into
effect, -- to raise, with Thorer's assistance, and his men, a
troop against Magnus. But as Thorer was old and heavy, Svein
took the command, and name of leader of the troop. In this
design several chiefs took part, among whom the principal was
Egil Aslakson of Aurland. Egil was a lenderman, and married to
Ingebjorg, a daughter of Ogmund Thorbergson, a sister of Skopte
of Giske. The rich and powerful man, Skjalg Erlingson, also
joined their party. Thorkel Hamarskald speaks of this in his
ballad of Magnus:

"Thorer and Egil were not wise,
They aimed too high to win a prize:
There was no reason in their plan,
And it hurt many a udalman.
The stone, too great for them to throw,
Fell back, and hurt them with the blow,
And now the udalmen must rue
That to their friends they were so true."

Thorer and Svein collected a troop in the Uplands, and went down
through Raumsdal into Sunmore, and there collected vessels, with
which they afterwards sailed north to Throndhjem.

5. OF THORER'S ADVENTURES.

The lenderman Sigurd Ulstreng, a son of Lodin Viggiarskalle,
collected men by sending round the war-token, as soon as he heard
of Thorer and the troop which followed him, and had a rendezvous
with all the men he could raise at Viggia. Svein and Thorer also
met there with their people, fought with Sigurd, and gained the
victory after giving him a great defeat; and Sigurd fled, and
joined King Magnus. Thorer and his followers proceeded to the
town (Nidaros), and remained there some time in the fjord, where
many people joined them. King Magnus hearing this news
immediately collected an army, and proceeded north to Throndhjem.
And when he came into the fjord Thorer and his party heard of it
while they lay at Herring, and they were ready to leave the
fjord; and they rowed their ships to the strand at Vagnvik, and
left them, and came into Theksdal in Seliuhverfe, and Thorer was
carried in a litter over the mountains. Then they got hold of
ships and sailed north to Halogaland. As soon as King Magnus was
ready for sea, he sailed from Throndhjem in pursuit of them.
Thorer and his party went north all the way to Bjarkey; and Jon,
with his son Vidkun, fled from thence. Thorer and his men robbed
all the movable goods, and burnt the house, and a good long-ship
that belonged to Vidkun. While the hull was burning the vessel
keeled to one side, and Thorer called out, "Hard to starboard,
Vidkun!" Some verses were made about this burning in Bjarkey: --

"The sweetest farm that I have seen
Stood on Bjarkey's island green;
And now, where once this farmhouse stood,
Fire crackles through a pile of wood;
And the clear red flame, burning high,
Flashes across the dark-night sky.
Jon and Vidkun, this dark night,
Will not be wandering without light."