Ynglinga Saga

26. KING GUDLOG'S DEATH.

Jorund and Eric, the sons of Yngve Alricsson, lay all this time
in their warships, and were great warriors. One summer they
marauded in Denmark, where they met a King Gudlog from
Halogaland, and had a battle with him, which ended in their
clearing Gudlog's ship and taking him prisoner. They carried him
to the land at Stromones, and hanged him there, and afterwards
his men raised a mound over him. So says Eyvind Skaldaspiller:
--

"By the fierce East-kings' cruel pride,
Gudlog must on the wild horse ride --
The wildest horse you e'er did see:
'Tis Sigur's steed -- the gallows tree.
At Stromones the tree did grow,
Where Gudlog's corpse waves on the bough.
A high stone stands on Stromo's heath,
To tell the gallant hero's death."

27. OF KING HAKE.

The brothers Eric and Jorund became more celebrated by this deed,
and appeared to be much greater men than before. When they heard
that King Hake in Sweden had sent from him his champions, they
steered towards Sweden, and gathered together a strong force. As
soon as the Swedes heard that the Yngling brothers were come to
them, they flocked to them in multitudes. The brothers proceeded
up the Maelare lake, and advanced towards Upsal against King
Hake, who came out against them on the Fyrisvold with far fewer
people. There was a great battle, in which King Hake went
forward so bravely that he killed all who were nearest to him,
and at last killed King Eric, and cut down the banner of the two
brothers. King Jorund with all his men fled to their ships.
King Hake had been so grievously wounded that he saw his days
could not be long; so he ordered a warship which he had to be
loaded with his dead men and their weapons, and to be taken out
to the sea; the tiller to be shipped, and the sails hoisted.
Then he set fire to some tar-wood, and ordered a pile to be made
over it in the ship. Hake was almost if not quite dead, when he
was laid upon this pile of his. The wind was blowing off the
land -- the ship flew, burning in clear flame, out between the
islets, and into the ocean. Great was the fame of this deed in
after times.

28. JORUND, YNGVE'S SON.

Jorund, King Yngve's son, remained king at Upsal. He ruled the
country; but was often in summer out on war expeditions. One
summer he went with his forces to Denmark; and having plundered
all around in Jutland, he went into Lymfjord in autumn, and
marauded there also. While he was thus lying in Oddesund with
his people, King Gylog of Halogaland, a son of King Gudlog, of
whom mention is made before, came up with a great force, and gave
battle to Jorund. When the country people saw this they swarmed
from all parts towards the battle, in great ships and small; and
Jorund was overpowered by the multitude, and his ships cleared of
their men. He sprang overboard, but was made prisoner and
carried to the land. Gylog ordered a gallows to be erected, led
Jorund to it, and had him hanged there. So ended his life.
Thjodolf talks of this event thus: --

"Jorund has travelled far and wide,
But the same horse he must bestride
On which he made brave Gudlog ride.
He too must for a necklace wear
Hagbert's fell noose in middle air.
The army leader thus must ride
On Horva's horse, at Lymfjord's side."

29. OF KING ON, JORUND'S SON.

On or Ane was the name of Jorund's son, who became king of the
Swedes after his father. He was a wise man, who made great
sacrifices to the gods; but being no warrior, he lived quietly at
home. In the time when the kings we have been speaking of were
in Upsal, Denmark had been ruled over by Dan Mikellati, who lived
to a very great age; then by his son, Frode Mikellati, or the
Peace-loving, who was succeeded by his sons Halfdan and Fridleif,
who were great warriors. Halfdan was older than his brother, and
above him in all things. He went with his army against King On
to Sweden, and was always victorious. At last King On fled to
Wester Gotland when he had been king in Upsal about twenty-five
years, and was in Gotland twenty-five years, while Halfdan
remained king in Upsal. King Halfdan died in his bed at Upsal,
and was buried there in a mound; and King On returned to Upsal
when he was sixty years of age. He made a great sacrifice, and
in it offered up his son to Odin. On got an answer from Odin,
that he should live sixty years longer; and he was afterwards
king in Upsal for twenty-five years. Now came Ole the Bold, a
son of King Fridleif, with his army to Sweden, against King On,
and they had several battles with each other; but Ole was always
the victor. Then On fled a second time to Gotland; and for
twenty-five years Ole reigned in Upsal, until he was killed by
Starkad the Old. After Ole's fall, On returned to Upsal, and
ruled the kingdom for twenty-five years. Then he made a great
sacrifice again for long life, in which he sacrificed his second
son, and received the answer from Odin, that he should live as
long as he gave him one of his sons every tenth year, and also
that he should name one of the districts of his country after the
number of sons he should offer to Odin. When he had sacrificed
the seventh of his sons he continued to live; but so that he
could not walk, but was carried on a chair. Then he sacrificed
his eighth son, and lived thereafter ten years, lying in his bed.
Now he sacrificed his ninth son, and lived ten years more; but so
that he drank out of a horn like a weaned infant. He had now
only one son remaining, whom he also wanted to sacrifice, and to
give Odin Upsal and the domains thereunto belonging, under the
name of the Ten Lands, but the Swedes would not allow it; so
there was no sacrifice, and King On died, and was buried in a
mound at Upsal. Since that time it is called On's sickness when
a man dies, without pain, of extreme old age. Thjodolf tell of
this: --

"In Upsal's town the cruel king
Slaughtered his sons at Odin's shrine --
Slaughtered his sons with cruel knife,
To get from Odin length of life.
He lived until he had to turn
His toothless mouth to the deer's horn;
And he who shed his children's blood
Sucked through the ox's horn his food.
At length fell Death has tracked him down,
Slowly, but sure, in Upsal's town."

30. OF EGIL AND TUNNE.

Egil was the name of On the Old's son, who succeeded as king in
Sweden after his father's death. He was no warrior, but sat
quietly at home. Tunne was the name of a slave who had been the
counsellor and treasurer of On the Old; and when On died Tunne
took much treasure and buried it in the earth. Now when Egil
became king he put Tunne among the other slaves, which he took
very ill and ran away with others of the slaves. They dug up the
treasures which Tunne had concealed, and he gave them to his men,
and was made their chief. Afterwards many malefactors flocked to
him; and they lay out in the woods, but sometimes fell upon the
domains, pillaging and killing the people. When King Egil heard
this he went out with his forces to pursue them; but one night
when he had taken up his night quarters, Tunne came there with
his men, fell on the king's men unexpectedly, and killed many of
them. As soon as King Egil perceived the tumult, he prepared for
defence, and set up his banner; but many people deserted him,
because Tunne and his men attacked them so boldly, and King Egil
saw that nothing was left but to fly. Tunne pursued the
fugitives into the forest, and then returned to the inhabited
land, ravaging and plundering without resistance. All the goods
that fell into Tunne's hands he gave to his people, and thus
became popular and strong in men. King Egil assembled an army
again, and hastened to give battle to Tunne. But Tunne was again
victorious, and King Egil fled with the loss of many people.
Egil and Tunne had eight battles with each other, and Tunne
always gained the victory. Then King Egil fled out of the
country, and went to Sealand in Denmark, to Frode the Bold, and
promised him a scatt from the Swedes to obtain help. Frode gave
him an army, and also his champions, with which force King Egil
repaired to Sweden. When Tunne heard this he came out to meet
him; and there was a great battle, in which Tunne fell, and King
Egil recovered his kingdom, and the Danes returned home. King
Egil sent King Frode great and good presents every year, but he
paid no scatt to the Danes; but notwithstanding, the friendship
between Egil and Frode continued without interruption. After
Tunne's fall, Egil ruled the kingdom for three years. It
happened in Sweden that an old bull, which was destined for
sacrifice, was fed so high that he became dangerous to people;
and when they were going to lay hold of him he escaped into the
woods, became furious, and was long in the forest committing
great damage to the country. King Egil was a great hunter, and
often rode into the forest to chase wild animals. Once he rode
out with his men to hunt in the forest. The king had traced an
animal a long while, and followed it in the forest, separated
from all his men. He observed at last that it was the bull, and
rode up to it to kill it. The bull turned round suddenly, and
the king struck him with his spear; but it tore itself out of the
wound. The bull now struck his horn in the side of the horse, so
that he instantly fell flat on the earth with the king. The king
sprang up, and was drawing his sword, when the bull struck his
horns right into the king's breast. The king's men then came up
and killed the bull. The king lived but a short time, and was
buried in a mound at Upsal. Thjodolf sings of it thus: --

"The fair-haired son of Odin's race,
Who fled before fierce Tunne's face,
Has perished by the demon-beast
Who roams the forests of the East.
The hero's breast met the full brunt
Of the wild bull's shaggy front;
The hero's heart's asunder torn
By the fell Jotun's spear-like horn."