Saga of Olaf Haroldson

75. KING OLAF'S HALF-BROTHERS.

It is told that when King Olaf was on his visit to his mother
Asta, she brought out her children, and showed them to him. The
king took his brother Guthorm on the one knee, and his brother
Halfdan on the other. The king looked at Guthorm, made a wry
face, and pretended to be angry at them: at which the boys were
afraid. Then Asta brought her youngest son, called Harald, who
was three years old, to him. The king made a wry face at him
also; but he looked the king in the face without regarding it.
The king took the boy by the hair, and plucked it; but the boy
seized the king's whiskers, and gave them a tug. "Then," said
the king, "thou wilt be revengeful, my friend, some day." The
following day the king was walking with his mother about the
farm, and they came to a playground, where Asta's sons, Guthorm
and Halfdan, were amusing themselves. They were building great
houses and barns in their play, and were supposing them full of
cattle and sheep; and close beside them, in a clay pool, Harald
was busy with chips of wood, sailing them, in his sport along the
edge. The king asked him what these were; and he answered, these
were his ships of war. The king laughed, and said, "The time may
come, friend, when thou wilt command ships."

Then the king called to him Halfdan and Guthorm; and first he
asked Guthorm, "What wouldst thou like best to have?"

"Corn land," replied he.

"And how great wouldst thou like thy corn land to be?"

"I would have the whole ness that goes out into the lake sown
with corn every summer." On that ness there are ten farms.

The king replies, "There would be a great deal of corn there."
And, turning to Halfdan, he asked, "And what wouldst thou like
best to have?"

"Cows," he replied.

"How many wouldst thou like to have?"

"When they went to the lake to be watered I would have so many,
that they stood as tight round the lake as they could stand."

"That would be a great housekeeping," said the king; "and therein
ye take after your father."

Then the king says to Harald, "And what wouldst thou like best to
have?"

"House-servants."

"And how many wouldst thou have?"

"Oh! so many I would like to have as would eat up my brother
Halfdan's cows at a single meal."

The king laughed, and said to Asta, "Here, mother, thou art
bringing up a king." And more is not related of them on this
occasion.

76. THE DIVISION OF THE COUNTRY.

In Svithjod it was the old custom, as long as heathenism
prevailed, that the chief sacrifice took place in Goe month at
Upsala. Then sacrifice was offered for peace, and victory to the
king; and thither came people from all parts of Svithjod. All
the Things of the Swedes, also, were held there, and markets, and
meetings for buying, which continued for a week: and after
Christianity was introduced into Svithjod, the Things and fairs
were held there as before. After Christianity had taken root in
Svithjod, and the kings would no longer dwell in Upsala, the
market-time was moved to Candlemas, and it has since continued
so, and it lasts only three days. There is then the Swedish
Thing also, and people from all quarters come there. Svithjod is
divided into many parts. One part is West Gautland, Vermaland,
and the Marks, with what belongs to them; and this part of the
kingdom is so large, that the bishop who is set over it has 1100
churches under him. The other part is East Gautland, where there
is also a bishop's seat, to which the islands of Gotland and
Eyland belong; and forming all together a still greater
bishopric. In Svithjod itself there is a part of the country
called Sudermanland, where there is also a bishopric. Then comes
Westmanland, or Fiathrundaland, which is also a bishopric. The
third portion of Svithjod proper is called Tiundaland; the fourth
Attandaland; the fifth Sialand, and what belongs to it lies
eastward along the coast. Tiundaland is the best and most
inhabited part of Svithjod, under which the other kingdoms stand.
There Upsala is situated, the seat of the king and archbishop;
and from it Upsala-audr, or the domain of the Swedish kings,
takes its name. Each of these divisions of the country has its
Lag-thing, and its own laws in many parts. Over each is a
lagman, who rules principally in affairs of the bondes: for that
becomes law which he, by his speech, determines them to make law:
and if king, earl, or bishop goes through the country, and holds
a Thing with the bondes, the lagmen reply on account of the
bondes, and they all follow their lagmen; so that even the most
powerful men scarcely dare to come to their Al-thing without
regarding the bondes' and lagmen's law. And in all matters in
which the laws differ from each other, Upsala-law is the
directing law; and the other lagmen are under the lagman who
dwells in Tiundaland.

77. OF THE LAGMAN THORGNY.

In Tiundaland there was a lagman who was called Thorgny, whose
father was called Thorgny Thorgnyson. His forefathers had for a
long course of years, and during many kings' times, been lagmen
of Tiundaland. At this time Thorgny was old, and had a great
court about him. He was considered one of the wisest men in
Sweden, and was Earl Ragnvald's relation and foster-father.

78. MEETING OF RAGNVALD AND INGEGERD.

Now we must go back in our story to the time when the men whom
the king's daughter Ingegerd and Hjalte had sent from the east
came to Earl Ragnvald. They relate their errand to the earl and
his wife Ingebjorg, and tell how the king's daughter had oft
spoken to the Swedish king about a peace between him and King
Olaf the Thick, and that she was a great friend of King Olaf; but
that the Swedish king flew into a passion every time she named
Olaf, so that she had no hopes of any peace. The Earl told Bjorn
the news he had received from the east; but Bjorn gave the same
reply, that he would not turn back until he had met the Swedish
king, and said the earl had promised to go with him. Now the
winter was passing fast, and immediately after Yule the earl made
himself ready to travel with sixty men, among whom where the
marshal Bjorn and his companions. The earl proceeded eastward
all the way to Svithjod; but when he came a little way into the
country he sent his men before him to Upsala with a message to
Ingegerd the king's daughter to come out to meet him at
Ullaraker, where she had a large farm. When the king's daughter
got the earl's message she made herself ready immediately to
travel with a large attendance, and Hjalte accompanied her. But
before he took his departure he went to King Olaf, and said,
"Continue always to be the most fortunate of monarchs! Such
splendour as I have seen about thee I have in truth never
witnessed elsewhere, and wheresoever I come it shall not be
concealed. Now, king, may I entreat thy favour and friendship in
time to come?"

The king replies, "Why art thou in so great a haste, and where
art thou going?"

Hjalte replies, "I am to ride out to Ullaraker with Ingegerd thy
daughter."

The king says, "Farewell, then: a man thou art of understanding
and politeness, and well suited to live with people of rank."

Thereupon Hjalte withdrew.

The king's daughter Ingegerd rode to her farm in Ullaraker, and
ordered a great feast to be prepared for the earl. When the earl
arrived he was welcomed with gladness, and he remained there
several days. The earl and the king's daughter talked much, and
of many things, but most about the Swedish and Norwegian kings;
and she told the earl that in her opinion there was no hope of
peace between them.

Then said the earl, "How wouldst thou like it, my cousin, if Olaf
king of Norway were to pay his addresses to thee? It appears to
us that it would contribute most towards a settled peace if there
was relationship established between the kings; but I would not
support such a matter if it were against thy inclination."

She replies, "My father disposes of my hand; but among all my
other relations thou art he whose advice I would rather follow in
weighty affairs. Dost thou think it would be advisable?" The
earl recommended it to her strongly, and reckoned up many
excellent achievements of King Olaf's. He told her, in
particular, about what had lately been done; that King Olaf in an
hours time one morning had taken five kings prisoners, deprived
them all of their governments, and laid their kingdoms and
properties under his own power. Much they talked about the
business, and in all their conversations they perfectly agreed
with each other. When the earl was ready he took leave, and
proceeded on his way, taking Hjalte with him.