Saga of Olaf Haroldson

86. KING HROREK'S JOURNEY TO ICELAND.

There was an Iceland man, by name Thorarin Nefiulfson, who had
his relations in the north of the country. He was not of high
birth, but particularly prudent, eloquent, and agreeable in
conversation with people of distinction. He was also a far-
travelled man, who had been long in foreign parts. Thorarin was
a remarkably ugly man, principally because he had very ungainly
limbs. He had great ugly hands, and his feet were still uglier.
Thorarin was in Tunsberg when this event happened which has just
been related, and he was known to King Olaf by their having had
conversations together. Thorarin was just then done with rigging
out a merchant vessel which he owned, and with which he intended
to go to Iceland in summer. King Olaf had Thorarin with him as a
guest for some days, and conversed much with him; and Thorarin
even slept in the king's lodgings. One morning early the king
awoke while the others were still sleeping. The sun had newly
risen in the sky, and there was much light within. The king saw
that Thorarin had stretched out one of his feet from under the
bed-clothes, and he looked at the foot a while. In the meantime
the others in the lodging awoke; and the king said to Thorarin,
"I have been awake for a while, and have seen a sight which was
worth seeing; and that is a man's foot so ugly that I do not
think an uglier can be found in this merchant town." Thereupon
he told the others to look at it, and see if it was not so; and
all agreed with the king. When Thorarin observed what they were
talking about, he said, "There are few things for which you
cannot find a match, and that may be the case here."

The king says, "I would rather say that such another ugly foot
cannot be found in the town, and I would lay any wager upon it."

Then said Thorarin, "I am willing to bet that I shall find an
uglier foot still in the town."

The king -- "Then he who wins shall have the right to get any
demand from the other he chooses to make."

"Be it so," said Thorarin. Thereupon he stretches out his other
foot from under the bed-clothes, and it was in no way handsomer
than the other, and moreover, wanted the little toe. "There,"
said Thorarin, "see now, king, my other foot, which is so much
uglier; and, besides, has no little toe. Now I have won."

The king replies, "That other foot was so much uglier than this
one by having five ugly toes upon it, and this has only four; and
now I have won the choice of asking something from thee."

"The sovereign's decision must be right," says Thorarin; "but
what does the king require of me?"

"To take Hrorek," said the king, "to Greenland, and deliver him
to Leif Eirikson."

Thorarin replies, "I have never been in Greenland."

The king -- "Thou, who art a far-travelled man, wilt now have an
opportunity of seeing Greenland, if thou hast never been there
before."

At first Thorarin did not say much about it; but as the king
insisted on his wish he did not entirely decline, but said, "I
will let you hear, king, what my desire would have been had I
gained the wager. It would have been to be received into your
body of court-men; and if you will grant me that, I will be the
more zealous now in fulfilling your pleasure." The king gave his
consent, and Thorarin was made one of the court-men. Then
Thorarin rigged out his vessel, and when he was ready he took on
board King Hrorek. When Thorarin took leave of King Olaf, he
said, "Should it now turn out, king, as is not improbable, and
often happens, that we cannot effect the voyage to Greenland, but
must run for Iceland or other countries, how shall I get rid of
this king in a way that will be satisfactory to you?"

The king -- "If thou comest to Iceland, deliver him into the
hands of Gudmund Eyolfson, or of Skapte, the lagman, or of some
other chief who will receive my tokens and message of friendship.
But if thou comest to other countries nearer to this, do so with
him that thou canst know with certainty that King Hrorek never
again shall appear in Norway; but do so only when thou seest no
other way of doing whatsoever."

When Thorarin was ready for sea, and got a wind, he sailed
outside of all the rocks and islands, and when he was to the
north of the Naze set right out into the ocean. He did not
immediately get a good wind, but he avoided coming near the land.
He sailed until he made land which he knew, in the south part of
Iceland, and sailed west around the land out into the Greenland
ocean.

There he encountered heavy storms, and drove long about upon the
ocean; but when summer was coming to an end he landed again in
Iceland in Breidafjord. Thorgils Arason (1) was the first man of
any consequence who came to him. Thorarin brings him the king's
salutation, message, and tokens, with which was the desire about
King Hrorek's reception. Thorgils received these in a friendly
way, and invited King Hrorek to his house, where he stayed all
winter. But he did not like being there, and begged that
Thorgils would let him go to Gudmund; saying he had heard some
time or other that there in Gudmund's house, was the most
sumptuous way of living in Iceland, and that it was intended he
should be in Gudmund's hands. Thorgils let him have his desire,
and conducted him with some men to Gudmund at Modruveller.
Gudmund received Hrorek kindly on account of the king's message,
and he stayed there the next winter. He did not like being there
either; and then Gudmund gave him a habitation upon a small farm
called Kalfskin, where there were but few neighbours. There
Hrorek passed the third winter, and said that since he had laid
down his kingdom he thought himself most comfortably situated
here; for here he was most respected by all. The summer after
Hrorek fell sick, and died; and it is said he is the only king
whose bones rest in Iceland. Thorarin Nefiulfson was afterwards
for a long time upon voyages; but sometimes he was with King
Olaf.

87. BATTLE IN ULFREKS-FJORD.

The summer that Thorarin went with Hrorek to Iceland, Hjalte
Skeggjason went also to Iceland, and King Olaf gave him many
friendly gifts with him when they parted. The same summer Eyvind
Urarhorn went on an expedition to the west sea, and came in
autumn to Ireland, to the Irish king Konofogor (2). In autumn
Einar earl of Orkney and this Irish king met in Ulfreks-fjord,
and there was a great battle, in which Konofogor gained the
victory, having many more people. The earl fled with a single
ship and came back about autumn to Orkney, after losing most of
his men and all the booty they had made. The earl was much
displeased with his expedition, and threw the blame upon the
Northmen, who had been in the battle on the side of the Irish
king, for making him lose the victory.

88. OLAF PREPARES FOR HIS BRIDAL JOURNEY.

Now we begin again our story where we let it slip -- at King
Olaf's travelling to his bridal, to receive his betrothed
Ingegerd the king's daughter. The king had a great body of men
with him, and so chosen a body that all the great people he could
lay hold of followed him; and every man of consequence had a
chosen band of men with him distinguished by birth or other
qualifications. The whole were well appointed, and equipped in
ships, weapons, and clothes. They steered the fleet eastwards to
Konungahella; but when they arrived there they heard nothing of
the Swedish king and none of his men had come there. King Olaf
remained a long time in summer (A.D. 1018) at Konungahella, and
endeavored carefully to make out what people said of the Swedish
king's movements, or what were his designs; but no person could
tell him anything for certain about it. Then he sent men up to
Gautland to Earl Ragnvald, to ask him if he knew how it came to
pass that the Swedish king did not come to the meeting agreed on.
The earl replies, that he did not know. "But as soon," said he,
"as I hear, I shall send some of my men to King Olaf, to let him
know if there be any other cause for the delay than the multitude
of affairs; as it often happens that the Swedish king's movements
are delayed by this more than he could have expected."

89. OF THE SWEDISH KING'S CHILDREN.

This Swedish king, Olaf Eirikson, had first a concubine who was
called Edla, a daughter of an earl of Vindland, who had been
captured in war, and therefore was called the king's slave-girl.
Their children were Emund, Astrid, Holmfrid.... They had,
besides, a son, who was born the day before St. Jacob's-day.
When the boy was to be christened the bishop called him Jacob,
which the Swedes did not like, as there never had been a Swedish
king called Jacob. All King Olaf's children were handsome in
appearance, and clever from childhood. The queen was proud, and
did not behave well towards her step-children; therefore the king
sent his son Emund to Vindland, to be fostered by his mother's
relations, where he for a long time neglected his Christianity.
The king's daughter, Astrid, was brought up in West Gautland, in
the house of a worthy man called Egil. She was a very lovely
girl: her words came well into her conversation; she was merry,
but modest, and very generous. When she was grown up she was
often in her father's house, and every man thought well of her.
King Olaf was haughty and harsh in his speech. He took very ill
the uproar and clamour the country people had raised against him
at the Upsala Thing, as they had threatened him with violence,
for which he laid the chief blame on Earl Ragnvald. He made no
preparation for the bridal, according to the agreement to marry
his daughter Ingegerd to Olaf the king of Norway, and to meet him
on the borders for that purpose. As the summer advanced many of
his men were anxious to know what the kings intentions were;
whether to keep to the agreement with King Olaf, or break his
word, and with it the peace of the country. But no one was so
bold as to ask the king, although they complained of it to
Ingegerd, and besought her to find out what the king intended.
She replied "I have no inclination to speak to the king again
about the matters between him and King Olaf; for he answered me
ill enough once before when I brought forward Olaf's name." In
the meantime Ingegerd, the king's daughter, took it to heart,
became melancholy and sorrowful and yet very curious to know what
the king intended. She had much suspicion that he would not keep
his word and promise to King Olaf; for he appeared quite enraged
whenever Olaf the Thick's name was in any way mentioned.

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