Magnus Barefoot's Saga

14. OF THE NORTHMEN.

When the Swedish king heard this he drew together people, and the
report came that he would ride against these Northmen; but there
was delay about his riding, and the Northmen made these lines: --
"The fat-hipped king, with heavy sides,
Finds he must mount before he rides."

But when the ice set in upon the Vener lake King Inge rode down,
and had near 300 men with him. He sent a message to the Northmen
who sat in the burgh that they might retire with all the booty
they had taken, and go to Norway. When the messengers brought
this message, Sigurd Ulstreng replied to it; saying that King
Inge must take the trouble to come, if he wished to drive them
away like cattle out of a grass field, and said he must come
nearer if he wished them to remove. The messengers returned with
this answer to the king, who then rode out with all his army to
the island, and again sent a message to the Northmen that they
might go away, taking with them their weapons, clothes, and
horses; but must leave behind all their booty. This they
refused. The king made an assault upon them, and they shot at
each other. Then the king ordered timber and stones to be
collected, and he filled up the ditch; and then he fastened
anchors to long spars which were brought up to the timber-walls,
and, by the strength of many hands, the walls were broken down.
Thereafter a large pile of wood was set on fire, and the lighted
brands were flung in among them. Then the Northmen asked for
quarter. The king ordered them to go out without weapons or
cloaks. As they went out each of them received a stroke with a
whip, and then they set off for Norway, and all the forest-men
submitted again to King Inge. Sigurd and his people went to King
Magnus, and told him their misfortune.

15. KING MAGNUS AND GIPARDE.

When King Magnus was east in Viken, there came to him a foreigner
called Giparde. He gave himself out for a good knight, and
offered his services to King Magnus; for he understood that in
the king's dominions there was something to be done. The king
received him well. At that time the king was preparing to go to
Gautland, on which country the king had pretensions; and besides
he would repay the Gautland people the disgrace they had
occasioned him in spring, when he was obliged to fly from them.
He had then a great force in arms, and the West Gautlanders in
the northern districts submitted to him. He set up his camp on
the borders, intending to make a foray from thence. When King
Inge heard of this he collected troops, and hastened to oppose
King Magnus; and when King Magnus heard of this expedition, many
of the chiefs of the people urged him to turn back; but this the
king would not listen to, but in the night time went
unsuspectedly against the Swedish king. They met at Foxerne; and
when he was drawing up his men in battle order he asked, "Where
is Giparde?" but he was not to be found. Then the king made
these verses: --

"Cannot the foreign knight abide
Our rough array? -- where does he hide?"

Then a skald who followed the king replied: --

"The king asks where the foreign knight
In our array rides to the fight:
Giparde the knight rode quite away
When our men joined in bloody fray.
When swords were wet the knight was slow
With his bay horse in front to go;
The foreign knight could not abide
Our rough array, and went to hide."

There was a great slaughter, and after the battle the field was
covered with the Swedes slain, and King Inge escaped by flight.
King Magnus gained a great victory. Then came Giparde riding
down from the country, and people did not speak well of him for
not being in the fight. He went away, and proceeded westward to
England; and the voyage was stormy, and Giparde lay in bed.
There was an Iceland man called Eldjarn, who went to bale out the
water in the ship's hold, and when he saw where Giparde was lying
he made this verse: --

"Does it beseem a courtman bold
Here to be dozing in the hold?
The bearded knight should danger face:
The leak gains on our ship apace.
Here, ply this bucket! bale who can;
We need the work of every man.
Our sea-horse stands full to the breast, --
Sluggards and cowards must not rest."

When they came west to England, Giparde said the Northmen had
slandered him. A meeting was appointed, and a count came to it,
and the case was brought before him for trial. He said he was
not much acquainted with law cases, as he was but young, and had
only been a short time in office; and also, of all things, he
said what he least understood to judge about was poetry. "But
let us hear what it was." Then Eldjarn sang: --

"I heard that in the bloody fight
Giparde drove all our foes to flight:
Brave Giparde would the foe abide,
While all our men ran off to hide.
At Foxerne the fight was won
By Giparde's valour all alone;
Where Giparde fought, alone was he;
Not one survived to fight or flee."

Then said the count, "Although I know but little about skald-
craft, I can hear that this is no slander, but rather the highest
praise and honour." Giparde could say nothing against it, yet he
felt it was a mockery.

16. BATTLE OF FOXERNE.

The spring after, as soon as the ice broke up, King Magnus, with
a great army, sailed eastwards to the Gaut river, and went up the
eastern arm of it, laying waste all that belonged to the Swedish
dominions. When they came to Foxerne they landed from their
vessels; but as they came over a river on their way an army of
Gautland people came against them, and there was immediately a
great battle, in which the Northmen were overwhelmed by numbers,
driven to flight, and many of them killed near to a waterfall.
King Magnus fled, and the Gautlanders pursued, and killed those
they could get near. King Magnus was easily known. He was a
very stout man, and had a red short cloak over him, and bright
yellow hair like silk that fell over his shoulders. Ogmund
Skoptason, who was a tall and handsome man, rode on one side of
the king. He said, "Sire, give me that cloak."

The king said, "What would you do with it?"

"I would like to have it," said Ogmund; "and you have given me
greater gifts, sire."

The road was such that there were great and wide plains, so that
the Gautlanders and Northmen were always in sight of each other,
unless where clumps of wood and bushes concealed them from each
other now and then. The king gave Ogmund the cloak and he put it
on. When they came out again upon the plain ground, Ogmund and
his people rode off right across the road. The Gautlanders,
supposing this must be the king, rode all after him, and the king
proceeded to the ships. Ogmund escaped with great difficulty;
however, he reached the ships at last in safety. King Magnus
then sailed down the river, and proceeded north to Viken.

17. MEETING OF THE KINGS AT THE GAUT RIVER.

The following summer a meeting of the kings was agreed upon at
Konghelle on the Gaut river; and King Magnus, the Swedish king,
Inge, and the Danish king, Eirik Sveinson, all met there, after
giving each other safe conduct to the meeting. Now when the
Thing had sat down the kings went forward upon the plain, apart
from the rest of the people, and they talked with each other a
little while. Then they returned to their people, and a treaty
was brought about, by which each should possess the dominions his
forefathers had held before him; but each should make good to his
own men the waste and manslaughter suffered by them, and then
they should agree between themselves about settling this with
each other. King Magnus should marry King Inge's daughter
Margaret, who afterwards was called Peace-offering. This was
proclaimed to the people; and thus, within a little hour, the
greatest enemies were made the best of friends.

It was observed by the people that none had ever seen men with
more of the air of chiefs than these had. King Inge was the
largest and stoutest, and, from his age, of the most dignified
appearance. King Magnus appeared the most gallant and brisk, and
King Eirik the most handsome. But they were all handsome men;
stout, gallant, and ready in speech. After this was settled they
parted.