Chapters 7-10

7. Einar sailed west to Shetland, and there folk gathered to him; after that he went south into the Orkneys, and held on at once to meet Kalf and his companion. There a battle arose, and both those Vikings fell. Then this stave was sung: "He gave Treebeard to Trolls. Turf-Einar slew Skurvy." After that he laid the lands under him, and made himself the greatest chief. He first of men found out how to cut turf out of the earth for firewood on Turfness in Scotland, for they were ill off for wood in the isles. Einar was a tall man and ugly, one-eyed, and yet the sharpest-sighted of men.

8. When the sons of Harold fair-hair had grown to man's estate, they became most overbearing men and unruly within the land; they fell on the king's earls, some they slew, but some they drove from their owndoms. Snowfrid's sons, Halfdan long-leg, and Gudred the bright, fell on earl Rognvald of Mæren, and slew him, and took to themselves his realm. But when king Harold heard that, he grew very wrath, and went out against his sons. Halfdan rushed on ship-board and sailed west across the sea, but Gudred gave himself up to his father's power. King Harold gave Thorir as an atonement for his father, Alofa harvest-heal his daughter, and the title of earl, and all that his father left behind him. Halfdan long-leg came into the Orkneys, and as soon as it was known that a son of king Harold was come thither, then men became full of fear. Some became Halfdan's liegemen, but earl Einar fled away out of the isles and up into Scotland. Halfdan laid the isles under him, and made himself king over them. Einar came back that same year, and he and Halfdan met; there arose then a great battle, and Einar gained the victory, but Halfdan leapt overboard in the dusk at eventide. Then Einar sang a stave:
      see not from Hrolf's hand,
      Hrollaug's eke, fly
      on the foeman flock,
      Father-vengeance befits us;
      while we the battle
      even urged on,
      Thorir in Mæren
      mead-cup sits mute."
Next morning when it was light they went to look for runagate men among the isles if any had got away; and each was slain on the spot as he stood. Then earl Einar took to saying these words: "I know not what I see in Rinansey, sometimes it lifts itself up, but sometimes it lays itself down, that is either a bird or a man, and we will go to it." There they found Halfdan long-leg, and Einar made them carve an eagle on his back with a sword, and cut the ribs all from the backbone, and draw the lungs there out, and gave him to Odin for the victory he had won (10) then Einar sung this:
      "Man broad-bearded oft is outlawed,
      Many a one, for stealing sheep;
      But in isles here I for felling
      Mighty Harold's youthful son:
      Risk hangs o'er me, say the freemen,
      From the king so courage-full,
      Harold's shield I've hewn a hole in,
      None can call that dint in doubt."
And again this:
      "Ever am I glad since spears,
      ----Good 'tis daring deeds to do,---
      Spears of warriors fond of fight,
      Bit the boy-son of the king;
      Him I hide not they mislike,
      There flew gray across the isles
      Bird that feasts on body-wounds,
      Wounds of Halfdan, joy of hawks."
After that he made them cast Halfdan's "how," and sang:
      "Wreakt I reckon Rognvald's death,
      Right in this the Norns have shapen.
      Now the people's prop hath fallen
      To my fourth share of revenge;
      Scatter stones ye lissom lads,
      For a victory we have won,
      Scatt to Long-legs here I scatter,
      Scatt of stones of grit so hard."
And when this news was heard in Norway, then his brothers took it very ill, and vowed a vow to fare to the Orkneys and avenge him, but king Harold made them put off their voyage. Einar sung when he heard of their vow:
      "For my life forsooth are many
      Eager, as I hear them say,
      Mighty men of no mean race,
      From divers mansions of the earth;
      But for that they do not know,
      These, until they lay me low,
      Which of us the eagle's claws
      Shall bow beneath ere all be o'er."
But sometime after king Harold fared west across the sea and came to the isles. Einar fled away out of the isles and over to Caithness; after that men came between them and they made up their quarrel. King Harold laid a fine upon the isles, and bade them pay sixty marks of gold. Earl Einar offered to bring out the fine alone, and then to own all the allodial holdings, and the freeholders were willing to do that; for the wealthy thought they would be able to buy back their holdings, but the poor had no money to pay the fine with. Einar paid up the fine, and so it was long after that the earls had all the allodial lands, till earl Sigurd gave back to the Orkneyingers their allodial lands. King Harold fared back to Norway, but earl Einar ruled over the Orkneys a long time, and died of sickness. He had three sons. One's name was Arnkell, another Erlend, a third Thorfinn skull-splitter. When Harold the fair-haired breathed his last, Eric blood-axe was king two winters.
        Then came Hacon Athelstane's foster-child from England, but Eric fared out of the land. He sailed west over the sea, and harried in Scotland and England. But when king Athelstane heard that he sent men to Eric, and offered to give him some land; he said he had been a great friend of king Harold, and said that he would show that by honouring his son. He said also that he would set him at one with king Hacon his foster son. King Eric accepted this choice, and he gave him Northumberland to rule over; that is a fifth of England. But for that, Eric had little land and many men, he grew short of money. For that he harried during the summers, but in the winters he sat at home on his lands; he kept on doing that while king Athelstane lived. After him his brother Edmund took the realm; he was not such a friend of the Northmen as king Athelstane, he thought it ill that Eric should have Northumberland. And one spring king Eric fared north along Scotland, and thence to the Orkneys, and took with him the earls of the Orkneys, the sons of Turf-Einar, Arnkell and Erlend. Thence he fared to the Southern Isles, and there too he got a great force. Thence he fared to Ireland and harried, and he did the like in Bretland (Wales). Thence he fared to England, and there he harried as he had done elsewhere. Olaf was the name of the king whom Edmund had set there to ward the land. But for that Eric had a great force, he landed and went up away from his ships. Olaf also gathered an overwhelming force and fared against king Eric, and there was a mighty battle. At the beginning of the day the Englishmen fell fast, but where one fell three came in his stead. But towards the close of the day the loss of men turned on the side of the Northmen, and the end of it was that king Eric fell and five kings with him. One of them was called Guthrum; there fell also the earls Arnkell and Erlend, the sons of Turf-Einar. But when queen Gunnhilda and her sons were ware that Eric had fallen and that he had before harried the land of the king of England, they thought they knew that there was no hope of peace for them in England; so they busked them in haste for the Orkneys. Thorfinn Skullsplitter was then earl there. Then the sons of Gunnhilda took the isles under them, and were there in the winters but fared a-warring in the summers. But while Gunnhilda and her sons were in the Orkneys, they heard that there was strife between the king of the Danes and king Hacon Athelstane's foster-child. Then they thought there was some hope that they might get help from Harold Gorm's son. Then they began their voyage to the Dane king. But before they fared out of the Orkneys they gave away Ragnhilda, the daughter of king Eric and Gunnhilda, to Arnfinn the son of earl Thorfinn, and then Thorfinn took up his seat (established his rule) in the isles. (11)

9. Thorfinn had five sons. The name of the first was Havard the harvest happy, the second was Hlodver, the third Ljot, the fourth Skuli, the fifth Arnfinn, Ragnhilda Eric's daughter wrought her husband Arnfinn's death at Murkle in Caithness; but she gave herself away to Havard the harvest-happy, his brother. Harvard took the earldom, and was a good chief; and in his days were good harvests. Einar oily-tongue was the name of a man, Harvard's sister's son. He was a great chief, and had a great following, and went a-warring in the summers. He was guest at a feast at Havard's, and at that feast they, Ragnhilda and Einar, talked much together. She said such a man was well worthy to be a chief, and better fitted for the earldom than Havard, his kinsman; she called, too, that woman well wedded who had such a husband. Einar bade her not to take to such words; said he (Harvard) was the noblest man in the isles, and she full well wedded. Ragnhild answers: "Short henceforth shall be my and Harvard's wedded life; true it is that there must be men in the isles who will not let everything grow in their eyes, even if thou puttest aside the honour from thee." With such upbraidings Einar's mind turned to greed and guile against the earl his kinsman, and they settled it between them that he should slay the earl, but that she should be wedded to him. And sometime after Einar busked himself to that journey, and then a spaeman spoke, who was with him: "Don't do this work today, but rather tomorrow, else kin-killing will last long in your family." Einar made as though he heard it not. Havard was then at Stoneness (12) in Hrossey; there they met one another, and there was a hard battle, and not long ere the earl fell. That place is now called Havard's crofts. And when these tidings were heard, Einar was thought to have been a mickle dastard for this deed; then Ragnhilda would have no fellowship with him, and said it was all a lie that she had ever given her word. Then she sent for Einar hardchaft; he was son of another sister of Harvard's; and when they met, she said 'twas shame on such kinsmen of his who would not avenge him, and she said she would do anything that the earl might be avenged. "Besides, too," she said, "it is well known that he must be most honoured by all good men who avenges the earl, and that man, too, will have won his way to his realm." Einar answers: "About this it is said," he says, "that ye sometimes say other things than what you have in your heart, but whoso does this work must have for it that thou holdest in hand for him the realm and those other things too, which will not be thought less worth having." So they break off their speech. After this Einar hardchaft fell on Einar oily-tongue, and slew him; but Ragnhilda sent for Ljot their (Havard's and Arnkell's) brother, and wedded him. Ljot took the earldom, and became a mighty chief. Einar hardchaft had now slain his kinsman, but was no nearer the earldom than before. Now he is very ill pleased with his lot, and would gather men to him, and seek to have the isles by main force; but he was ill off for men, for the Orkneyingers would only serve the sons of Thorfinn skull-splitter; and sometime after the earl let Einar hardchaft be slain.

10. Skuli, Ljot's brother, fared away up into Scotland, and there the title of earl was given him by the Scot-king. After that he came down on Caithness, and gathered folk to him there; and thence he fared into the isles, and there strove against his brother Ljot for the realm. Ljot gathers folk, and fared to meet Skuli, and had more men on his side; but when they met, Skuli would hear of nothing but fighting, so there was a hard battle, and Ljot won the victory; but Skuli fled over to the Ness and up into Scotland, and thither Ljot fares after him, and stayed there a while, and had more men on his side. And then Skuli rides down from Scotland with a mighty host, which the Scot-king and earl Macbeth had given him, and he and Ljot met in the Dales in Caithness, and there arose a mickle battle. And the Scots were most hot at the beginning of the fight. Earl Ljot bade his men to keep under their shields, but still to stand as fast as they could. But when the Scots could do nothing, Ljot egged on his men, and was himself the hottest. And when things had stood so for a while, then the array of those Scots was broken, and after that they fly; but Skuli kept up the battle, though he fell at last. Ljot took Caithness under him, and then there was strife between the King of Scots and earl Ljot, for the Scots were ill pleased at their bad luck. When earl Ljot was in Caithness with few men, then earl Macbeth came down from Scotland with a mighty host, and he and Ljot met on Skidmoor in Caithness; and earl Ljot had no great force against them, but still Ljot went so fast forward, that the Scots they yielded before him, and there was a short battle ere they fled, who chose life, but many were wounded. Ljot turned back with victory, but his men were much wounded. Earl Ljot also had gotten that wound which led him to his death, and his death was much mourned.


Notes:
10. The Run. Lex. quotes this passage thus: "Then earl Einar went to Halfdan and carved a blood-eagle on his back in this wise, that he thrust a sword into his trunk by the backbone and cut all the ribs away, from the backbone down to the loins, and drew the lungs out there;" omitting the interesting words as to the sacrifice to Odin. [Back]
11. The text of this account of Eric blood-axe has been turned into Icelandic from the Danish Translation, aided by the Heimskringla. In Fl. it is abridged thus: "Then came Hacon Athelstane's foster-child into the land, but Eric fled away as is before said. Earls Arnkell and Erlend, sons of Turf-Einar, fell in England with King Eric blood-axe, as is written before. Gunnhilda and her sons fared afterwards to the Orkneys, and took them under her, and dwelt there awhile. Then they fared to Denmark, but before they went gave away Ragnhilda, daughter of Eric and Gunnhilda, to Arnfinn, son of earl Thorfinn, and earl Thorfinn established himself in the isles." [Back]
12. Now Stennis. [Back]