Norway -- History -- 1030-1397; Norway -- History -- To 1030; Norway -- King and rulers
Sunbeam of the Grove, when next demanded of her Bonder, has the whole
neighborhood assembled in arms round her; rumor of Tryggveson is fast
making it the whole country. Hakon's insolent messengers are cut in
pieces; Hakon finds he cannot fly under cover too soon. With a single
slave he flies that same night;--but whitherward? Can think of no safe
place, except to some old mistress of his, who lives retired in that
neighborhood, and has some pity or regard for the wicked old Hakon. Old
mistress does receive him, pities him, will do all she can to protect
and hide him. But how, by what uttermost stretch of female artifice hide
him here; every one will search here first of all! Old mistress, by the
slave's help, extemporizes a cellar under the floor of her pig-house;
sticks Hakon and slave into that, as the one safe seclusion she can
contrive. Hakon and slave, begrunted by the pigs above them, tortured by
the devils within and about them, passed two days in circumstances
more and more horrible. For they heard, through their light-slit
and breathing-slit, the triumph of Tryggveson proclaiming itself by
Tryggveson's own lips, who had mounted a big boulder near by and was
victoriously speaking to the people, winding up with a promise of
honors and rewards to whoever should bring him wicked old Hakon's head.
Wretched Hakon, justly suspecting his slave, tried to at least keep
himself awake. Slave did keep himself awake till Hakon dozed or slept,
then swiftly cut off Hakon's head, and plunged out with it to the
presence of Tryggveson. Tryggveson, detesting the traitor, useful as the
treachery was, cut off the slave's head too, had it hung up along with
Hakon's on the pinnacle of the Lade Gallows, where the populace pelted
both heads with stones and many curses, especially the more important of
the two. "Hakon the Bad" ever henceforth, instead of Hakon the Rich.
This was the end of Hakon Jarl, the last support of heathenry in Norway,
among other characteristics he had: a stronghanded, hard-headed, very
relentless, greedy and wicked being. He is reckoned to have ruled in
Norway, or mainly ruled, either in the struggling or triumphant state,
for about thirty years (965-995?). He and his seemed to have formed,
by chance rather than design, the chief opposition which the Haarfagr
posterity throughout its whole course experienced in Norway. Such
the cost to them of killing good Jarl Sigurd, in Greyfell's time! For
"curses, like chickens," do sometimes visibly "come home to feed," as
they always, either visibly or else invisibly, are punctually sure to
do.
Hakon Jarl is considerably connected with the _Faroer Saga_ often
mentioned there, and comes out perfectly in character; an altogether
worldly-wise man of the roughest type, not without a turn for
practicality of kindness to those who would really be of use to him. His
tendencies to magic also are not forgotten.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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