Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of NorwaySnorri Sturluson
History
Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
Snorri Sturluson
Iceland -- History; Norway -- History; Sagas -- Translations into English; Scandinavia -- History
Gunhild's sons levied a great army in Viken (A.D. 963), and sailed along
the land northwards, collecting people and ships on the way out of every
district. They then made known their intent, to proceed northwards with
their army against Earl Hakon in Throndhjem. When Earl Hakon heard this
news, he also collected men, and fitted out ships; and when he heard
what an overwhelming force Gunhild's sons had with them, he steered
south with his fleet to More, pillaging wherever he came, and
killing many people. He then sent the whole of the bonde army back to
Throndhjem; but he himself, with his men-at-arms, proceeded by both the
districts of More and Raumsdal, and had his spies out to the south of
Stad to spy the army of Gunhild's sons; and when he heard they were come
into the Fjords, and were waiting for a fair wind to sail northwards
round Stad, Earl Hakon set out to sea from the north side of Stad, so
far that his sails could not be seen from the land, and then sailed
eastward on a line with the coast, and came to Denmark, from whence he
sailed into the Baltic, and pillaged there during the summer. Gunhild's
sons conducted their army north to Throndhjem, and remained there
the whole summer collecting the scat and duties. But when summer
was advanced they left Sigurd Slefa and Gudron behind; and the other
brothers returned eastward with the levied army they had taken up in
summer.
13. OF EARL HAKON AND GUNHILD'S SONS.
Earl Hakon, towards harvest (A.D. 963), sailed into the Bothnian Gulf
to Helsingjaland, drew his ships up there on the beach, and took the
land-ways through Helsingjaland and Jamtaland, and so eastwards round
the dividing ridge (the Kjol, or keel of the country), and down into the
Throndhjem district. Many people streamed towards him, and he fitted out
ships. When the sons of Gunhild heard of this they got on board their
ships, and sailed out of the Fjord; and Earl Hakon came to his seat at
Hlader, and remained there all winter. The sons of Gunhild, on the other
hand, occupied More; and they and the earl attacked each other in
turns, killing each other's people. Earl Hakon kept his dominions of
Throndhjem, and was there generally in the winter; but in summer he
sometimes went to Helsingjaland, where he went on board of his ships
and sailed with them down into the Baltic, and plundered there; and
sometimes he remained in Throndhjem, and kept an army on foot, so that
Gunhild's sons could get no hold northwards of Stad.
14. SIGURD SLEFA'S MURDER.
One summer Harald Grayskin with his troops went north to Bjarmaland,
where be forayed, and fought a great battle with the inhabitants on the
banks of the Vina (Dwina). King Harald gained the victory, killed many
people, plundered and wasted and burned far and wide in the land, and
made enormous booty. Glum Geirason tells of it thus:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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