History of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, Vol. 1 (of 2)Dunham, S. A. (Samuel Astley)
History
History of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Dunham, S. A. (Samuel Astley)
Scandinavia -- History
_Egil_, whose blood should have stained the altar of Odin, became, by
his father’s death, monarch of the Swedes. He now experienced an enemy
in Tunne, who, though a slave, had been the treasurer of Aun. As Tunne
had tasted the sweets of power, he had no wish to revert to his former
condition; and when he perceived that no distinction was made between
him and his fellows, he repaired to the spot where Aun had buried a
large treasure, dug it up, and with it hired a numerous body of men to
execute his purposes. At first the new chief betook himself to the less
accessible parts of the country; by degrees, as his band increased,—and
there can be no doubt, by proclaiming a servile war, it rapidly
increased,—he issued from the mountain or the forest, and swept the
neighbouring plains. He was a bandit on a large scale. Egil raised some
force, and hastened to chastise the rebel; but, being surprised by night
in his camp, he lost many of his followers, and was compelled to consult
his safety by flight. This signal event increased the power of the
rebel, and though forces were repeatedly brought into the field, victory
declared for Tunne in eight consecutive engagements. In this emergency
the king fled to the court of the Danish king, Frode V., in Zealand, and
offered as the condition of aid an annual tribute. Frode accepted the
offer; and, with a Danish reinforcement, Egil triumphed over the rebel.
During the three years which intervened between this event and his own
death, Egil sent large _presents_ to the Danish king; but he would not
allow them to be called tribute. Death was to him, like most of the
Ynglings, tragical: it was occasioned by a wild bull, while hunting in
the forest. _Ottar_, the son of Egil, succeeded. Being summoned by the
Danish king to pay the tribute which had been promised, he returned a
peremptory refusal. Frode invaded Swionia, laid waste the country; while
Ottar, equipping a powerful armament, disembarked in Zealand, and
committed equal depredations. But the latter was defeated and slain by
the Danes, and his body exposed to the fury of wild beasts. _Adils_, the
son of Ottar, was the next king. He was a noted pirate, who, in summer,
visited and ravaged most of the coasts round the Baltic. On one occasion
he descended on that of Saxony, laid waste the country, took much spoil,
among which was Ursa, a lady of surpassing beauty. Of her the victor
became enamoured, and he married her: but, being expelled from his
kingdom by Helge, the son of Halfdan, who reigned at Ledra, this queen
fell into the power of the victor, who, also, married her, and the issue
of this union was Rolf Krake. But Ursa, who was discovered to be the
daughter of Helge, returned to the court of Adils, with whom she
remained during the rest of her life. On the death of Helge, in one of
his piratical expeditions, Rolf, or Rollo, young as he was, was
acknowledged king of Ledra. Adils did not long survive his enemy; he was
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