Sutherland and Caithness in Saga-Time; or, The Jarls and The FreskynsGray, James
History
Sutherland and Caithness in Saga-Time; or, The Jarls and The Freskyns
Gray, James
Caithness (Scotland) -- History; Freskin family; Sutherland (Scotland) -- History
The strategy leading up to the Burning is characteristic of Sweyn and
his stratagems. He _openly_ asks for ships and sails in them, and
thus is expected to land on the coast. But after a purposely
devious course, which has puzzled inquirers into the locality of
Ekkjals-bakki, he came overland by Oykel and Lairg and Strathnaver or
Strathskinsdale, whence he was not looked for.
Thorbiorn Klerk next has his revenges. First he burnt Earl Waltheof
(who had slain his father) in Moray, and next he killed two of Sweyn's
men who had assisted in the burning of Thorbiorn's relative, Frakok,
or Frakark, in Kildonan. Jarl Ragnvald with difficulty reconciles
Thorbiorn and Sweyn, and they start for a joint raid. Soon, however,
they squabble over the spoils, and Thorbiorn puts his wife Ingirid,
Sweyn's sister, away, a deed that reopened their feud.[21]
For a series of robberies in Caithness, Sweyn is besieged by Jarl
Ragnvald in Lambaborg, now known as Freswick Castle, but escapes by
swimming in his armour under the cliffs and landing in Caithness,
whence he passed southwards through Sutherland to Scotland and
Edinburgh, where King David I received him with honour, and reconciled
him with Jarl Ragnvald.[22]
In 1148, Ragnvald decided to visit King Ingi in Norway, taking
Harold Maddadson, then a boy of fifteen, with him.[23] There he meets
Eindridi, who had been long in Micklegarth, as Constantinople was then
called by the Norse, probably in the Emperor's service as one of the
Varangian Guard; and ships are built for a voyage to the East. But
both he and Harold are wrecked in "The Help" and "The Arrow," at
Gulberwick, south of Lerwick, on the Shetland coast, all on board,
however, being saved, and Ragnvald, as usual, making verses and fun of
it all, and of many other things.
At last in 1150 Ragnvald's and Eindridi's ships are "boun"[24] for
their eastern cruise, Eindridi, however, being wrecked off Shetland.
But he gets another ship, and, in 1151, they set sail for the East,
William, the bishop of Orkney, commanding one vessel. Passing down the
east coast of England and through the Channel to France, they reach
Bilbao[25] in Spain, where Ragnvald lands, and refuses to marry Queen
Ermengarde. Afterwards he rounds Galicia, where Eindridi's treachery
robs them of spoil in taking Godfrey's castle, beats through Niorfa
Sound (the Straits of Gibraltar); is deserted by Eindridi, sails along
Sarkland (Barbary), captures the Saracen ship Dromund, and burns her,
sells the prisoners in Barbary, but releases their prince, coasts
along Crete, lands at Acre, and bathes in Jordan on St. Lawrence's
Day, the 10th of August 1152. After a visit to Jerusalem they come
at last to Constantinople, where the Varangian Guard heartily welcome
them, although Eindridi, who has arrived there before him, tries to
set everyone against them; and Ragnvald finally returns to Bulgaria
and Apulia and Rome, and thence overland to Denmark and Norway.[26]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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