“King Olaf made the following speech to his host before the battle of Stiklastadir:—‘We have a large and fine host. Now I will tell you how I want to array my men. I want to let my standard move forward in the middle of the host, and my hird and gestir shall follow it, together with those who joined me from Upplönd and Thrándheim. To the right of my standard Dag Hringsson shall stand, and the men with whom he joined us. He shall have another standard. To the left of my fylking shall stand the men from the King of Sweden and all those who joined us in Sviaveldi. They shall have the third standard. I want my men to form detachments, and friends and kinsmen shall stand together, for then each will defend the other best, and they will know each other. “‘We shall mark all our men by making a war-sign on our helmets and shields, namely, paint on them the holy cross in white. “‘When we come forward into battle we shall all have the same watchword: “Forward, forward, Christ-men, cross-men, king’s men.” We must have thin arrays if we have fewer men, for I do not want them to surround us. “‘Now form sveitir. Then the sveitir shall be put together to form fylkings, and each man must then know his place and mind in what direction he stands from the standard to which he belongs. We will keep our fylking and be fully armed day and night till we know where we meet the bœndr.’ When he had spoken they arrayed themselves, and arranged as the king had told them” (St. Olaf’s Saga, c. 216). “The chief Kalf Arnason raised his banner, and placed his _huskarls_ and Harek of Thjotta and his men round it. Thorir Hund with his host was in front of the host, and in front of the standards” (St. Olaf’s Saga, ch. 233). _Standards_, often very elaborately worked, were used both on sea and land; some of these had great reputations, and picked warriors were always chosen to carry them, each fylking having one. The poets or scalds seem to have stood close to them in the shieldburg. “He, Egil Ullserk, was an old bondi who had been a great warrior, and for a long time carried the banner of Harald the Fairhaired. He said: ‘I feared for some time, while this great peace lasted, that I should die from old age on my bench, and I wished rather to fall in battle with my chief; now it may happen so’” (Heimskringla, Hakon the Good, c. 23).