SEA BATTLES.
The battle of Svold—The battle of the Jomsvikings.
The two most famous sea-fights which are related in the Sagas are those
of _Svold_ and _Jomsvikings_; the former of which took place between
Olaf Tryggvason against King Svein of Denmark, Olaf of Sweden, and Eirik
jarl of Norway. When Olaf Tryggvason had left _Vindland_ (the land of
the Wends), and was returning to Norway, his enemies were waiting in
ambush in order to attack him, and thus was fought the battle of Svold.
“Svein King of Denmark, Olaf King of Sweden, and Eirik jarl lay under
the island with all their host. The weather was fine and the sunshine
was bright. All the chiefs went up on the island, and many of the host
with them. When they saw that very many of the ships of the Northmen
sailed out to sea they were very glad, for their host grumbled at lying
there so long, and some had lost all hope of the King of Norway’s
coming. Now they saw a large and splendid ship sailing, and both the
kings said: ‘This is a large and exceedingly fine ship; it must be the
Long Serpent.’ Eirik jarl answered: ‘This is not the Long Serpent, which
must look larger and grander, though this is a large and fine ship.’ It
was as the jarl said. Styrkár of Gimsar owned the ship. Shortly after
they saw another much larger ship, which had a head on its prow. King
Svein said: ‘This must be the Long Serpent; let us now go to our ships
and not be too slow in attack.’ Eirik jarl replied: ‘This cannot be the
Long Serpent, though it is finely fitted out.’ It was as he said, for it
belonged to Thorkel Nefja, King Olaf’s brother; but he was not on board
himself. And now they saw another large and fine ship. King Svein said:
‘There you can see the king’s ship.’ The jarl replied: ‘Certainly this
is a large and splendid ship, but the Serpent must be much grander.’
Close upon it came a fourth large ship. The two last were owned by two
men of Vikin, Thorgeir and Hyrning, the king’s brothers-in-law; but they
did not steer the ships, for they were on the Long Serpent with King
Olaf. A little while after appeared a fifth, much larger than any of the
preceding. King Svein said, laughing: ‘Now is Olaf Tryggvason afraid,
for he dares not sail with the head on his dragon.’[159] Eirik jarl
replied: ‘This is not the king’s ship; this one I know well, as well as
the sail which is striped; it belongs to Erling Skjalgsson of Jadar; let
them sail on, for I tell you truly that there are warriors on board,
whom, if we go into battle with Olaf Tryggvason, it is better not to
have, but to miss in his fleet, than to have it manned as it is, for I
think Erling himself steers it.’ It was not long after these five large
ships and all the small ones of the fleet had sailed past them that they
recognised Sigvaldi jarl’s ships, which turned in towards the island.
They saw there three ships, and one of these was a large headship (i.e.
a ship having a head on the stem); then said King Svein: ‘Let us now go
to the ships, for here comes the Long Serpent.’ Eirik jarl answered:
‘Many other large and splendid ships have they besides the Long Serpent,
but few have yet sailed past; let us still wait.’ Then many said: ‘Now
we may see that Eirik will not fight against Olaf Tryggvason, and dares
not avenge his father; and this is such a great shame that it will
spread over all lands, if we lie here with such a large host, and
Norway’s king sails with his handful of men past us and out to sea.’
Eirik jarl became very angry at their words, and asked all to go to the
ships, saying: ‘I expect, though the Danes and Swedes now question my
courage much, that both of them will be less at their ease before the
sun goes down into the sea to-night than I and my men.’ When they went
down they saw four large ships sailing, one of which was a dragon-ship
much ornamented with gold. Many men said that the jarl had spoken the
truth. Here now sails the Long Serpent, and it is a very large and fine
ship; no long ship is similar to it in beauty and size in the northern
lands. It is not strange that the king is widely renowned, and is so
great as to have such grand things made. King Svein arose and said:
‘High shall the Serpent carry me to-night. Him will I steer.’ Eirik jarl
added: ‘Even if King Olaf Tryggvason had no larger ship than the one we
just now saw; King Svein would never win it from him with the Dana host
alone.’ But these large head ships they thought to be the Long Serpent,
the first was the Tranan (the crane), and the second the Ormrinn Skammi
(the short serpent). The men crowded to the ships, and pulled down the
tents, and the chiefs arranged the host for attack, and it is said that
they threw lots who should first attack Olaf’s own ship, the Long
Serpent. Svein King of Denmark drew the lot to attack first, and Olaf
King of Sweden and Eirik jarl last, if they needed it; and it was agreed
between the chiefs, King Svein, King Olaf, and Eirik jarl, that each
should become owner of one-third of Norway if they slew King Olaf; while
he who first got up on the Serpent should own all the booty there was on
board, and each should own the ships which he himself captured and
cleared of men. Eirik jarl had a very large Bardi which he used to have
on Viking expeditions; there were beaks on the top of both stem and
stern, and below these was a thick iron plate which covered the whole of
the stem and stern all the way down to the water.”
“When the chiefs had talked thus between themselves they saw three very
large ships, and following them a fourth. They all saw a large dragon’s
head on the stem, ornamented so that it seemed made of pure gold, and it
gleamed far and wide over the sea as the sun shone on it. As they looked
at the ship they wondered greatly at its length, for the stern did not
appear till long after they had seen the prow[160]; then all knew and no
one gainsaid that this was the Long Serpent. At this sight many a man
grew silent, and fear and terror crept into the breast of the host. This
was not strange, for the great ship carried death for many men. Then
said Eirik jarl: ‘This famous ship is befitting such a king as Olaf
Tryggvason; for it is true of him that he excels other kings as much as
the Long Serpent does other ships.’
“When Sigvaldi jarl had let down the sails on his ships and rowed up to
the island, Thorkel Dydril on the Tranan and other ship-steerers who
went with him saw that he turned his ships towards the island; they
lowered their sails and followed him. Thorkel shouted to Sigvaldi,
asking why he did not sail. The jarl replied he would wait there for
King Olaf. They let their ships float until Thorkel Nefja arrived with
the Short Serpent and the four ships which followed him; they also
lowered their sails, and let their ships float, waiting for the king.
“The fleet of the kings lay inside the harbour, so that they could not
see how large a host they had; but when King Olaf sailed towards the
island and saw that his men had lowered their sails and waited for him,
he steered towards them and asked why they did not go on. They told him
that a host of foes was before them, and requested him to flee. The king
stood on the lypting while he heard these tidings, and said to his men:
‘Let down the sail as quickly as possible, and some of you put out the
oars to take the speed off the ship. I will rather fight than flee, for
never yet have I fled from battle; my life is in God’s power, but never
will I take to flight, for he is not a true king who in fear flies from
his foes.’ It was done as the king said, and the Serpent ran in front of
the ships, and the men of the other ships brought them ahead by pulling
with their oars. Then the entire host of the kings rowed out from under
the island; and the chiefs were very glad when they found that King Olaf
had fallen into their ambush.
“When King Olaf Tryggvason and his men saw that the sea was covered far
and wide with the war-ships of their foes, a wise and valiant man,
Thorkel Dydril, his uncle, said: ‘Lord, here is an overwhelming force to
fight against; let us hoist our sails and follow our men out to sea. We
can still do so while our foes prepare themselves for battle, for it is
not looked upon as cowardice by any one for a man to use forethought for
himself or his men.’ King Olaf replied loudly: ‘Tie together the ships,
and let the men prepare for battle and draw their swords, for my men
shall not think of flight.’ The chiefs arranged the host for attack, and
it is said that they threw lots, who should first attack Olaf’s ship,
the Long Serpent. Svein drew the lot to attack first, then Olaf and
Eirik jarl last if it was needed.
“King Olaf signalled by horn to lay the eleven ships together which he
had there. The Long Serpent was in the middle, with the Short Serpent on
one side and the Crane on the other, and four other ships on each side
of them. But this ship-host, though he had large ships, was only a small
detachment compared to the overwhelming host which his enemies had. He
now missed his host, as it was likely.
“King Olaf’s men now tied together the ships as bid; but when he saw
that they began to tie together the stems of the Long Serpent and the
Short Serpent, he called out loudly: ‘Bring forward the large ship; I
will not be the hindmost of all my men in this host when the battle
begins.’
“Then Ulf the red, the king’s standard bearer and his stem defender,
said: ‘If the Serpent shall be put as much forward as it is larger and
longer than the other ships, the men in the bows will have a hard time
of it.’ The king answered: ‘I had the Serpent made longer than other
ships, so that it should be put forward more boldly in battle, and be
well known in fighting and sailing, but I did not know that I had a stem
defender who was both red and faint-headed.’ Ulf replied: ‘Turn thou,
king, no more than back forward in defending the lypting than I will in
defending the stem.’ The king had a bow in his hand, and laid an arrow
on the string and aimed at Ulf. Then Ulf said: ‘Do not shoot me, lord,
but rather where it is more needed, that is at our foes, for what I win
I win for thee. May be you will think your men not over many, before the
evening comes.’ The king took off the arrow and did not shoot.
“King Ólaf stood on the lypting of the Serpent, and rose high up; he had
a gilt shield and a gilt helmet, and was very easily recognised. He wore
a short red silk kirtle over his coat of mail. When he saw that the
hosts of his foes began to separate, and that the standards were raised
in front of the chiefs, he asked: ‘Who is chief of that standard which
is opposite us?’ He was told that it was King Svein with the Danish
host. The king said: ‘We are not afraid of those cowards, for no more
courage is there in the Danes than in wood-goats; never were Danes
victorious over Northmen, and they will not conquer us to-day. But what
chief follows the standards which are to the right?’ He was told that it
was Olaf the Swede, with the Svia host. The king added: ‘Easier and
pleasanter will the Swedes think it to sit at home and lick their
sacrifice bowls[161] than to board the Long Serpent to-day under your
weapons, and I think we need not fear the horse-eating Swedes; but who
owns those large ships to the left of the Danes?’ ‘It is,’ they said,
‘Eirik jarl Hakonsson.’ King Olaf replied: ‘This host is full of
high-born men whom they have ranged against us; Eirik jarl thinks he has
just cause for fighting us, it is likely we shall have a hard struggle
with him and his men, for they are Northmen like ourselves.’ Then the
kings and the jarl rowed at King Olaf.... The horns were blown, and both
sides shouted a war-cry, and a hard battle commenced. Sigvaldi let his
ships row to and fro, and did not take part in the battle.
“The battle raged fiercely, at first with arrows from cross-bows and
hand-bows, and then with spears and javelins, and all say that King Olaf
fought most manfully....
“King Svein’s men turned their stems as thickly as they could towards
both sides of the Long Serpent, as it stood much further forward than
the other ships of King Olaf; the Danes also attacked the Short Serpent
and the Crane, and the fight was of the sharpest, and the carnage great.
All the stem-defenders on the Serpent who could fought hand-to-hand, but
King Olaf himself and those aft shot with bows and used short swords
(handsax), and repeatedly killed and wounded the Danir.
“Though King Svein made the hardest onset on the Northmen with sixty
ships, the Danish and Swedish hosts nevertheless were incessantly within
shooting distance; King Olaf made the bravest defence with his men, but
still they fell. King Olaf fought most boldly, he shot chiefly with bows
and spears, but when the chief attack was made on the Serpent he went
forward in hand-to-hand fight, and cleft many a man’s skull with his
sword.
“The attack proved difficult for the Danes, for the stem-defenders of
the Long Serpent and on the Short Serpent and the Crane hooked anchors
and grappling-hooks on to King Svein’s ships, and as they could strike
down (upon the enemy) with their weapons, for they had much larger and
higher-boarded ships, they cleared of men all the Danish ships which
they had laid hold of. King Svein and all who could get away fled on
board other ships, and thereupon they withdrew, tired and wounded, out
of shooting distance. It happened as Olaf Tryggvason guessed, that the
Danes did not gain a victory over the Northmen.
“It happened to the Swedes as to the Danes, that the Northmen held fast
their ships with grappling-hooks and anchors, and cleared those they
could reach. Their swords dealt one fate to all Swedes whom they reached
with their blows. The Swedes became tired of keeping up the fight where
Olaf with his picked champions went at them most fiercely.... Men say
that the sharpest and bloodiest fight was that of the two namesakes
before Olaf and the Swedes retreated. The Swedes had a heavy loss of
men, and also lost their largest ships. Most of the warriors of Olaf the
Swedish king were wounded, and he had won no fame by this, but was fain
to escape alive. Now Olaf Tryggvason had made both the Danes and Swedes
take to flight. It all went as he had said.
“Now must be told what Eirik Jarl did while the kings fought against
Norway’s king. The Jarl first came alongside the farthest ship of King
Olaf on one wing with the Járnbardi (iron-board), cleared it, and cut it
from the fastenings; he then boarded the next one, and fought there
until it was cleared. The men then began to jump from the smaller ships
on to the larger ones, but the Jarl cut away each ship from the
fastenings as it was cleared.
“The Danes and Swedes then drew up within shooting distance on all sides
of King Olaf’s ships, but Eirik Jarl lay continually side by side with
one of them in hand-to-hand fight; and as the men fell on his ship,
other Danes and Swedes took their places. Then the battle was both hard
and sharp and many of King Olaf’s men fell.
“At last all Olaf’s ships had been cleared except the Long Serpent,
which carried all the men who were able to fight. Eirik Jarl then
attacked the Serpent with five large ships. He laid the Járnbardi
alongside the Serpent, and then ensued the fiercest fight and the most
terrible hand-to-hand struggle that could be....
“Eirik Jarl was in the foreroom of his ship, where a shieldburgh was
drawn up. There was both hand-to-hand fight and spear-throwing and every
kind of weapon was thrown, and whatever could be seized by the hand.
Some shot with bows or with their hands, and such a shower of weapons
was poured upon the Serpent that the men could hardly protect themselves
against it. Then spears and arrows flew thickly, for on all sides of the
Serpent lay warships. King Olaf’s men now became so furious that they
jumped upon the gunwales in order to reach their foes with their swords
and kill them, but many did not lay their ships so close to the Serpent
as to get into the hand-to-hand fight, most of them thought it hard to
deal with Olaf’s champions.
“The Northmen thought of nothing but continually going forward to slay
their foes, and many went straight overboard; for out of eagerness and
daring they forgot that they were not fighting on dry ground, and many
sank down with their weapons between the ships....
“King Olaf Tryggvason stood on the lypting of the Serpent, and chiefly
used during the day his bow and javelins; and always two javelins at a
time. It was agreed by all, both friends and foes, who were present, and
those who have heard these tidings told with the greatest truth, that
they have known no man fight more valiantly than King Olaf Tryggvason.
King Olaf surpassed most other kings, in that he made himself so easily
known in the battle that men knew no example of any king having shown
himself so openly to his foes, especially as he had to fight against
such an overwhelming force. The king showed the bravery of his mind, and
the pride of his heart, so that all men might see that he shunned no
danger. The better he was seen and the greater lack of fear he showed in
the battle, the greater fear and terror he inspired.
“King Olaf saw that his men on the fore part of the ship frequently
raised their swords to strike, and that the swords cut badly. He cried
out: ‘Why do you raise your swords so slowly? I see they do not bite?’ A
man replied: ‘Our swords are both dull and broken, lord.’ The king then
went down from the lypting into the foreroom and unlocked the high-seat
chest, and took therefrom many bright and sharp swords, which he gave to
his men. As he put down his right hand they saw that blood flowed out of
the sleeve of the coat-of-mail, but no one knew where he was wounded.
“Hard and bloody was the defence of the foreroom men and the
stem-defenders, for in both those places the gunwale was highest and the
men picked. When the fall of men began on the Serpent, it was first
amidships, mostly from wounds and exhaustion, and men say that if these
brave men could have kept up their defence the Serpent would never have
been won.
“When only a few were left on the Serpent around the mast amidships,
Eirik Jarl boarded it with fourteen men. Then came against him the
king’s brother-in-law, Hyrning, with his followers, and between them
ensued a hard struggle, for Hyrning fought very boldly. It thus ended
that Eirik Jarl retreated on to the Bardi; but of those who had followed
him, some fell, and some were wounded; and Hyrning (Thor image) and
Eirik Jarl became much renowned from this fight....
“Eirik Jarl took off the Bardi the dead and wounded, and in their stead
brought fresh and rested men, whom he selected from among Swedes and
Danes. It is also said by some that the Jarl had promised to let himself
be baptized if he won the Serpent; and it is a proof of their statement
that he threw away Thor and put up in his place a crucifix in the stem
of the Bardi. When he had prepared his men, he said to a wise and
powerful chief who was present, Thorkel the high, brother of Sigvaldi
Jarl: ‘Often have I been in battles, and never have I before found men
equally brave and so skilled in fighting as those on the Serpent, nor
have I seen a ship so hard to win. Now as thou art one of the wisest of
men, give me the best advice thou knowest how the Serpent may be won.’
Thorkel replied: ‘I cannot give thee sure advice thereon, but I can say
what seems to me best to do. Thou must take large timbers, and let them
fall from thy ship upon the gunwale of the Serpent, so that it will lean
over; you will then find it easier to board the Serpent, if its gunwale
is no higher than those of the other ships. I can give thee no other
advice, if this will not do.’ The Jarl carried out what Thorkel had told
him....
“When Eirik Jarl was ready he attacked the Serpent a second time, and
all the Danish and Swedish host again made an onset on King Olaf
Tryggvason; the Swedes placed their prows close to the Serpent, but the
greatest part of the host was within shooting distance of the Northmen,
and shot at them incessantly. The Jarl again laid the Bardi side by side
with the Serpent, and made a very sharp onslaught with fresh men;
neither did he spare himself in the battle, nor those of his men who
were left.
“King Olaf and his men defended themselves with the utmost bravery and
manliness, so that there was little increase in the fall of men on the
Serpent while they were fresh; they slew many of their foes, both on the
Járnbardi and on other ships which lay near the Serpent. As the fight
still went against Eirik Jarl, he hoisted large timbers on the Bardi,
which fell on the Serpent. It is believed that the Serpent would not
have been won but for this, which had been advised by Thorkel the high.
“The Serpent began to lean over very much when the large timbers were
dropped on one gunwale, and thereupon many fell on both sides. When the
defenders of the Serpent began to thin, Eirik boarded it and met with a
warm reception.
“When King Olaf’s stem-defenders saw that the Jarl had got up on the
Serpent, they went aft and turned against him, and made a very hard
resistance; but then so many began to fall on the Serpent, that the
gunwales were in many places deserted, and the Jarl’s men boarded them;
and all the men who were standing up for defence withdrew aft to where
the king was. Haldór (a poet) says that the jarl urged on his men.
It is said that Thorstein Uxafót was in the foreroom aft by the
lypting,[162] and said to the king, when the Jarl’s men came thickest on
board the Serpent: ‘Lord, each man must now do what he can?’ ‘Why not?’
answered the king. Thorstein struck with his fist one of the Jarl’s men,
who jumped up on the gunwale near him; he hit his cheek so hard that he
dropped out into the sea, and at once perished. After this Thorstein
became so enraged, that he took up the sailyard and fought with it. When
the king saw this, he said to Thorstein: ‘Take thy weapons, man, and
defend thyself with them; for weapons, and not hands alone or timber,
are meant for men to fight with in battle.’ Thorstein then took his
sword, and fought valiantly. There was still a most fierce fight in the
foreroom, and King Olaf shot from the lypting javelins or spears, both
hard and often. When he saw that Eirik Jarl had come into the foreroom
of the Serpent, he shot at him with three short-handled _kesjas_ (a kind
of spear), but they did not go as usual (for he never missed his aim
when shooting), and none of these _kesjas_ hit the Jarl. The first flew
past his right side, the second his left, and the third flew on to the
forepart of the ship above the Jarl’s head. Then the king said: ‘Never
before did I thus miss a man; great is the Jarl’s hamingia (luck); it
must be God’s will that he now shall rule in Norway; and that is not
strange, for I think he has changed the _stem-dweller_ on the Bardi. I
said to-day that he would not gain victory over us, if he had Thor in
the stem.’
“As many of the Jarl’s men had got up on board the Serpent as could be
there, and his ships lay on all sides of it, and but few remained for
defence against such a host. In a short time many of King Olaf’s
champions fell, though they were both strong and valiant. There fell
both the king’s brothers-in-law, Hyrning and Thorgeir, Vikar of
Tiundaland, Úlf the red, and many other brave men, who left a famous
name behind.
“Kolbjörn Stallari (Marshal) had defended the stem during the day with
the other stem-defenders; he had weapons and clothing very much like
King Olaf, and he had dressed so because he thought that, if necessary,
as it now was, he might save the life of the king. When the most valiant
of the king’s men in the foreroom began to fall, Kolbjörn went up on the
lypting to the king. It was not easy to tell them apart, for Kolbjörn
was a very large and handsome man. There was then such a thick shower of
weapons in the lypting, that the shields of King Olaf and Kolbjörn were
covered all over with arrows. But when the Jarl’s men came up to the
lypting, it seemed to them that so much light came over the king that
they could not see through it, yet when the light vanished they saw King
Olaf nowhere.” (Olaf Tryggvason’s Saga, Fornmanna Sögur, ii., 299–332).
The Battle of the Jomsvikings arose out of a vow made by Sigvaldi, at
the _arvel_ given by King Svein Tjuguskegg (forked beard) for Strut
Harald Jarl, that he would rule Norway.
“The Jomsvikings went northward along the coast, plundering and ravaging
wherever they landed. They made great coast raids, slew many men, and
often burned towns; all, who heard of them and could flee, fled. When
they were at Úlfasund, off Stad, it is said that they and Hakon jarl
heard of each other. They sailed twenty sea-miles northward from Stad,
and entered the harbour at Hereyjar, and laid all their fleet therein.
Then they were in want of food again, and Vagn Ákason went on his skeid
to the island Höd, not knowing that the jarl lay in the bay, near the
island. Vagn landed. They went up, wishing to make a shore raid if they
could. They happened to meet a man driving three cows and twelve goats.
Vagn asked for his name. He said it was Úlf. Vagn said to his men: ‘Take
the cows and the goats and slaughter them, and any other cattle you may
find here, for our ship.’ Úlf asked: ‘Who commands the men on board this
ship?’ ‘Vagn Ákason,’ was the answer. Úlf said: ‘I think there are, not
very far from you, bigger cattle for slaughter than my cows or goats.’
Vagn said: ‘If thou knowest anything about the journey of Hakon jarl
tell us, and, if thou canst tell us with truth where he is, thy, cows
and goats are safe; what knowest thou about him?’ Úlf answered: ‘He lay
with one ship late yesterday night inside of the island Höd, in
Hjörungavag, and you can slay him when you like, for he is waiting for
his men.’ Vagn said: ‘Then all thy cattle are safe; come on board our
ship, and show us the way to the jarl.’ Úlf said: ‘That is not right for
me, and I will not fight against the jarl, but if you wish I will show
you the way into the bay; and, if I go on board, you must promise to let
me go when you see your way into the bay.’ Úlf went on board early in
the day, and Vagn, as quickly as he could, went back to Hereyjar, and
told Sigvaldi and the Jomsvikings the news that Úlf told.
“The Jomsvikings made themselves ready as if they were to go into a most
fierce battle, though Úlf said it was not needed. When they were quite
ready they rowed towards the bay. It is said that Úlf thought they would
see more ships there than he had told of. When the ships came into
sight, Úlf jumped overboard and wanted to swim to the shore and not wait
for his reward. When Vagn saw this he wished to give him what he
deserved, snatched a spear and threw it after him; it hit him in the
middle and killed him. All the Jomsvikings rowed into the bay, and saw
that it was covered all over with warships. There were more than three
hundred ships, snekkjas and skeids and trading-ships. The Jomsvikings at
once arrayed their ships. Hakon and his sons saw the Jomsvikings come,
and at once unfastened their ships and said which were to fight against
which. It is told that the upper end of Hjörungavag is to the east, and
its mouth to the west; three rocks, one larger than the two others,
stand in the bay; they are called Hjörungs, and the bay is named from
them. There is a reef in the middle of the bay at the same distance from
the shore in three directions. An island called Primsigd is north of the
bay, and Harund is south of it, off Harundarfjord.
“The Jomsvikings arrayed their ships thus: Sigvaldi laid his ship in the
middle, Thorkel the high, his brother, laid his next thereto; Búi the
stout and Sigurd Kápa, his brother, had theirs in the one wing of the
array, and Vagn Ákason and Björn the British in the other. Hakon jarl
determined who should fight against these champions, and in most places
three were placed against one. As to their array, Svein, son of Hakon,
was placed against Sigvaldi; three chiefs were arrayed against Thorkel
the high, Yrjaskeggi, Sigurd Steikling, Thórir Hjört (stag); two were
with Svein Hakonarson against Sigvaldi, Gudbrand of Dalir, and Styrkár
of Gimsar. Against Búi were Hallstein Kerlingabani, and Thorkel Leira
and Thorkel Midlang (iendirmen). Against Sigurd Kápa were Ármód of
Önundarfjord and his son Árni. Against Vagn Ákason were Eirík jarl
Hakonarson, Erling of Skuggi, and Ögmund the white, whose hand Vagn cut
off. Against Björn the British were Einar the little, Hávard Uppsjá, and
Hallvard of Flydrunes, Hávard’s brother; Hakon himself was not arrayed
against any one, but had to support the whole line and command it.
“The fleets closed, and Hakon jarl was with his son Svein to support him
against Sigvaldi. A most fierce fight began, and one could find no fault
with the onset or attack of either; it is told that it went equally with
Sigvaldi and Hakon and Svein, so that neither moved backwards. Then
Hakon jarl saw that Búi had forced back a long way some of the northern
wing of their array, and those who fought against him drew back with
their ships, and thought it better to retreat; he followed up,
nevertheless, and dealt heavy blows; they were ill-treated by him, and
he was dangerous to men in the battle. The Jarl saw that the fight was
equal with Eirík and Vagn in the southern wing. Eirík went thence with
his own ship, and his brother Svein with another, up to Búi and fought
against him, and put the wing in line again, but could do no more. Hakon
meanwhile fought against Sigvaldi, and when Eirík came back to the
southern wing Vagn had forced back many of Eirík’s ships, which had
retreated and had been separated, so that Vagn went through the line and
attacked them fiercely. Eirík became very angry when he saw this, and
boarded the skeid which Vagn steered valiantly with his Járnbardi. They
came alongside of each other and fought again, and never had the fight
been harder than then. Vagn and Áslák Hólmskalli jumped on board Eirík’s
Járnbardi from their skeid, and each went along the side of the ship,
and Áslák dealt blows on both sides, so to speak, as also did Vagn, and
they cleared their way so that all fell back. Eirík saw that these men
were so fierce and mad that this would not last long, and that the
Jarl’s help must be got as quick as possible. Áslák was bald and had no
helmet on his head, and exposed his bare skull; the weather was bright,
clear, and warm, and many took off their clothes on account of the heat,
and wore only their armour. Now Eirík goaded his men on, and they made
an attack on Áslák, and struck his head with swords and axes, thinking
it would be most dangerous to him as his head was bare. Nevertheless it
is said that the weapons rebounded from his skull, whether they were
swords or axes, and did not cut, and sparks flew from the skull at the
blows. Whatever they did, he went forward fiercely, and cleared his way
by many hard and heavy blows, slaying many a man. Vigfús, son of
Vígaglúm, caught up a large beaked anvil which lay on the deck of the
Járnbardi, on which he had previously rivetted the guards of his sword
as they had been unfastened; he struck at Áslák so that its beak sank
into his head; Áslák could not withstand that, and at once fell dead.
Vagn went along the other side, and cleared his way, dealing blows on
both sides and wounding many; then Thorleif Skúma ran to meet Vagn,
struck at him with his club, and hit his helmet; the blow was so strong
that the skin under the helmet was grazed, and Vagn leant over and
staggered towards Thorleif, and at the same time thrust his sword at
Thorleif; then he leapt from the Járnbardi, and came down standing on
his skeid, and none made a harder onset than he and all his men.
Nevertheless he and Áslák had killed so many on the Járnbardi, that
Eirík put men from other ships on it till it was fully manned, as he
thought it needful; and a very fierce fight followed. Then Eirík saw
that Hakon with his array had landed, and there was some pause in the
battle....[163] The sky began to darken in the north, and a dark and
black cloud glided up from the sea, spreading quickly; it was about
noon, and the cloud soon spread all over the sky, and a shower of hail
followed at once, and the Jomsvikings had all to fight with their faces
against the hail, which seemed to be followed by lightning and
thunder-claps. This hail-shower was so terrible, that some of the men
could do no more than stand against it, as they had previously taken off
their clothes on account of the heat. They began to shiver, though they
fought boldly enough. It is said that Hávard Höggvandi, Búi’s follower,
was the first who saw Hördabrúd in the host of Hakon jarl, and many with
second sight,[164] and even those who had no second sight, saw. When the
hail-shower abated a little, they also saw that an arrow flew from each
finger of the Troll, ‘M’tch’ as it seemed to them, and always hit and
killed a man. They told Sigvaldi and others; and Hakon and his men made
the hardest onset they could when the shower burst and while it lasted.
Then Sigvaldi said: ‘It seems to me that it is not men whom we have to
fight to-day, but the worst Troll (fiends), and it requires some
manliness to go boldly against them, though it is clear that men must
take heart as they can.’ It is told of Hakon, that when he saw the
shower abate and it was not as violent as it had been, he once more
invoked Thorgerd and her sister Irpa, saying that he had made himself
deserving by sacrificing his son for victory. Then the hail-shower burst
on them again, and when it began Hávard Höggvandi saw that two women
were in Hakon jarl’s ship, and that they did the same as he had seen the
one do before. Sigvaldi said: ‘Now I will flee, and all my men shall do
so, for it is worse than when I spoke of it before, as there was but one
Trollwoman then, but now there are two, and I will not stand it any
longer; our excuse is that we do not flee from men, though we draw back;
but we did not vow to fight against fiends.’ He (Sigvaldi) turned away
his ship, and shouted to Vagn and Búi to flee as quickly as they could.
When he unfastened his ship and shouted, Thorkel Midlang jumped from his
ship on board Búi’s, and at once struck at Búi. In the twinkling of an
eye he cut off his lower lip and the whole of his chin downward, so that
it fell on the ship, and Búi’s teeth flew off at the blow. Búi said when
he got the wound: ‘The Danish woman in Borgundarhólm will not be as fond
of kissing me, even though I get home now.’ Búi struck at Thorkel; the
deck was slippery from blood, so that Thorkel fell at the shield-row
when he tried to escape the blow, which hit him in the middle, and cut
him in two at the gunwale. Immediately after this Búi took one of his
gold-chests in each hand, and jumped overboard with them; neither he nor
the chests came up or were seen thereafter. Some say that when Búi
stepped on the gunwale to jump overboard he spoke these words:
‘Overboard, all Búi’s men.’ Sigvaldi left the fleet, and did not know
that Búi was gone overboard, and shouted to Vagn and Búi’s to flee, as
he was about to do.... Sigvaldi was cold from the shower, and began
rowing to warm himself, while another man sat at the rudder. When Vagn
saw Sigvaldi he flung a spear at him, thinking it was he who sat at the
rudder, but Sigvaldi was rowing, and the man at the rudder was hit. As
Vagn flung the spear from his hand he said to Sigvaldi that he should
die as the meanest of men. Thorkel the high, Sigvaldi’s brother, went
away with six ships as soon as Sigvaldi was dead, and so did Sigurd
Kápa, for his brother Búi was gone overboard, and he could wait for him
no longer. They both thought they had fulfilled their vows, and went
home to Denmark with twenty-four ships. All who could leave the
remaining ships jumped on board Vagn’s skeid, and there they defended
themselves very valiantly till it was dark; then the battle ended, and
very many were still on their feet in Vagn’s skeid. Hakon jarl was
overtaken by night and could not make a search as to how many were alive
or likely to live in the ships, so he had a watch set during the night
that no man should escape from them, and they took all the rigging down.
Then Hakon rowed to the land, and pitched tents; they thought they had
reason to boast of the victory. Then they weighed the hailstones in
order to prove the power of Thorgerd and Irpa; it was well proved, for
it is told that each hailstone weighed one eyrir, and they were weighed
in scales. Thereafter the wounds of the men were dressed, and Hakon jarl
and Gudbrand of Dalir watched during the night” (Jomsvikinga Saga, c.
41–44).
From the following account we see that these men of old knew how to die,
and how the spirit of chivalry seemed to have departed from the land,
though Eirik, the son of Hakon, at last stopped the bloodshed which had
taken place. After the defeat of the Jómsvikings by Hakon jarl, eighty
of the men who had not been captured landed on a skerry, and suffered
great privations from the cold.
“Now it is to be told that Vagn and Björn the British talked of what
they should do: Vagn said. ‘There are two choices: to stay here in the
ship till daybreak, and then be captured and that is not pleasant, or go
ashore, and do them what harm we can, and then try to escape.’ They all
made up their minds, took the mast and the sailyard, left the ship and
floated on them, eighty men together, in the dark. They wanted to get on
land, and came to a skerry, and thought they were ashore. Many were very
exhausted, and ten wounded men died there in the night, and the other
seventy lived though many were much tired, and they could get no
farther; they stayed there during the night. It is said that when
Sigvaldi had fled the shower ceased, and all lightning and thunder, and
the weather was cold and quiet during the night while Vagn was on the
skerry till it was daylight.
“Shortly before day Hákon’s men were dressing their wounds, and had been
at it the whole night, beginning as soon as they landed, because so many
were wounded. They had almost finished it, when they heard the twang of
a bowstring in a ship, and an arrow flew from Búi’s ship, and hit the
side of Gudbrand, Hákon’s kinsman; it was enough, and he died at once.
The jarl and all thought this a great loss, and began preparing his body
as well as they could, having no means to do it with. It is said that a
man stood at the door of the tent. When Eirik went into it he asked:
‘Why dost thou stand here, or why dost thou look as if thou wert dying;
or art thou wounded?’ It was Thorleif Skúma. Eirik said: ‘I see thou art
near to death.’ Thorleif answered: ‘I am not sure that the sword-point
of Vagn Ákason did not hit me a little yesterday, when I struck him with
the club.’ The jarl said: ‘Badly has thy father kept his stock in
Iceland if thou must die now.’ Einar Skálaglamm heard what the jarl
said, and made a stanza.... Thereupon Thorleif fell down dead.
“When it was light the jarl at once went to search the ships, and came
on board Búi’s ship, and wanted first of all to know who had shot in the
night, thinking that that man deserved to be ill-treated. When they got
on board they found one man, little more than breathing; it was Hávard
Höggvandi (the slashing), Búi’s follower, sorely wounded, as both his
feet were cut off below the knees. Svein Hákonarson and Thorkel Leira
went to him; when they came, Hávard asked: ‘How is it, boys; was
anything sent from the ship this night ashore to you or not?’ They
answered: ‘Certainly there came something; didst thou send it?’ He said:
‘I will not deny that I sent it to you; did the arrow hurt any man when
it stopped?’ They answered: ‘It killed the man whom it hit.’ He said:
‘That is good; and whom did it hit?’ ‘Gudbrand the white,’ they
answered. He said: ‘I did not succeed, then, in what I wished; I meant
it for the jarl; nevertheless I am glad that a man was hit whose death
is a loss to you.’ Thorkel Leira said: ‘Let us not look at this dog, but
kill him as soon as we can.’ He struck at him, and others ran thereto
and cut him with weapons, and beat him till he was dead. Before that
they had asked his name, and he told them.
“They went ashore after that, and told the jarl whom they had killed;
that the man had been more than a common monster, and they had seen by
his words that his character did not make him a better man. Then they
saw that very many men were on the skerry; the jarl told them to go out
to them and bring them all to him, as he wanted to have their lives in
his power. The jarl’s men went on board a ship, and rowed out to the
skerry; few men there were able to fight, on account of wounds and cold,
nor is it told that any one defended himself; they were all taken by the
jarl’s men ashore to him; they were seventy. Then the jarl had Vagn and
his men led up on land, and their hands were tied behind their backs,
and they were bound with one rope, one at the other’s side, not loosely.
The jarl and his men took their food, and sat down to eat; he wanted to
have them all beheaded leisurely and in no hurry that day.
“Before they sat down to eat, the ships and the property of the
Jómsvikings were taken ashore, and carried to the poles. Hákon and his
men divided among themselves all the property, and the weapons; they
thought they had won a great victory as they had got all the property
captured from the Jómsvikings, and they boasted very much. When they had
eaten enough, they walked out of the war-booths to the captives, and it
is said that Thorkel Leira was appointed to behead them all. First they
talked to the Jómsvikings, and asked whether they were as hardy men as
was said; but it is not told that the Jómsvikings gave them any answer.
“It is next stated that some sorely wounded men were untied from the
rope; Skopti Kark and other thralls had hold of it, and guarded them.
When they were untied the thralls twisted sticks[165] in their hair;
first three wounded men were led forward in that way, and Thorkel went
to them and cut off each head; then he asked his own companions if they
had seen him shudder at this work, ‘for it is told,’ said he, ‘that any
man shudders if he beheads three men one after the other.’ Hákon
answered: ‘We do not see that thou hast shuddered at this, though it
seemed so to me before thou didst it.’
The fourth man was led out of the rope, and a stick twisted in his hair,
and he was led to where Thorkel beheaded them; he was much wounded. When
he came Thorkel asked, before he struck, how he thought of his death. He
answered: ‘Well think I of my death; it will be with me as with my
father; I shall die.’ Thereupon Thorkel cut off that man’s head, and
thus his life ended. The fifth was untied from the rope and led thither;
when he came, Thorkel said: ‘How likest thou to die?’ He said: ‘I
remember not the laws of the Jómsvikings, if I am afraid of my death or
speak a word of fear; once must every man die.’ Thorkel struck him. They
wanted to ask every man before he was slain, and try whether they were
as fearless as was told, and if no man spoke a word of fear they thought
it proved. The sixth was led forward, and a stick twisted in his hair.
Thorkel asked the same as before; the man said he liked well to die with
a good fame, ‘while thou, Thorkel, wilt live with shame.’ He struck the
blow. Then the seventh was led thither, and Thorkel asked the same. The
man said: ‘I like very much to die, but strike me quickly; I have a
belt-knife in my hand. We Jómsvikings have often talked of whether a man
knew anything (had some consciousness) after his head had been cut off
very quickly; it shall be a sign that I will stretch forth the knife if
I know anything, else it will fall down.’ Thorkel struck; the head flew
off, but the knife fell down. The eighth was taken, and Thorkel asked
the same. He said he liked it well, and when the death-blow was coming
he said, ‘Ram!’ Thorkel stopped the blow, and asked why he said this. He
answered: ‘There will not be too many rams for the ewes which you, the
jarl’s men, named yesterday when you got wounded.’ ‘Thou art the
greatest wretch,’ said Thorkel, and dealt him the blow. The ninth was
untied; Thorkel asked the same. He said: ‘I like well my death, as do
all my companions; but I do not want to be beheaded like a sheep, and I
will sit for the blow; strike me face to face, and look carefully
whether I wince in any way, for we have often talked of that.’ This was
done; he sat with his face to Thorkel, who walked to him and smote in
his face; he did not wince, except that his eyelids sank down when death
came over him. The tenth was led forward. Thorkel asked him the same. He
said: ‘I should like thee to wait while I arrange my breeches.’ ‘I grant
thee that,’ said Thorkel. When he had done, he said, ‘Many things do not
go as one hoped; I thought I should get into the bed of Thora, Skagi’s
daughter, the jarl’s wife.’ Hákon jarl said: ‘Behead that man as quickly
as thou canst; he has long had bad intentions.’ Thorkel cut him....
“Then a young man was led forward; he had much hair, yellow as silk.
Thorkel asked the same. He said: ‘I have lived the finest part of my
life, and such men have now lost their life a little while ago that I do
not care to live; I do not want thralls to lead me to the death-blow,
but one who is no less a man than thou; it is easy to get that man, and
he shall take hold of my hair, and pull away my head so that my hair
does not become bloody.’ A hirdman came, took the hair, and wound round
his hand; Thorkel raised his sword, and intended to strike him as hard
and quick as he could. He struck; but when the young man heard the sword
whistling in the air, he pulled away his head strongly, and so it
happened that the blow hit the man who had hold of his hair, and Thorkel
cut off both his arms at the elbows. The young man jumped up, and said
as a joke: ‘What fellow is owner of the hands in my hair?’ Hákon jarl
said: ‘The men who are still in the rope will do us great mischief; slay
him as soon as you can; he has brought a great mishap on us, and it is
clear that all of them who are living ought to be slain as soon as
possible, for they are too hard for us to deal with, and their bravery
and hardihood have not been exaggerated.’ Eirík said to his father: ‘We
want to know, father, who they are before they are all slain; what is
thy name, young man?’ ‘Svein,’ answered he. ‘Whose son art thou,’ asked
Eirík, ‘and what is thy kin?’ He said: ‘My father was called Búi, the
stout, son of Veseti, on Borgundarhólm. I am of Danish kin.’ ‘How old
art thou?’ said Eirík. ‘If I live this winter I am eighteen winters
old,’ said he. Eirík said: ‘Thou shalt live this winter, if I have my
will, and not be slain.’ He took him into peace, and into the company of
himself and his men. When Hákon saw this, he said: ‘I do not know what
thou art thinking of, as thou savest a man who has caused us so much
shame and disgrace as this young man; he has done us most harm, but
nevertheless I like not to take him out of thy hands, and thou shalt
have thy will this time.’ Thus Eirík had his will. Hákon said to
Thorkel: ‘Behead the men quickly.’ Eirík answered: ‘They shall not be
beheaded before I have first spoken with them, and I want to know who
each of them is.’
* * * * *
“A man was untied from the rope when he said this; the rope got a little
entangled round his feet, so that he was not quite loose. This man was
of large and handsome shape, young, and bold-looking. Thorkel asked him
how he liked to die. ‘Well,’ said he, ‘if I might first fulfil my vow.’
Eirik jarl asked: ‘What is thy name? And what is thy vow, which thou
desirest specially to fulfil before thou diest?’ He answered: ‘My name
is Vagn; I am son of Áki, son of Palnatoki, of Fyen; so I have been
told.’ Eirik said: ‘What vow didst thou make, as thou sayest thou
wouldst like to die if thou hadst fulfilled it according to thy will?’
‘I made the vow,’ said Vagn, ‘to get into the bed of Ingibjorg, the
daughter of Thorkel Leira against his will, and that of all her kinsmen,
and slay Thorkel if I came to Norway, and much do I lack if I cannot
perform this before I die.’ ‘I will prevent thy doing this before thou
diest,’ said Thorkel. He rushed toward him and struck at him, holding
his sword with both hands. Björn the British, Vagn’s foster-father,
kicked him with his foot away from the blow quickly. Thorkel missed
Vagn, and hit the rope with which Vagn was tied and cut it asunder. Now
Vagn was loose, and not wounded. Thorkel stumbled when he missed the
man, and fell; the sword dropped out of his hands. Bjorn had kicked Vagn
so strongly that he fell, but he lay not a long time, and soon jumped
up. He seized Thorkel’s sword and gave him a deadly blow. ‘Now I have
fulfilled one of my two vows,’ said Vagn, ‘and I feel a great deal
better than before.’ Hákon said: ‘Do not leave him loose long; slay him
first, for he has done us much harm.’ Eirik said: ‘You shall not slay
him, if I have my will, before you slay me; I take him away.’ Hákon
said: ‘Now I need not meddle with this; thou wilt have thy way alone,
kinsman.’ Eirik said: ‘Vagn is a good man-bargain (= acquisition),
father, and I think it a good bargain to let him take Thorkel’s place
and honour; Thorkel might expect what happened to him, for now it is
proved which often is said that “a wise man’s guess is a prophecy”; thou
sawest already to-day that he was death-fated.’ Eirik took Vagn into his
power, and then he was in no danger; Vagn said: ‘I will accept life from
thee, Eirik, only on condition that all my comrades who are living are
given their lives; otherwise we will all go the same way, we comrades.’
Eirik said: ‘I will speak to thy comrades, but I do not refuse what thou
askest.’ Eirik went to Björn the British, and asked who he was, or what
was his name. He answered ‘Björn.’ ‘Art thou the Björn who fetched the
man in King Svein’s hall so boldly?’[166] ‘I know not,’ said Björn,
‘that I fetched him boldly, but nevertheless I took the man away.’ ‘What
didst thou seek,’ said Eirik, ‘in coming hither, old man, or what
induced thee, bald and white haired, to come on this journey? It is true
that all straws want to sting us, the Noregs-men, since even the men who
are off their feet on account of old age came hither to fight us. Wilt
thou receive thy life from me, for I think a man as old as thou ought
not to be slain.’ Björn answered: ‘I will receive my life from thee on
condition that the lives of my foster-son Vagn, and of all our men who
are living are spared.’ ‘That shall be granted to all of you,’ said
Eirik, ‘if I have my will, which I shall have.’ He went to his father,
and entreated him to spare the lives of all the living Jómsvikings,
which the jarl granted him; and they were all untied, plighted faith was
given to them, and they were taken into peace. It was arranged by Hákon
and Eirik so that Björn the British went to the bu of Hallstein
Kellingarbani. Five landed men were slain, beside Hallstein. Vagn Ákason
went to the Vik with Eirik’s consent, and before they parted Eirik said
to him that, regarding his wedding with Ingibjörg, Thorkel’s daughter,
he might do what he liked. When Vagn came to Vik, he went to Ingibjörg,
and stayed there during the winter. The next spring he left, and kept
faithfully all he had promised Eirik. He went home to his farms in Fyen,
and for a long time afterwards managed them; he was thought to be a man
of great deeds, and many famous men have sprung from him. It is told
that he took Ingibjörg home with him.
“Björn the British went to Bretland, and ruled it as long as he lived,
and was looked upon as a most brave man” (Jomsvikinga Saga, ch. 45, 47).
-----
Footnote 159:
This refers to a general superstition.
Footnote 160:
The Serpent glided past the point of the island slowly.
Footnote 161:
Sacrifice lasted longer in Sweden than in Norway or Denmark.
Footnote 162:
As a rule the foreroom (_fyrirrúm_) seems to have been before the
mast, but on the Long Serpent this was not the case, as we can see
from the above sentence, for there it was immediately in front of the
_lypting_ (poop).
Footnote 163:
Part is here omitted, referring to the sacrifice of Hakon’s son. See
Vol. 1., page 367, “Sacrifices.”
Footnote 164:
A man who can see supernatural beings.
Footnote 165:
This practice was probably due to their not using a block; so that the
head was held for the blow as described in the Saga.
Footnote 166:
Allusion to an incident when Björn after a fight in King Svein’s hall
went in alone again to fetch one of his men who had been left inside.