SOME EXPEDITIONS AND DEEDS OF GREAT VIKINGS.
(_Continued._)
Knut the Mighty—His appearance—His liberality—His battles in
England—Besieges London—His numerous expeditions—The successors of
Knut.
Knut the Mighty (1014–1035), or the Great, is, with Charlemagne, one of
the greatest geniuses of that epoch; he ruled his three kingdoms with
great ability, and died young (at thirty-seven). The appearance of this
great and powerful king is thus described:—
“Knut was very tall and strong, and a very handsome man, except that his
nose was thin, prominent, low, and somewhat crooked; he had a fair
complexion, with fair and long hair; he had finer and keener eyes than
any man. He was liberal, a great warrior, very valiant and victorious, a
man of great luck, in everything connected with power. He was not very
wise, neither were King Svein, Harald, nor Gorm” (Knytlinga Saga, c.
20).
“King Knut was the most liberal of kings in the Northern lands; for it
is truly said that he surpassed other kings no less in the property he
gave in friendly gifts every year than in taking much more in taxes and
dues from three great lands than any other king who ruled one realm; and
moreover England is richest in movable property of all the Northern
lands” (Knytlinga Saga, c. 19).
King Knut sent messengers to Olaf the Stout (Olaf Haraldson) of Norway
to claim obedience from him.
“Sigvat went to the messengers of Knut, and asked for news. They told
him what he desired, their talk with King Olaf, and the result of their
errand. They said, ‘The king had taken the matter angrily; and we do not
know in whom he trust when he refuses to become the man of Knut, and go
to him; that would be best, for Knut is so mild, that never do the
chiefs do so much against him that he does not forgive at once, when
they come to him and yield to him. It was only a short time ago that two
kings north from Fifi (Fife) in Scotland came to him, and he forgot his
wrath and gave them all the lands they had owned before, and also great
friendly gifts’” (St. Olaf’s Saga, c. 140).
“Knut fought many battles in England against the sons of Æthelred, King
of the English, and they were defeated by each other in turns. He came
to England during the summer when Æthelred died, and then married Queen
Emma; their children were Harald, Hordaknut, and Gunnhild. Knut made an
agreement with Edmund, that each of them should have half of England. In
the same month Heidrek Strjona slew Edmund, and thereafter King Knut
drove away all the sons of Æthelred” (St. Olaf’s Saga, c. 24).
“A long time after this Knut was at a feast with Thorkel the High, saw
Ulfhild, and thought Thorkel had cheated him in the sharing of the women
(taken the finer one), and therefore had him slain. Knut and Edmund
fought some battles against each other, after which both the Danes and
the English asked them to come to terms, and this they did; the one who
lived longer was to have the land of the other. One month afterwards
Edmund was slain by his foster-father Alrek Strjona, and then Knut got
the whole of England, and ruled it for twenty-four winters”[421]
(Jomsvikinga Saga, c. 52).
“That summer the sons of King Æthelred went from England to Ruda (Rouen)
in Valland,[422] to their uncles, when Olaf Haraldsson came from viking
expeditions in the west; they were all in Normandy that winter, and
entered into an agreement that Olaf should have Northumberland if they
got England from the Danes. In the autumn Olaf sent his foster-father
Hrani to England to get men there, and the sons of Æthelred sent with
him tokens to their friends and kinsmen, and Olaf gave him much loose
property wherewith to win men over. Hrani stayed during the winter in
England, and obtained the confidence of many powerful men, among them
those who preferred having their countrymen to rule over them; but the
power of the Danes in England had then become so great, that all the
people were subject to them” (St. Olaf’s Saga, c. 25).
“In the spring Olaf and the sons of King Æthelred went to England, and
arrived at a place called Jungufurda, where they went on shore. There
were many who had promised to help them; they took the town with great
slaughter. When the men of Knut became aware of this, they gathered such
a numerous host that the sons of Æthelred could not resist them, and
they saw it was best to return to Rouen; but Olaf parted with them and
would not go to Valland. He sailed northwards along England all the way
to Northumberland; he landed in the harbour called Valdi, and there he
defeated the townspeople and traders, and got a great deal of property”
(St. Olaf’s Saga, c. 26).
“Knut, the son of King Svein Tjuguskegg, was ten winters old when his
father died; then he was made king over Denmark, for his brother Harald
was dead. The Danish chiefs who remained in England, and held the land
which King Svein had won, sent word to Denmark that King Knut must come
west to England with the Danish host to help them. As King Knut was then
a child, and not used to command in war, his friends advised him to send
a host to England, and place a chief over it, and not go himself until
he stood better on his legs; he was three winters in Denmark after he
became king. Then he summoned together a host,[423] and sent word to
Norway, to his brother-in-law Eirik jarl, to gather a host and go to
England with him; for Eirik jarl was very famous for his bravery and
skill in warfare, as he had gained the victory in two of the most famous
battles in Northern lands, one when King Svein Tjuguskegg and Olaf the
Swedish king and Eirik jarl fought against Olaf Tryggvason at Svold, the
other when Hakon jarl and Eirik fought against the Jómsvikings in
Hjörungavag. King Knut went with a very numerous host west to England.
Many chiefs went with him; Ulf jarl Sprakaleggsson, his brother-in-law,
who was then married to his sister Astrid, Svein’s daughter, also Heming
and Thorkel the High, the sons of Strutharald jarl, and many other
chiefs. Knut came to England, and landed at a place called Fljót
(Fleet); he ravaged the land, slew the people, and burned their houses.
The people of the land gathered a host and went against the Danes. Knut
fought his first battle in England at Lindisey (Lindsey), and many fell
there; he then took Hemingaborg in England, and there also slew many.
Thereafter he fought great battles in Nordimbraland at Tesa (Tees).
There he slew many, while some fled and perished in swamps or ditches;
he then went farther south, and underlaid himself the land wherever he
went”[424] (Knytlinga Saga, c. 8).
“King Knut fought another battle at a town called Brandfurda (Branford);
it was a great battle, and he got the victory; the sons of Æthelred
fled, and lost many men, and the Danes took the town. He fought a third
great battle against the sons of Æthelred at a place called Essandune,
north of the Danaskogar (Danish forests). He fought a fourth against
King Jatmund (Edmund) and his brothers at Northvik (Norwich), and there
was a great fall of men; the king got the victory, and the sons of
Æthelred fled” (Knytlinga Saga, c. 12).
“King Knut then went with all his host to Temps-a (the Thames river),
for he heard that Jatmund and his brothers had fled to Lundunaborg
(London); when he came to the mouth of the Temps Eirik jarl Hakonsson,
his brother-in-law, sailed in from the sea; they met there, and sailed
up the river with the host. In the river Temps was built a large castle
(tower), and a host put there to defend it so that a ship host might not
go up the river. Knut at once sailed up the river to the castle, and
fought against them; but the English went with a ship-host from London
down the river, and engaged in battle with the Danes” (Knytlinga Saga,
c. 13).
“Knut went with all his host up to London, and surrounded it with his
camp (war-booths); then they attacked the town and the townsmen defended
it. Thus it is told in the poem (flokk) which was made then by the
warriors.
The Hlokk[425] of horns sees every morning
On the banks of the Temps (Thames)
Blood-dyed body-hurters (weapons).
The corpse-gull (bird of prey) must not starve.
(She sees) how the victory-yearning Dane-king
Violently attacks the burgh-men.
The blood-ice (weapons) sounds
On British[426] (brezk) brynjas.
“King Knut fought many battles there, but could not take the town”
(Knytlinga Saga, c. 14).
“Eirik jarl went with a part of the host up into the land, and the
Thingamenn followed him against an English host which was commanded by
Ulfkel Snilling, a great chief; a battle was fought, and Eirik gained
the victory, and Ulfkel fled. Eirik jarl fought another battle at
Hringmaraheidi (heath) against the English and obtained the victory”
(Knytlinga Saga, c. 15).
“Æthelred the King of the English died the same autumn or summer that
Knut came with his host to England; he had then been King of England
thirty-eight winters. Queen Emma after his death at once made herself
ready to leave the land; she intended to go west to Valland (France) to
her brothers, Vilhjalm (William) and Robert, who were jarls there. Their
father was Rikard (Richard), jarl of Rouen, son of Richard, son of
William longspear; he was the son of Göngu-Hrolf, who won Normandy, and
was the son of Rögnvald, jarl of Mœri. The men of King Knut became aware
of the journey of Queen Emma; when she and her men were ready to sail,
his men came and took the ship with all that was in it, and took her to
him; King Knut’s chiefs advised him to marry Queen Emma, and he did so”
(Knytlinga Saga, c. 9).
“After the death of Æthelred, his and Queen Emma’s sons were taken as
kings; Jatmund (Edmund) the Strong was the eldest; Jatgeir (Edgar) the
second; Jatvig (Edwig) the third; and Jatvard (Edward) the Good, the
fourth. Edmund gathered a large host and went against Knut; they met at
a place called Skorstein, and fought the most famous battle which had
taken place at that time; very many of both hosts fell. Edmund rode
forward into the midst of the Danish host, and came so near his
stepfather King Knut, that he touched him with a sword-blow. Knut thrust
his shield in front of the neck of the horse on which he sat; the blow
hit the shield a little below its handle, and was so heavy that the
shield was cleft asunder, and the horse was cut at the shoulders in
front of the saddle. The Danes then attacked him so violently that he
went back to his men, but not before he had killed many Danes, being
very slightly wounded himself. When the king had ridden forward away
from his men they thought he had fallen, as they did not see him, and
the host fled, for some saw him riding away from the Danes. All who saw
this fled, but the king shouted loudly and bid them return to the fight,
but no one seemed to hear it; the entire host fled, and there ensued a
great fall of men; the Danes pursued the fleeing till night” (Knytlinga
Saga, c. 10).
“Ulf jarl was then, as often, one of the foremost of the men of King
Knut, and pursued the fugitives farthest; he entered a wood so thick
that he did not get out of it until dawn. Then he saw in some fields in
front of him sheep which a well-grown boy was driving. Ulf jarl went to
him, greeted him, and asked his name. He answered: ‘I am called Gudini
(Godwin); but art thou one of Knut’s men?’ Ulf jarl replied: ‘I am
certainly one of his warriors; but how far is it hence to our ships?’ ‘I
do not know,’ said the boy, ‘how you Danes can expect help from us, and
you have not deserved it.’ Ulf jarl answered: ‘I will however ask of
thee to help me to find our ships.’ The boy said: ‘Thou hast gone
straight away from them, and far inland across wild forests. The men of
Knut are not very much liked by the people here, and for good reason,
for the slaughter yesterday at Skorstein is known in the neighbourhood,
and neither thou nor any other of his men will be spared if the bœndr
find you; and if any one help you the same fate awaits him; but I think
thou art a good man, and not the one thou pretendest to be.’ Ulf jarl
took a gold ring off his hand and said: ‘I will give thee this ring if
thou wilt guide me to our men.’ Godwin looked at him for a while, and
said slowly: ‘I will not take the ring, but I will try to guide thee to
thy men, and will rather have the reward thou thinkest right if I can
give thee some help; but if I cannot I deserve no reward; now thou shalt
first go home with me to my father.’ They did so. When they came to the
farm (bœr) they went to a little room and Gudini (Godwin) had a table
set there, and good drink was given. Ulf jarl saw that it was a good
farm. The bondi and the housewife came to them; they were both handsome
and well dressed; they received the guest well, and he remained there
that day in the best entertainment. Toward night two good horses were
prepared with the best riding gear. They then said to Ulf: ‘Now,
farewell; I give into thy hands my only son; I ask of thee if thou
shouldst come to the king, and thy words might have some influence to
get him into his service, for he cannot stay with me hereafter, if our
countrymen hear that he has guided thee away, in whatever way I may
escape myself.’ Ulf jarl promised to get Godwin into the host. Godwin
was very handsome and talked well. The bondi’s name was Ulfnadr.
“Ulf jarl and Godwin rode all that night, and in the morning, when it
was light, they came to the ships, and Knut’s men were ashore. When they
saw the jarl and recognised him, they welcomed him as one who had
escaped from death, for he was so popular that every one loved him.
Godwin then for the first time knew whom he had followed. The jarl
seated Godwin in the high-seat at his side, and treated him in
everything like himself or his son, and in short gave him in marriage
his sister Gyda; and with the aid and advice of Ulf jarl, King Knut gave
him a jarldom for the sake of Ulf jarl, his brother-in-law. The sons of
Godwin and Gyda were: Harald the English king, and Tosti jarl, called
wooden spear; Maurukari jarl (Morcar); Valthjof (Waltheof) jarl, and
Svein jarl; from them have sprung many chiefs in England, Denmark,
Sweden, and Gardariki (Russia). They are king’s families in the Danish
realm. The daughter of King Harald, son of Godwin, was called Gyda; she
was married to King Valdamar (Vladimir) in Holmgard (Novgorod); their
son was King Harald; he had two daughters, of whom will be told later”
(Knytlinga Saga, c. 11).
“Knut besieged Lundunaborg (London), and Edmund with his brothers
defended it; then Knut was married to Queen Emma, their mother, and at
last hostages were given and a truce was established to talk about full
reconciliation; and peace was made on the terms that the realm should be
divided between them in halves, each to have one half while he lived,
but if either of them died childless, the survivor should have the right
to take the whole realm; this was confirmed with oaths. Heidrek Strjóna
was a powerful man who got property from King Knut in order to betray
King Edmund and murder him, and that was the manner of his death, though
Heidrek was the foster-father of Edmund, who believed in him as in
himself. Then King Knut drove away from England all the sons of King
Æthelred; many battles were fought in consequence, but they did not get
many men to help against Knut after Edmund had been slain. The sons of
King Æthelred then stayed west in Valland in Normandi for a long time
with their uncles (Rodbert) Robert and Vilhjalm (William), as is told in
the Saga of Olaf helgi (the saint). Eirik jarl Hakonsson died in
England, when he was ready for a journey to Rome.... Knut and Queen Emma
had three children; Harald was the oldest, and then Hörda-Knut; their
daughter was Gunnhild, who later was married to the Emperor Heinrek,
(Henry), the Mild, who was the third of his kinsmen of that name. Svein
was the third son of King Knut; his mother was Alfifa the Wealthy,
daughter of Alfrun jarl” (Knytlinga Saga, c. 16).
“When Knut came back to England (from Rome) he fell sick, first from
what is called jaundice; he was sick a long while during the summer, and
died in the autumn, on the 13th November, in Morst (Shaftesbury), a
large town, and there he is buried. He was then thirty-seven years old;
he had been king over Denmark twenty-seven years, over England
twenty-four, and over Norway seven years. It is acknowledged by all that
King Knut was the most powerful and wide-reigning of kings in Northern
lands” (Knytlinga Saga, c. 18).
“Knut the Great, whom some call Knut the Old, was king over England and
Denmark. He was the son of Svein Tjuguskegg, Harald’s son. Their kindred
had ruled Denmark for a long time. Harald Gormsson, the grandfather of
Knut, got possession of Norway after the fall of Harald Gunnhild’s son,
received taxes from it, and placed Hakon jarl the great to defend the
land. Svein, King of the Danes, son of Harald, also ruled over Norway,
and put Eirik jarl Hakonsson to defend it. He ruled with his brother,
Svein Hakonsson, until Eirik went west to England, owing to the message
of Knut the Great, his brother-in-law, and left Hakon, his son, to rule
Norway.
“Hakon then went to his uncle, Knut, and had been with him to the time
when Knut had won England after a long struggle, and the people of the
land yielded to him. When he thought he had fully established his rule
over the land he remembered that he owned a country which was not in his
possession, and that was Norway. He claimed the whole of Norway as
inheritance, but his nephew Hakon claimed part of it, and said that he
had lost it. One reason why Knut and Hakon had not made good their claim
upon Norway was, that when King Olaf Haraldsson came the people rose,
and would not hear of any one else but Olaf as king over the whole land;
but later, when they thought they were oppressed because of his
overbearing, some left the country. Many chiefs or sons of powerful
bœndr had come to Knut under the pretence of various errands; every one
who attached himself to him received his hands full of money. There
could also be seen far greater splendour than in any other place, both
in the mass of men who continually stayed there, and in the outfitting
of the rooms in which he lived himself. Knut received taxes and dues
from the wealthiest folk-lands in the North; but as much as he surpassed
other kings in receiving more than they, as far did he surpass any other
king in giving away gifts. In all his kingdom there was such peace that
none dared to break it, and the people lived quietly under the old laws
of the land. For this he got great fame through all lands. Many who came
from Norway complained of their loss of freedom, and told Hakon jarl;
and some informed Knut himself that the men of Norway were ready to
return to him and the jarl, and through them regain their liberty. This
pleased the jarl, who told it to the king, and asked him to see if King
Olaf would give up the kingdom, or make some settlement with them. Many
pleaded the same with the jarl. Knut sent men eastward from England to
Norway, very finely fitted out; they brought a letter and the seal of
the King of the English. In the spring they went to Olaf Haraldsson at
Tunsberg. When he was told that the messengers of Knut had come he grew
angry, and said that Knut was not likely to send men thither with
messages that would be of use to him or his people; and for some days he
would not let the messengers see himself. When they got leave to speak,
they appeared before him and delivered the letter of Knut. They stated
their errand—that Knut claimed all Norway, and that his forefathers had
had it before him; but as he wished to have peace in every land, he
would not wage war upon Norway, if they could settle the matter in any
other way; that if Olaf Haraldsson wanted to be king over Norway he
should go to Knut, and take the land as a fief from him, become his man,
and pay him such taxes as the jarl paid before. Thereupon they delivered
the letter, which expressed the same thing. Olaf answered: ‘I have heard
in old Sagas that Gorm, King of the Danes, was thought to be a great
folk-king, and ruled only over Denmark; but these later Danish kings do
not think that enough. Knut now rules over Denmark and England, and has
subdued a great part of Scotland, and now he claims his inheritance from
me. He ought at last to show moderation in his greediness, or does he
wish to rule all Northern lands alone, or to eat alone all the cabbage
in England? He is more likely to do that than I to bring him my head, or
pay him any homage. Tell him my words: that I will defend Norway _with
point and edge_ while my life lasts, and pay no taxes from my kingdom.’
After this decision the messengers of Knut made ready to go away, ill
pleased with the result of their errand.... The messengers of Knut
returned with a fair wind across the sea. They went to Knut and told him
the answer to their message, and the last words of Olaf. Knut answered:
‘King Olaf is mistaken if he thinks I want to eat alone all the cabbage
in England; he shall feel that I have more things within my ribs than
cabbage; for henceforth evil shall come to him from under every rib.’
“Olaf summoned his lendirmen, and assembled a great many that summer,
for it was reported that Knut would come from England. People heard
report from trading ships from the west that Knut was gathering a great
host in England; some asserted and others denied that a host would come
in the latter part of the summer. Olaf stayed in Vik, and sent spies to
find out if Knut was coming to Denmark. In the autumn he sent men
eastwards to Sweden to Önund, his brother-in-law, and told him about the
message of Knut and the claim he laid to Norway; and hinted that he
thought if Knut subjugated Norway, Önund would have short shrift in
Swedish realm, and that it would be a good plan if they allied
themselves against him.
“Knut went that autumn to Denmark, and remained there during the winter,
with many men. He was told that messengers had been sent from the King
of Norway to the King of Sweden, and back again, and that some great
events were about to happen. Knut sent men in the winter to Sweden to
Önund with rich presents and friendly words, and said that it would be
to his advantage not to interfere in the quarrels between him and Olaf
the Stout, for his country should be at peace with him. When the
messengers came to Önund they presented the gifts of Knut, with his
offers of friendship. Önund did not receive their message well, and they
thought that he was much inclined to friendship with Olaf. They went
back and told Knut this, and that he could expect no friendship from
Önund” (St. Olaf’s Saga, cc. 139–142).
The great chief Erling Skjalgsson and all his sons were with Knut the
Great when he fought against St. Olaf and Önund, King of Sweden, in the
river Helga.
“In the autumn he went back to Norway with his men, and at parting got
large gifts from King Knut. Messengers of Knut went with him to Norway,
having a great deal of loose property with them; in the winter they went
about the land, and paid the money which Knut had promised the people
that autumn. They travelled under the protection of Erling Skjalgsson.
Many men became the friends of Knut, and promised to fight against Olaf;
some did it openly, and many others secretly” (St. Olaf’s Saga, c. 171).
“Knut got together his host, and went to Limafjord (Limfjorden) and
sailed to Norway; he hurried onward, and did not stop at the land east
of Vik. He sailed past the Vestfold to Agdir, where he summoned a
Thing.... He was there chosen king over the whole land; he then filled
the stewardships (offices) with new men, and took hostages from the
land; no man spoke against him. Olaf was in Tunsberg when the host of
Knut went past the Fold. Knut went northwards along the shore, and there
came to him men from the herads, and all paid homage to him; he stayed
in Eikundasund for some while. There Erling Skjalgsson came to him with
many men, and he and Knut renewed their friendship; Knut amongst other
things promised him that he should rule all the land between Stad and
Rygjarbit. Knut then sailed northward to Nidaros in Thrandheim
(Throndhjem). He summoned men from eight _fylki_ to a Thing, at which he
was chosen king over the whole of Norway.
“When Knut had subdued all Norway, he summoned his own men and the
Northmen to a Thing. He declared that he would give his kinsman Hakon
rule over all the land which he had won in that expedition; he also led
his son Hörda-Knut into the high-seat, and gave him the name of king,
and also presented him with the realm of Denmark. He took hostages from
all lendirmen and great bœndr, and their sons and brothers or other near
kinsmen, or those who were dearest to them, as he thought best, and thus
he strengthened the faithfulness of the people” (St. Olaf’s Saga, cc.
180, 181).
“Hörda-Knut, son of Knut the Old, succeeded to the kingship in Denmark
after his father, and Harald, the other son, ruled over England. At this
time Edward the Good, the son of Æthelred, and brother of Harald and
Hörda-Knut, came to England, and, as was fit, was well liked there. Two
years after the death of Knut the Old his daughter, Queen Gunnhild of
Saxland, died; she had married the Emperor Henry (of Germany).
“Three years later Harald Knutsson, King of England, died, and was
buried at Morst (Shaftesbury), at the side of his father.
“Then his brother, Hörda-Knut, got both the realms of England and
Denmark; and Magnus, St. Olaf’s son, the sworn brother[427] of
Hörda-Knut, ruled over Norway, as is written in the lives of the
Norwegian kings. Two winters after the death of Harald, Hörda-Knut died,
and was also buried at Morst with his father.
“After the death of Hörda-Knut the line of the old Danish kings became
extinct. Edward, Æthelred’s son, was taken king over England” (Knytlinga
Saga, c. 21).
“Svein, son of King Knut and Alfifa, daughter of Alfrun jarl, had been
put to rule Vinland in Jomsborg. Then his father sent word to him that
he must go to Denmark, and thence to Norway and rule it, with the name
of king. Svein had many men with him from Denmark, Harald jarl and many
other powerful chiefs. His mother went with him, and he was taken as
king at every law-thing” (St. Olaf’s Saga, c. 252).
“Svein, son of Knut the Great, ruled Norway for some winters; he was a
child, and his mother Alfifa ruled for the most part, and was greatly
disliked by the people. The Thrœndir (men of Thrandheim) were blamed
because they had slain Olaf Haraldson the Saint. The chief Kalf Arnason,
who had been the leader in the battle against Olaf, had been promised by
Knut jarldom over the whole of Norway, and felt disappointed” (St.
Olaf’s Saga, c. 261).
“As soon as the spring came Kalf Arnason made his own ship ready, and
sailed westward to England, for he had heard that King Knut had gone
early in the season from Denmark westward to England. Kalf Arnason went
to Knut at once when he reached England, and was received by him very
well, and had a talk with him. It ended by Knut asking Kalf to head the
rising against Olaf the Stout in Norway, if he came back to the land;
and then said: ‘I will give thee jarldom, and let thee rule Norway.
Hakon, my kinsman, shall come to me, which is best for him, for his mind
is thus that I do not think he will shoot a spear against Olaf, should
they meet.’ Kalf listened, and agreed to take the honour, and the plan
was arranged by them. Kalf made ready to go home, and at parting Knut
gave him costly gifts” (St. Olaf’s Saga, c. 194).
The following passage is of interest in connection with the early
history of England and its conquest by William the Norman:—
“When Magnus the Good (son of St. Olaf) had got the Danish realm, he
sent messengers westward to England. They went to King Edward (Játvard)
and delivered the letters and the seal of the king. In the letters this
followed after the greeting of King Magnus: ‘It is likely that you have
heard of the treaty made between me and Hörda-Knut, that the one who
lived after the other was dead without sons, should possess the lands
and the tegns (subjects) of the other. Now it has happened, as I know
you have heard, that I have inherited the Danish realm after Hörda-Knut.
He owned, when he died, England no less than Denmark; now I claim
England to be mine, according to a lawful agreement. I want thee to give
up thy realm to me, or else I will take it with the help of a host both
from Denmark and Norway. He who gets the victory will then rule the
lands.’
“When Edward had read these letters, he answered: ‘It is known to all
people in this land that my father, King Æthelred (Adalrad), was
rightfully born to this realm, both of yore and of late. We, his sons,
were four. After he was dead, my brother Edmund got the realm and the
kingship, for he was the oldest of the brothers. I was well satisfied
while he lived. After him, Knut, my stepfather, ruled; it was not easy
to claim it while he lived. After him my brother Harald was king while
he lived; when he died, my brother, Hörda-Knut, ruled over the Danish
realm, and it was thought the only right division between us brothers
that he should be king both over Denmark and England, and that I had no
realm to rule. When he died, it was the will of all the people to make
me king over England. While I had no king’s name I served my chiefs
(höfding) not prouder than those who were not born to rule. Now I have
been consecrated as king, and have got the kingship as fully as my
father had it before me. That name I will not give up while I live. If
Magnus comes hither with his host, I will not gather a host against him;
he can then take England, and first put me to death. Tell him these
words of mine.’
“The messengers went back to Magnus, and told him all. He answered
slowly: ‘I think it is most just and best to let Edward have his realm
in peace for me, and keep this which God has given me’” (Magnus the
Good’s Saga, cc. 38, 39).
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Footnote 421:
Cf. also Knytlinga Saga, c. 7 to 9; St. Olaf, c. 23.
Footnote 422:
This shows that Valland was in the west of France.
Footnote 423:
Knut the Great’s English campaigns are told by three poets, Sighvat,
Ottar the Black, and Thórd Kolbeinsson.
Footnote 424:
Knut (Canute) reigned from A.D. 1014–1035, and was succeeded by his
son Harald.
Footnote 425:
Hlokk of horns = valkyrja of horns = woman.
Footnote 426:
British here means English; otherwise usually Welsh.
Footnote 427:
Sworn brother = foster-brother.