Two Great Kings trick each other
It was, as we saw, part of Athelstan’s policy of consolidation to ally
his family with foreign princes. After marrying one sister to Sitric
Gale, King of the Danes of Northumbria, and another sister to Otto,
who became Emperor of the West in 962, his next thought was how he
could mingle his country to his country’s advantage with the affairs
of Norway, which under Harald Fairhair was growing into a powerful
kingdom. An opportunity soon occurred, and Athelstan was not slow to
make use of it.
King Harald Fairhair, who was then an old man of seventy years of age,
had a son born in 919. The mother was a woman of good family named
Thora, and at the time when the child was born she was on her way to
meet King Harald in a ship belonging to the great Earl Sigurd, one of
Harald’s wisest counsellors; but before they could reach the place
where the King was staying the boy was born at a cove where the ship
had put into harbour for the night, up among the rocks, not far from
the ship’s gangway.
It was the custom in the old Norse religion of Odin or Woden to pour
water over a child after birth and give it a name, something after the
manner of Christian baptism; when the child was of high birth some
person of distinction was chosen to do this, for it was a matter of
importance and a solemn ceremony. We hear of Harald himself, and of
Olaf Trygveson, Magnus, and other kings, being thus baptized, and now
Earl Sigurd “poured water” over the new-born babe, and called him
Hakon, after the name of his own father.[20] The boy grew sturdy and
strong, handsome, and very like his father, King Harald, and the King
kept him close to himself, the mother and child being both in the
King’s house as long as he was an infant.
Shortly after Hakon was born Athelstan had sent messengers to King
Harald to present him with a sword, gold-handled, in a sheath of
gold and silver, set thickly with precious jewels. Harald was much
pleased with this, thinking that it was a mark of respect to himself,
but Athelstan had another intention. When the ambassadors presented
the sword to the King, they handed him the sword-hilt; but on the
King taking it into his hands, they exclaimed: “Now thou hast taken
the sword by the hilt, according to our King’s desire, and as thou
hast accepted his sword, thou art become his subject and owe him
sword-service.” Harald was very angry at Athelstan’s attempt to entrap
him in this way, for he would be subject to no man. But he remembered
that it was his rule, whenever he was very angry about anything, to
keep himself quiet and let his passion abate, and when he became cool
to consider the matter calmly. He did this now, and consulted his
friends, who advised him to let the ambassadors go safely away in the
first place and afterwards consider what he would do to avenge the
insult put upon him. So Harald consented to this, and the messengers
went back to England in safety.
But Harald did not forget what had happened. The next summer he fitted
out a ship for England, and gave the command of it to Hauk Haabrok, a
great warrior and very dear to the King. Into his hands he gave his
son Hakon. Now it was considered in those days that a man who fostered
another man’s son was lower in authority and consideration than the
father of the child, and it was Harald’s intention to make Athelstan
take his son Hakon as foster-son, and thus pay him back in his own
coin. The ship proceeded to England, and they found the King in London,
where feasts and entertainments were going forward. Hauk and the child
and thirty followers obtained leave to come into the hall where the
King was seated at the feast. Hauk had told his men how they should
behave. He said they should march into the hall and stand in a line
at the table, at equal distance from each other, each man having his
sword at his side, but fastened beneath his cloak, so that it could not
be seen. They were to go out in the same order as they had come in.
This they carried out, and Hauk went up to the King and saluted him
in Harald’s name, and Athelstan bade him welcome. Then Hauk, who was
leading Hakon by the hand, took the child in his arms and placed him on
the King’s knee. Athelstan looked at the boy, and asked the meaning of
this. “It means,” said Hauk, “that King Harald sends thee his child
to foster.” The King was in great anger, and seized a sword that lay
beside him, and drew it, as though he would slay the child.
“Thou hast borne him on thy knee,” said Hauk, “and thou mayest murder
him if thou wilt; but I warn thee there are other sons of Harald behind
who will not let his death go unavenged.”
Then without another word Hauk marched out of the hall, his men
following him in order; they went straight down to the ship and put out
to sea, for all was ready for their departure, and back they went to
King Harald. Harald was highly pleased when they told him what they had
done, for it made Athelstan, in the opinion of many people, subject to
him; but in truth neither was subject to the other, or less than the
other, for each was supreme in his own kingdom till his dying day.
When Athelstan began to talk to the boy, and found him a brave, manly
child, well brought up and open in his ways, he took a liking to him,
and had him baptized with Christian baptism, and brought up in the
Christian faith and in good habits, and made him skilful in all sorts
of exercises; and the end of it was that he loved Hakon above all his
own relatives; and Hakon was beloved of all men. King Athelstan gave
the lad a gold-hilted sword, with the best of blades. It was called
“Quernbiter,” because to try it Hakon cut through a quern or mill-stone
to the centre. Never came better blade into Norway, and Hakon kept it
to the end, and it was with that sword he was fighting on the day when
he got the wound that brought him to his death.