King Hakon forces his People to become Christians
It seemed that all would have gone well in Norway with King Hakon the
Good after King Eric Bloodaxe left the country, but that he had it
in his mind to make the people Christians whether they would or no.
Hitherto they had sacrificed to Odin, or Woden, who gives his name
to our Wednesday--_i.e._ Woden’s Day; and they had other gods and
goddesses, such as Thor, the God of Thunder, from whom we get the name
Thursday, or Thor’s Day, and Freya, a goddess, who gives her name to
our Friday. They had many special festivals, but the chief of all
was Yule, in mid-winter, when the Yule log was brought in from the
forests and burned with great rejoicings, and cattle and horses were
slaughtered in sacrifice, and their blood sprinkled on the altars and
temple walls, and on the people besides. A large fire was kindled
in the middle of the temple floor, on which the flesh was roasted,
and full goblets were handed across the fire, after being blessed by
the chiefs. Odin’s goblet was first emptied for victory and power to
the king, and afterwards Freya’s goblet for peace and a good season,
and after that the “remembrance-goblet” was emptied to the memory
of departed friends. It was a time of great joy and festivity. In
Scotland and other places the night of mid-winter is still called
Hogmanay night, that is, the Norse “Höggn-nott,” or slaughter night,
from the hogging or hewing down of the cattle for sacrifice, and many
Hogmanay songs are still sung in this country.
The first thing King Hakon did was to order that the festival of Yule
should begin at the same time as Christmas did in Christian lands, as
is the case at this day; and this displeased the people, for they did
not like to change the day on which they and their forefathers had held
their feast. Then Hakon sent for a bishop and priests from England to
instruct the people in Christianity. Hitherto there had been no priests
in Norway, but every man was priest in his own house; and the chief man
of each place conducted the sacrifices for his neighbours. The people
were against giving up their own religion and adopting a religion which
they did not understand and which was foreign to them; but because
they loved their King they at first made no outcry, but deferred
consideration of the matter to the meeting of the chief “Thing,”[21]
which they called the “Froste Thing,” where men from every part of the
country would be present. When the “Froste Thing” met, both they and
the King made speeches, and Earl Sigurd begged the King not to press
the matter, as it was plain the people were against it; and at first he
seemed to consent to this. But the next harvest, which was the time of
the summer sacrifice, the nobles watched the King closely to see what
he would do. Earl Sigurd, who was a staunch pagan, made the feast,
and the King came to it. When the Odin goblet was filled, Earl Sigurd
blessed it in Odin’s name, and drank to the King, and then he handed
the goblet to the King to drink. The King took the goblet in his hand,
and made the sign of the cross over it before he put it to his lips.
“What is the King doing?” said a lord who stood near him. “He is making
the sign of Thor’s hammer[22] over the cup, as each of you would do,”
said Earl Sigurd, thinking to shield the King. For the moment this
satisfied the people, but next day when the sacrifices were offered,
and horse-flesh was eaten, as was always done at a solemn feast, Hakon
utterly refused to join in the heathen festival, nor would he touch
even the gravy of the dish.
Great discontent was aroused at this, both the King and the people
being very ill-pleased with each other, and on the next occasion it
threatened to develop into war. From time to time Earl Sigurd came
between the King and the people and kept them at peace, but neither
loved the other as before.
[Illustration: _The dying King Hakon carried to his Ship_]
The latter years of Hakon’s reign were disturbed by the return of Eric
Bloodaxe’s sons, and their attempts to take the crown. For years they
had been marauding on the coasts, but Hakon had driven them off; and he
had conquered them in the great sea-fight of Augvaldsness, after which
they went south to Denmark, and rested there. King Hakon put all his
sea-coast subjects under tribute that they should raise and sustain
in each district a certain number of ships to defend the coast, and
that they should erect beacons on every hill and headland, which were
to be lighted when the fleet of Eric’s sons appeared, so that by the
lighting of the beacons the whole country could speedily be warned of
the coming of the enemy. But when Eric’s sons actually came at last
with an overwhelming host, provided for them by the King of Denmark,
the beacons were not lighted, because they came by an unexpected route,
where they were not looked for. The beacons also had so often been
lighted by the country-people whenever they saw a ship-of-war or viking
boat cruising about on the coast, thinking that it brought Eric’s sons,
that King Hakon had become angry at the waste of trouble and money
without any purpose, and had heavily punished those who gave the false
alarm. Thus it happened that when Eric’s sons’ host really came in
sight no one was ready, and they had sailed far north before anyone
was aware of their presence. The people were afraid to give warning
to the King, because of his anger if they gave a false alarm. So they
watched the great fleet making its way northward and turning in toward
the island where the King lay, and none of them dared go to inform him
of its coming. The King was supping in the house of one of his _bondes_
named Eyvind, when at length one of the country-people took courage to
come to the house and beg that Eyvind would come outside at once, for
it was very needful. Eyvind went up a little height, and there he saw
the great armed fleet that lay in the fiord. With all haste he entered
the house, and, placing himself before the King, he cried: “Short is
the hour for action, but long the hour for feasting.” “What now is
forward, Eyvind?” said the King, for he saw that something of import
was in the air. Then Eyvind cried:
“Up, King! the avengers are at hand!
Eric’s bold sons approach the land!
They come well armed to seek the fight.
O mighty King, thy wrath be light
On him who calls thee from thy rest
To put thee to the battle-test.
Gird on thy armour; take thy stand
Here where thy foes are come to land.
Quernbiter now shall bite again
And drive the intruder o’er the main!”
Then said the King: “Thou art too brave a fellow, Eyvind, to bring us a
false alarm of war.” He ordered the tables to be removed, and went out
to look at the ships; and the King asked his men what resolution they
would take, to give battle there and then, or to sail away northwards
and escape. They gave their voice for war, for they knew that this
was what the King would choose, and made them ready speedily. A great
battle was fought that day, but in the end Eyvind was killed and the
King received an arrow through his shoulder, and though he fought on,
his blood ebbed out until he had no strength left, and he had to be
carried to his ship. They sailed on awhile toward King Hakon’s house
at Alrekstad, but when he came as far as Hakon’s Hill he was nearly
lifeless; so they put in to shore, and he died there by the shoreside,
at the little hill beside which he had been born. They buried his body
in a mighty mound, in which they laid him in full armour and in his
kingly robes; that mound is to be seen not far from Bergen at this day.
So great was the sorrow at his death that he was lamented alike by his
friends and his enemies; for they said that never again would Norway
see such a king. For all he was a Christian, they spake over his grave
wishing him a good reception in Valhalla, the home of Odin and the
gods. It was in the year 960 that the battle of Stord and the death of
King Hakon took place. The men who had fallen in his army were buried
in mounds along the sea-shore, each great man among them laid in his
armour, and one of the enemy’s ships turned bottom up over him, and the
whole covered in with earth and stones. These were called “ship-burial”
mounds, and many of them have been found in Norway.
After Hakon’s fall the sons of Eric Bloodaxe ruled over Norway.