Hakon, in late times, had heard of a famous stirring person, victorious
in various lands and seas, latterly united in sea-robbery with Svein,
Prince Royal of Denmark, afterwards King Svein of the Double-beard
("_Zvae Skiaeg_", _Twa Shag_) or fork-beard, both of whom had already
done transcendent feats in the viking way during this copartnery. The
fame of Svein, and this stirring personage, whose name was "Ole," and,
recently, their stupendous feats in plunder of England, siege of London,
and other wonders and splendors of viking glory and success, had gone
over all the North, awakening the attention of Hakon and everybody
there. The name of "Ole" was enigmatic, mysterious, and even
dangerous-looking to Hakon Jarl; who at length sent out a confidential
spy to investigate this "Ole;" a feat which the confidential spy did
completely accomplish,--by no means to Hakon's profit! The mysterious
"Ole" proved to be no other than Olaf, son of Tryggve, destined to blow
Hakon Jarl suddenly into destruction, and become famous among the heroes
of the Norse world.
Of Olaf Tryggveson one always hopes there might, one day, some real
outline of a biography be written; fished from the abysses where (as
usual) it welters deep in foul neighborhood for the present. Farther on
we intend a few words more upon the matter. But in this place all that
concerns us in it limits itself to the two following facts first, that
Hakon's confidential spy "found Ole in Dublin;" picked acquaintance with
him, got him to confess that he was actually Olaf, son of Tryggve (the
Tryggve, whom Blood-axe's fierce widow and her sons had murdered); got
him gradually to own that perhaps an expedition into Norway might have
its chances; and finally that, under such a wise and loyal guidance
as his (the confidential spy's, whose friendship for Tryggveson was so
indubitable), he (Tryggveson) would actually try it upon Hakon Jarl, the
dissolute old scoundrel. Fact second is, that about the time they two
set sail from Dublin on their Norway expedition, Hakon Jarl removed to
Trondhjem, then called Lade; intending to pass some months there.
Now just about the time when Tryggveson, spy, and party had landed in
Norway, and were advancing upon Lade, with what support from the public
could be got, dissolute old Hakon Jarl had heard of one Gudrun, a
Bonder's wife, unparalleled in beauty, who was called in those parts,
"Sunbeam of the Grove" (so inexpressibly lovely); and sent off a couple
of thralls to bring her to him. "Never," answered Gudrun; "never," her
indignant husband; in a tone dangerous and displeasing to these Court
thralls; who had to leave rapidly, but threatened to return in better
strength before long. Whereupon, instantly, the indignant Bonder and his
Sunbeam of the Grove sent out their war-arrow, rousing all the country
into angry promptitude, and more than one perhaps into greedy hope of
revenge for their own injuries. The rest of Hakon's history now rushes
on with extreme rapidity.
Sunbeam of the Grove, when next demanded of her Bonder, has the whole
neighborhood assembled in arms round her; rumor of Tryggveson is fast
making it the whole country. Hakon's insolent messengers are cut in
pieces; Hakon finds he cannot fly under cover too soon. With a single
slave he flies that same night;--but whitherward? Can think of no safe
place, except to some old mistress of his, who lives retired in that
neighborhood, and has some pity or regard for the wicked old Hakon. Old
mistress does receive him, pities him, will do all she can to protect
and hide him. But how, by what uttermost stretch of female artifice hide
him here; every one will search here first of all! Old mistress, by the
slave's help, extemporizes a cellar under the floor of her pig-house;
sticks Hakon and slave into that, as the one safe seclusion she can
contrive. Hakon and slave, begrunted by the pigs above them, tortured by
the devils within and about them, passed two days in circumstances
more and more horrible. For they heard, through their light-slit
and breathing-slit, the triumph of Tryggveson proclaiming itself by
Tryggveson's own lips, who had mounted a big boulder near by and was
victoriously speaking to the people, winding up with a promise of
honors and rewards to whoever should bring him wicked old Hakon's head.
Wretched Hakon, justly suspecting his slave, tried to at least keep
himself awake. Slave did keep himself awake till Hakon dozed or slept,
then swiftly cut off Hakon's head, and plunged out with it to the
presence of Tryggveson. Tryggveson, detesting the traitor, useful as the
treachery was, cut off the slave's head too, had it hung up along with
Hakon's on the pinnacle of the Lade Gallows, where the populace pelted
both heads with stones and many curses, especially the more important of
the two. "Hakon the Bad" ever henceforth, instead of Hakon the Rich.
This was the end of Hakon Jarl, the last support of heathenry in Norway,
among other characteristics he had: a stronghanded, hard-headed, very
relentless, greedy and wicked being. He is reckoned to have ruled in
Norway, or mainly ruled, either in the struggling or triumphant state,
for about thirty years (965-995?). He and his seemed to have formed,
by chance rather than design, the chief opposition which the Haarfagr
posterity throughout its whole course experienced in Norway. Such
the cost to them of killing good Jarl Sigurd, in Greyfell's time! For
"curses, like chickens," do sometimes visibly "come home to feed," as
they always, either visibly or else invisibly, are punctually sure to
do.
Hakon Jarl is considerably connected with the _Faroer Saga_ often
mentioned there, and comes out perfectly in character; an altogether
worldly-wise man of the roughest type, not without a turn for
practicality of kindness to those who would really be of use to him. His
tendencies to magic also are not forgotten.
Hakon left two sons, Eric and Svein, often also mentioned in this Saga.
On their father's death they fled to Sweden, to Denmark, and were busy
stirring up troubles in those countries against Olaf Tryggveson; till at
length, by a favorable combination, under their auspices chiefly, they
got his brief and noble reign put an end to. Nay, furthermore, Jarl Eric
left sons, especially an elder son, named also Eric, who proved a sore
affliction, and a continual stone of stumbling to a new generation of
Haarfagrs, and so continued the curse of Sigurd's murder upon them.
Towards the end of this Hakon's reign it was that the discovery of
America took place (985). Actual discovery, it appears, by Eric the Red,
an Icelander; concerning which there has been abundant investigation and
discussion in our time. _Ginnungagap_ (Roaring Abyss) is thought to be
the mouth of Behring's Straits in Baffin's Bay; _Big Helloland_, the
coast from Cape Walsingham to near Newfoundland; _Little Helloland_,
Newfoundland itself. _Markland_ was Lower Canada, New Brunswick, and
Nova Scotia. Southward thence to Chesapeake Bay was called _Wine Land_
(wild grapes still grow in Rhode Island, and more luxuriantly further
south). _White Man's Land_, called also _Great Ireland_, is supposed
to mean the two Carolinas, down to the Southern Cape of Florida. In
Dahlmann's opinion, the Irish themselves might even pretend to have
probably been the first discoverers of America; they had evidently got
to Iceland itself before the Norse exiles found it out. It appears to be
certain that, from the end of the tenth century to the early part of the
fourteenth, there was a dim knowledge of those distant shores extant
in the Norse mind, and even some straggling series of visits thither
by roving Norsemen; though, as only danger, difficulty, and no profit
resulted, the visits ceased, and the whole matter sank into oblivion,
and, but for the Icelandic talent of writing in the long winter nights,
would never have been heard of by posterity at all.