_Earl Haakon (970-995)_
Earl Haakon subdued all those parts of the country belonging to his
dominion, and remained all winter (970) in Throndhjem. As he proceeded
along the coast he ordered that in all his dominions the heathen
temples and sacrifices should be restored, and continued as of old.
The people thought they soon had proof that the gods were pleased with
Haakon's action, for, according to the saga, "the first winter that
Haakon ruled over Norway the herrings set in everywhere through the
fjords to the land, and the seasons ripened to a good crop all that had
been sown," while for several years previously dearth and hard times
had prevailed.
Earl Haakon waited for an opportunity to repudiate his obligations to
the Danish king, and it came in time. In 973, when Otto II. became
emperor of Germany, King Harald Bluetooth prepared himself for war in
order to resist the emperor's claim to sovereignty over Denmark, and
in 975 he ordered Earl Haakon to come to his aid with all the forces
it was possible to raise. Haakon complied with the request, and for
a time successfully fought the Germans. But when he had boarded his
ships and prepared to sail homeward, the emperor returned for a second
attack, and soon compelled the Danish king to make peace. King Harald
Bluetooth agreed to introduce Christianity both in Denmark and in
Norway. He sent for Earl Haakon and made him accept baptism and promise
to introduce Christianity in Norway. Priests were sent with him to help
him with this work. Haakon set sail with the priests on board; but no
sooner did he get a favorable wind than he put the priests ashore, and
sailed away. From now on he considered himself the sworn enemy of the
Danes. He steered through the Sound, and harried the coasts on both
sides. At the coast of East Gautland he made a great heathen sacrifice.
Thereupon he burned his ships and marched through the country with his
men. He defeated Earl Ottar, the ruler in Gautland, and continued his
march through Smaaland and West Gautland to Norway. He again took up
his residence in Throndhjem.
King Harald Bluetooth was greatly incensed at Earl Haakon's action, and
decided to take an awful revenge. He collected a great fleet, which he
brought to Norway. He burned and destroyed the settlements and killed a
great number of people wherever he came. In Lærdal in Sogn, it is said
that only five dwellings were left unburned. The inhabitants fled to
the woods with such movable goods as they could save. As soon, however,
as it was reported that Earl Haakon was coming southward with a fleet,
King Harald lost his courage, set sail, and returned to Denmark.
When Harald Bluetooth died (985), his son Svein, who afterward was
given the surname Tjuguskeg (Fork-beard), became king of Denmark. He
instigated the Joms-vikings to make war on Earl Haakon. These vikings
were Danes, who lived at Jomsborg, Pomerania, on the island Wollin
or Jom, at the mouth of the river Oder. They were very powerful and
warlike, and had very strict laws. No one could join their company who
was older than fifty or younger than eighteen years, and no woman was
permitted to enter their burgh. They considered it a disgrace to show
fear or to complain of pain. Earl Sigvald (Sigvalde Jarl), a son of
King Strut-Harald of Scania (Skaane, in the southern part of Sweden),
was chief of the Joms-vikings at this time. King Svein of Denmark
invited these vikings to a great feast in memory of his father, and
as Earl Sigvald's father had fallen about the same time, he suggested
that they should also drink his "funeral-ale." The Joms-vikings came
to the festival with their bravest men, forty ships of them from
Vendland (Pomerania), and twenty ships from Scania. All the guests
drank a great deal, and there was great gayety in the hall. According
to old custom on such occasions they made solemn vows, in emptying the
drinking-horns. King Svein, in drinking to his father's memory, made
the solemn vow, that before three winters were past he would go with
his army to England and conquer King Ethelred. The guests also drank
Christ's health, and a bowl to the memory of Saint Michael. Thereafter
Earl Sigvald drank to his father's memory, and made a vow, that before
three winters came to an end he would go to Norway and either kill Earl
Haakon or chase him out of the country, and the other Joms-vikings
vowed that they would go with Earl Sigvald to Norway and share in the
fight. The next morning, when they had slept off their drink, they
thought they had promised rather much, and, in order to find Earl
Haakon unprepared, they sailed away on their expedition at once.
When Earl Erik, the son of Haakon, who was then in Raumarike, heard
of the festival and of the vows of the Joms-vikings, he immediately
gathered his men, and went to the Uplands, and thence over the
mountains to Throndhjem, and joined his father, Earl Haakon. They
immediately sent warnings around, and sent messages to North More and
South More, and to Raumsdal, and also north to Namdal and Halogaland,
summoning all the country to furnish men and ships. Earl Haakon went
with an army to South More, and Erik was to follow with what army he
could collect from the north.
Meanwhile, the Joms-vikings sailed slowly northward, plundering the
coasts. Christmas night they were at Jæderen. At Hjorungavaag (on the
island Hareidland in South More) they met Earl Haakon and his sons
Erik, Svein, Sigurd and Erling. The earl had 180 ships and boats, fully
manned and equipped, and the Joms-vikings had 60 ships. A bloody and
fierce battle followed, probably the greatest that had ever taken place
in Norway. At first the advantage was on the side of the Joms-vikings,
and Earl Haakon was hardly pressed. So many spears were thrown against
him that his armor was split asunder, and he threw it off. It is said
that Earl Haakon then sacrificed his young son Erling to the gods in
order to gain victory. A great hailstorm arose, and the Joms-vikings
were defeated, but only after a most desperate fight. Earl Sigvald
turned and fled with some of his ships; but many of his men preferred
to fall in battle. Haavard the Hewer (Huggende) stood on his knees and
fought, after both his feet had been cut off. One of the champions, Bue
the Thick (Digre), received a terrible cut that took away his under-lip
and chin, and, seeing that resistance was in vain, he took a chest
full of gold in each hand and shouted: "Overboard, all Bue's men,"
and jumped into the sea. After the battle the dead were ransacked by
Haakon's men, and the booty brought together to be divided; and there
were twenty-five ships of the Joms-vikings in the booty.
While Earl Haakon ruled over Norway there were good crops in the
land and peace internally among the peasants. The earl, for a long
time, was therefore well liked; but later he became proud and much
given to debauchery. According to the saga, he would go so far as to
have the daughters of people of high station brought home to him,
and after keeping them a week or two send them home in shame. The
people therefore began to murmur loudly, and finally they rose against
him. Early in the year 995 Earl Haakon was at a feast at Medalhus in
Gauldal. There was a mighty peasant in the neighborhood, by name Orm
Lyrgja, who had a wife called Gudrun, a daughter of Bergthor of Lundar.
She was called the Lundar-sun, because she was so beautiful. The earl
sent his slaves to Orm, with the errand that they were to bring Gudrun
to the earl. Orm first invited the slaves to take supper, and while
they were eating and drinking he sent word around to all his neighbors,
and soon had so many gathered at his house that he could refuse to let
his wife be taken away. The slaves departed with many threats; but Orm
sent out messages to all the neighboring country, and soon a large body
of armed men were marching toward Medalhus where Haakon was. With a
single thrall (slave) called Kark, who had been with him since boyhood,
Earl Haakon fled across the Gaula River, rode his horse into a hole,
and left his cloak behind on the ice, in order to make his pursuers
believe that he had been drowned. Then he went to the estate of Rimul,
where one of the earl's mistresses, Thora, lived, and asked her to hide
him for a few days until the army of the peasants had dispersed. They
went to a swine-sty, where Kark dug a deep hole and covered it with
boards. The earl and Kark went into the hole, and Thora covered it, and
threw earth and manure over it, and drove the swine upon the top of it.
Olaf Trygvason had just then arrived in the country, and when the
peasants heard he was of the family of Harald the Fairhaired, they
flocked around him and hailed him as their king. Then they all set
about hunting for Earl Haakon. At Rimul they looked everywhere for him
without finding him. Then Olaf held a House-Thing or council out in the
yard, and stood upon a great stone which lay beside the swine-sty, and
made a speech to the people, in which he promised rewards and honors to
the man who should kill the earl. This speech was heard by the earl and
the thrall Kark.
"Why art thou so pale," asked the earl, "and now again black as earth?
Thou hast not the intention to betray me?"
"By no means," replied Kark.
"We were both born on the same night," said the earl, "and the time
will be short between our deaths."
King Olaf went away in the evening. When night came the earl kept
himself awake; but Kark slept, and was disturbed in his sleep. The earl
woke him, and asked him what he had been dreaming.
Kark answered: "I was at Lade, and Olaf Trygvason was laying a golden
ring about my neck."
The earl then said: "It will be a bloody ring Olaf will lay about thy
neck if he catches thee. Take care of that! From me thou shalt enjoy
all that is good, therefore betray me not."
Then they both kept awake, evidently mistrusting each other. But toward
morning the earl dropped asleep. Then Kark killed him, and cut off
his head, and hastened to Olaf Trygvason with it, but Olaf had the
faithless thrall decapitated. Earl Haakon was fifty-eight years old at
his death, in February, 995.