_The Youth of Olaf Trygvason_
When the Gunhild-sons had killed Trygve Olafson, king in Viken (the
grandson of Harald the Fairhaired), in 963, Trygve's widow Astrid fled
with her foster-father, Thorolf Lusarskeg. Astrid was pregnant with
a child of King Trygve, and she went to a lake and concealed herself
on a small island with a few followers. Here she gave birth to a boy,
and she called him Olaf, after his grandfather. She remained there
all summer, but when the nights became dark, and the days began to
shorten and the weather to be cold, she travelled further with Thorolf
and a few others until she reached Ofrustad, where her father, Erik
Biodaskalle, lived, and they remained there during the winter. But in
the spring spies were sent out by Gunhild to find the boy, and Astrid
had to flee again with her son. She proceeded eastward, and at last
came to her father's friend, Haakon the Old, in Sweden, where she and
her son remained a long time and were well treated. When Gunhild heard
that Astrid and her son Olaf were in Sweden, she sent ambassadors
to the king of Sweden with the request that the king assist them in
getting hold of Olaf Trygvason, to bring him back to Norway, where
Gunhild would bring him up. Astrid then determined to go with her son
to Gardarike, or Russia, where she had a brother, Sigurd Eriksson, who
held a high position there. Olaf was then three years old. As they
sailed out into the Baltic, however, they were captured by vikings from
Esthonia, who made booty both of the people and their goods, killing
some, and taking others as slaves. Thorolf, whom they considered too
old for a slave, was killed. Olaf was separated from his mother, and
an Esthonian took him and a son of Thorolf as his share of the booty.
The boys were sold for a stout and good ram, and a third man, called
Reas, afterward bought Olaf for a good cloak. Olaf remained with Reas
in Esthonia for six years (967-972), was treated well, and was much
beloved by the people.
Sigurd Eriksson, the brother of Astrid, happened to come to Esthonia
to collect taxes for King Valdemar (or Vladimir), king in Novgorod,
Russia. In the market-place he saw a very handsome boy, and as he could
see that he was a foreigner, he asked him his name and family. The boy
answered that his name was Olaf, that he was a son of Trygve Olafson,
and that Astrid, a daughter of Erik Biodaskalle, was his mother. Sigurd
thus discovered that the boy was his sister's son, and he bought him,
and took him with him to Novgorod, He at first said nothing to the boy
about their relationship, but treated him well. Olaf was then nine
years old.
One day Olaf was in the market-place, where a great many people were
assembled. There he saw and recognized Klerkon, who had killed his
foster-father, Thorolf Lusarskeg, on the journey from Sweden. Olaf had
a little axe in his hand, and with it he clove Klerkon's skull, and
then he ran home and told his uncle Sigurd what he had done. Sigurd
immediately took Olaf to Queen Allogia, told her what had happened,
and begged her to protect the boy. The queen took a liking to the boy,
paid the fine for the manslaughter he had committed, and induced King
Valdemar to admit him to his court, where he was brought up as a king's
son. Olaf remained with King Valdemar nine years (973-981).
At the age of eighteen Olaf was given ships by King Valdemar and
set out on viking cruises. After a plundering visit to the island
of Bornholm he came to Vendland (Pomerania), where he married Queen
Geira, the daughter of King Burislav, and subdued the countries which
had formerly belonged to her dominions, but had lately failed to pay
her taxes. Every summer he made viking cruises, and in the winter he
stayed with Queen Geira. Olaf had been three years in Vendland when
Geira was taken sick and died. His grief was so great that he could
not afterward stay in Vendland. He then provided himself with warships
and made viking cruises to Denmark, England, Northumberland, Scotland,
the Hebrides, the Isle of Man, and western France. On returning from
France he was driven by a storm to the Scilly Isles, where he and all
his men were baptized in the Christian faith. Afterward Olaf came to
England, and married Princess Gyda, a daughter of the Irish king Olaf
Kvaran. The English annals contain many references to Olaf Trygvason,
and name him as chief of a fleet of nearly 400 ships which, in the
year 991, harried the east coast of England and won a great battle,
after which the Englishmen were compelled to pay him 10,000 pounds in
silver. Three years later he again attacked the coast of England, and
the English king, Ethelred, had to beg for peace and promise to pay him
16,000 pounds in silver. Olaf and his army went into winter quarters
in Southampton. Soon afterward King Ethelred invited him to his home;
Olaf accepted the invitation, and the two became good friends. During
his stay with the king, Olaf was confirmed, and King Ethelred himself
became his sponsor and gave him many precious gifts. Olaf, for his
part, made a solemn vow that he would never again attack the coasts of
England, a promise which he appears to have kept.
Early in the year 995 Olaf proceeded to Norway, and arrived at
Throndhjem just when the peasants had risen against Earl Haakon. They
made him their chief, and when the earl was dead, and his sons had
fled, Olaf Trygvason became king of Norway.