And it was as he opined, for this ship belonged to Eindrid of Gimsar.
A while later saw they yet another ship sailing, much greater than the
first, and then spake King Svein: 'Afeard is Olaf Tryggvason, for he
dareth not sail with the head upon his ship.' Then said Earl Eirik:
'That is not the King's ship; that ship and the sail thereof know I, for
the sail is a striped one; Erling Skialgson it is who hath command
thereof.
Let them sail on! Better is it for us that this ship should be lacking
from Olaf's fleet, so well appointed is it.' A while later saw they and
recognized the ships of Sigvaldi the Earl, and one of them also was
great.
Then spake King Svein and bade them go to their ships; for, said he,
there sails the 'Long Serpent'; but Earl Eirik called out, 'Many more
ships and fine ones have they besides the 'Long Serpent,' let us bide a
while.'
Then many of the men fell to talking, & they said: 'Eirik the Earl will
not fight to avenge his father. Shame, shame is it, & throughout all the
land will it be heard, if we lie here with so great a fleet & let King
Olaf sail out to sea on our very flank.' But after they had been talking
thus a while saw they that four more ships came sailing by, and one of
these was a dragon, large indeed, and bedecked with gold. Then rose up
King Svein and said: 'High shall the "Serpent" carry me this eve; and I
will steer her.' Many of the men called out that the 'Serpent' was a
mighty great ship and beautiful to look upon, and a glorious work had it
been to build such a craft.
Then Earl Eirik said so loud that sundry heard him: 'E'en had King Olaf
no larger ship than this, King Svein would with the Danish host alone
never wrest it from him.' Then went the men to their ships and took the
tilts from off them; whilst the chiefs were talking among themselves of
that which is writ above saw they sailing along three very large ships,
and a fourth ship last of all, and that was the 'Long Serpent.' Now of
those large ships which had sailed past before, and had been deemed by
the men to be the 'Long Serpent,' the first was the 'Crane' and the last
the 'Short Serpent.' But when they beheld the 'Long Serpent,' and none
gainsaid this, then wotted all that now indeed was Olaf Tryggvason
sailing by. Then went they to their ships, and made ready to row to the
onset. Now a compact had been struck between the chiefs, King Svein,
King Olaf, and Earl Eirik, that to each one of them should be given a
third part of Norway if it befell that King Olaf was slain; moreover he
who first boarded the 'Long Serpent' was for his own to have all the
booty taken therefrom, and each of them was to have what ships he
himself cleared.
Earl Eirik had a very large long-ship which he was wont to use on his
viking cruises; a beard was there on the higher part of both prow and
stern, and thick plates of iron going from thence all the breadth of the
beard right down to the water-line.
|| Now when Earl Sigvaldi & his men headed in towards the islet, observed
closely Thorkel Dydril of the 'Crane' and the captains of the other
ships sailing with him, what he was doing, and they too lowered sail,
and rowing after him, called out to him to know why thus he was faring.
The Earl answered that he was going to bide the coming of King Olaf, for
most like did it seem that war was at hand.
So then they likewise let their ships lie-to until such time as Thorkel
Leira with the 'Short Serpent' was come up and with him too the three
other ships which were following him, and the same tidings were told
unto them; then they also lowered sail, laid-to and bided the coming of
King Olaf.
But when the King sailed out towards the isle, then rowed out into the
sound the whole of the hostile fleet even for to meet him; and his men
witnessing this same prayed the King sail his way, and not engage in
battle with so large an host.
But King Olaf stood up on the poop, and shouted with a loud voice: 'Let
no men of mine lower sail or think of fleeing; never have I fled in
battle. May God look to my life, for never will I turn to flight.' And
it was done even as the King said. Thus saith Hallfrod:
'Fain would I name those words,
Which Olaf's warriors tell us
The lord deed-mighty spake there,
To his men before the battle.
The warlike King forbade
His champions to think of flight,
And how they live, the words the loved one of the people spoke.'
|| So were sounded the horns for the assembling of the ships; and the
King's ship was in the midst of the fleet, with the 'Short Serpent' on
one side and the 'Crane' on the other. Now when they were about to lash
together the prow of the 'Long Serpent' and stern of the 'Short
Serpent,' the King observed what was being done, and he cried out
bidding them lay the big ship more forward, & not let her be astern of
all the ships in the fleet. Thereon answered Ulf the Red: 'If we are to
lay the "Serpent" as much longer ahead as she is longer than other ships
hard will the day's work be behind the gunwales.' Said the King: 'I knew
not that I had a forecastle man who was both red and afraid,' Ulf made
answer back, 'Turn not thou thy back there on the poop more than I turn
mine when I guard the prow.'
Now the King had a bow in his hand, and placing an arrow on the string
thereof he turned him towards Ulf; then cried Ulf, 'Shoot another way,
King, thither where it is needed more greatly; what I do, I do for
thee.'
|| King Olaf towered high on the poop of the 'Serpent,' and easy was it
to know him from other men.
A golden shield had he, and a gold-wrought helmet, & a short red kirtle
over his shirt of mail.
Now when King Olaf saw that the fleets were dividing and banners were
being set up before the chiefs, asked he: 'Who is the captain of that
host which is right over against us?' It was told him that it was King
Svein Two-beard with the host of the Danes. Then answered he: 'Afraid
are we not of those blenchers, no heart is there in the Danes. But what
chief is behind those banners yonder on our right?' It was told him that
there was King Olaf, with the Swedish host. 'Better were it for the
Swedes to stay at home and lick the blood from their bowls than to board
the "Serpent" under thy weapons.' 'But whose are the ships lying out
yonder on the larboard of the Danes?' 'They pertain,' came the answer,
'to Eirik Hakonson.' Then answered King Olaf, 'Good reason, methinketh,
hath he to meet us, and from that fleet may we await the fiercest of
fights, seeing that they too are of Norway even as we ourselves.'
|| Thereafter separated the Kings one from another for the onset. King
Svein laid his ship against the 'Long Serpent'; and King Olaf the Swede
lay-to farther out & grappled from the prow the outermost ship of King
Olaf Tryggvason; and over against the other side lay Earl Eirik. And
even so there ensued a dire and strenuous conflict. Albeit did Sigvaldi,
the Earl, let his ships fall astern and took he no part in the battle.
Thus saith Skuli Thorsteinnson, he that himself was with Earl Eirik that
day:
'The Frisian wolf I followed
(And in my youth gat honour)
With Sigvaldi, there where the spears whistled
(Now wax I old);
When bloody swords we bore
There off the mouth of the Svold
In the south, in the battle-storm,
And met the hero of wars.'
And Hallfrod too saith of these tidings:
'Methinks full much was missed
(Many to flight did turn them),
That chief who spurred the fight
Was among the men of Throndhjem.
The valiant King alone
'Gainst the two Kings did fight,
(Glorious to tell it now)
And for a third too the Earl.'
|| The battle to them all waxed very fierce & bloody; the forecastle men
of the 'Long Serpent' & the 'Short Serpent' and the 'Crane' threw
anchors and grapplers on to the ships of King Svein, and thus could they
attack them from above so that they cleared every ship unto which they
could cling and thereto hold fast. King Svein and those of his company
who could escape made what way they could to other of his ships and
thereon drew thence out of bow-shot, and so it came to pass that it
fared with this fleet even as King Olaf Tryggvason had foretold.
Then Olaf, he that was King of the Swedes, brought his ships up into the
self-same places left by those of Svein, but natheless hardly was he
come nigh to the big ships than it went with him the same as with the
others; even so that lost he many men and some of his ships, and
thereafter he too drew back. But Earl Eirik laid his bearded ship
alongside the outermost ship of King Olaf & with fierceness cleared it,
and straightway cut it adrift from its lashings; then went he alongside
the one that was next, and with it fought until that too was cleared.
Then fell the crews to escaping from the lesser ships on to those that
were larger; but cut the Earl every ship from its lashings even as soon
as it was cleared, & thereon came up once more from all sides Danes and
Swedes into the battle over against the ships of King Olaf. Eirik the
Earl lay ever alongside one or other ship fighting thus in hand to hand
fight, and as the men fell on his ship, Danes and Swedes, other true men
took their place. Thus saith Halldor:
'Of sharp swords the brunt
O'er the "Long Serpent" went;
There golden spears did clash
And the men fought long,
In battle of foemen
Went forth to the south
Men of Sweden against him,
And Danish swordsmen doughty.'
|| Then waxed the battle very fierce, and men fell thick and fast, and so
at the end befell it that all the ships that pertained unto King Olaf
were cleared save and except the 'Long Serpent,' & by that time all
those of his folk who were still able to bear arms were come aboard of
her.
Then did Earl Eirik bring his bearded ship alongside the 'Serpent' and
thereon ensued a fight with man at sword's length from man.
Thus saith Halldor:
'Into so hard a trap fell now the "Long Serpent"
(The shields were cut asunder, together clashed the swords),
And when the axe-bearer laid his bearded ship
high bulwarked beside the "Serpent,"
The Earl did victory win at Holm.'
|| Earl Eirik took his stand in the forehold of his ship encompassed by a
wall of shields, & his men fought both with trenchant arms, and by the
thrusting of spears, and by the throwing of everything that could be
used as a weapon, though some shot with the bow or threw javelins with
the hand. From all sides had the war-ships been brought up around the
'Serpent,' and so great was the shower of weapons which fell on her, and
so thickly flew the arrows and javelins from all sides, that men could
but hardly ward off the missiles with their shields. The men that were
with King Olaf had ere now waxed so furious that they had climbed up on
to the bulwarks to the end that they might reach their foemen with their
swords and slay them; but many of their foes would not come so nigh
alongside the 'Serpent' that they could be beguiled into close combat,
whereas a many of the folk of Olaf being unmindful that they were not
fighting on a level field themselves fell overboard and so sank down
together with their weapons. Thus saith Hallfrod:
'From the "Serpent" sank they down, wounded in the fight;
Give way or flee they would not, resisting to the last.
Though glorious the King may be who steers the "Serpent"
Such men as these will long be lacking where'er she strideth.'
|| It happened that in the narrow-hold of the "Serpent," shooting with
his bow and arrow more fiercely than any other man that was on the ship,
stood Einar Tambarskelfir. Now it was against Earl Eirik that Einar had
his direct venture, and struck he the top of the tiller-head, over above
the head of the Earl, sending in his arrow with such force that it
penetrated to the very binding of the shaft.
The Earl looked at it, and asked if it was known who was shooting thus;
then on the instant Einar shot another arrow which went so nigh unto the
Earl that it passed betwixt his side and his arm, and so far through the
staying-board that the barb stood out on the other side thereof.
Then spake the Earl to that man whose name some say was Fin, but as
others have it was of FinnishSec. kith and kin.
Exceeding apt was he as an archer, so spake Eirik unto him saying:
'Shoot thou yonder big man in the narrow-hold,' & even as he said the
words did the arrow of Fin strike the bow of Einar just as he was
drawing it for the third time. Then was the bow broken in twain, & Olaf
said, 'What brake there so loudly?' & Einar made answer: 'Norway from
thy hand, O King.' 'So great a breaking asunder hath not happened yet,
I trow,' quoth the King; 'take my bow and shoot therewith,' and saying
so threw he him his own bow, and Einar taking it strained it even beyond
the arrow-head. 'Too weak,' said he, 'too weak is the prince's bow,' and
throwing it back again to the King took he his shield and sword, and
fell to hand-fighting.
|| King Olaf being himself on the poop of the 'Serpent,' full oft that
day shot with his bow, but upon occasion made he use of javelins, and
ever threw two at once. Then as time wore on saw he, as his glance sped
along the ship, that albeit his men swung ever their swords and smote
full fast, yet nevertheless their swords were cutting but ill, and he
cried out loudly to them: 'Are ye wielding your swords carelessly since,
as I see, they do not cut?' One of the men made answer: 'Our swords are
blunt and very much notched.' Then went the King down into the
fore-hold, and setting up the lid of the high-seat took from out of the
chest beneath many sharp swords and gave them out to his men, and when
he thrust down his right arm into the chest it was seen that blood was
running from under his mail-shirt, and no man at that hour wot in what
part he had been wounded.
|| Even the stoutest defence on the 'Long Serpent,' and that the most
deadly, was put up by those stout men that were in the fore-hold and in
the prow and stern, for truly were they picked men, and the bulwarks in
those places were higher than in other parts of the ship. Even so soon
as ever the men amidships began to fall, and only a few of those about
the mast were left standing on their feet, made Eirik an attempt to
board the 'Serpent,' and up came he on to her, himself the fifteenth
man.
Then was it that Hyrning, he that was own brother-in-law of Olaf, set
over against Eirik with a band of followers and the mightiest fight of
all waged they then, and the end thereof was of such a fashion that had
the Earl himself to draw back even unto his own ship; and of the men
that adventured with him on to the 'Serpent' were some wounded and most
others slain.
|| And thereafter was there yet again a hard struggle, & many men fell on
board the 'Serpent'; & as the crew who held the defence of her began to
thin tried Earl Eirik to board her for the second time, but again met he
with valiant opposition. When the fore-castle men on the 'Serpent' saw
this went they aft and safeguarded the ship over against the Earl, &
made a stubborn defence. But so many were the men who were fallen on the
'Serpent' that were the bulwarks perforce in many places empty, and the
men of the Earl now came aboard her on every side; then were those men
who were still standing to arms and having the guardianship of the ship
forced to fall back aft, even unto the place where the King was
standing. Thus saith Halldor the Unchristened, telling how Earl Eirik
cheered on his men:
'Astern across the thwarts shrank the men of Olaf
Valiant the lord cheers on his hot-headed followers,
When the warriors had closed all issue to the doughty King
The clash of weapons turned towards the Wend-slayer.'
|| Now it came to pass that Kolbiorn the Marshal went up on to the poop
even to the King, and greatly did they resemble one another in apparel
and weapons; and Kolbiorn was also a right big and comely man.
Yet once again ensued there a fight full fierce in the fore-hold, but
because that there were now come up on to the 'Serpent' even as many men
of the Earl as the ship would hold, and seeing that his ships were lying
on all sides around the 'Serpent,' & moreover few folk left on her for
defence against so strong a host, fell the main of the men of Olaf very
shortly thereafter, albeit were they men both strong and stout of heart.
Then did King Olaf himself, and Kolbiorn, leap over-board each on his
own side. Now the men of the Earl had put out small boats & were busy
slaying those that took to the sea, and when the King leapt overboard
would they have taken him captive and brought him before Earl Eirik, had
not King Olaf held up his shield above him and dived headlong into the
deep. Kolbiorn, on the other part, thrust his shield under him and thus
protected himself against the javelins which were being thrown up from
the boats beneath, but he fell into the sea in such wise that his shield
was beneath him & therefore could he in no wise dive so swiftly, & so
was he taken & haled up into a boat. Then the foe deeming him to be the
King brought him before the Earl, but when the Earl discovered that it
was not King Olaf but Kolbiorn, gave he the latter quarter. At this
moment did all they of the King's folk who were still alive leap
overboard from the 'Serpent'; and Hallfrod saith that Thorkel Nefia,
he that was brother to the King, leapt last of all overboard:
'Stroke-doughty Thorkel saw the "Crane,"
Yea, and the "Serpents" twain floating deserted;
Boldly had he fought e'er the wearer of the arm-rings,
Stout-hearted in combat, into the sea plunged,
And by swimming saved his life.'
|| Now hath it been afore fair written that Earl Sigvaldi joined forces
with King Olaf in Wendland; ten ships had the Earl and withal an
eleventh whereon Astrid, she that was daughter to the King and wife to
Sigvaldi, had her men.
When King Olaf leapt overboard all the hosts shouted cries of victory,
and then did the Earl and his men unship their oars & row to the fight.
Of this speaketh Halldor the Unchristened:
'From far and near the Wendmen's craft
To battle hastened;
The lean sword-clashers
Clanged with iron mouths;
Din of swords at sea was there
(Wolves' fare the eagle tore),
The lads' dear leader strove
Ere many from him fled.'
|| Now rowed away the Wendland cutter, whereon were Astrid's men, back to
Wendland, and straightway did many men say that King Olaf must have
drawn off his shirt of mail in the water, dived down away from the
long-ship, and thereafter swum even to the Wendland cutter and so been
brought to shore by the folk of Astrid.
And many are the tales which have been told by certain men of the
journeyings of King Olaf; nevertheless in this wise speaketh Hallfrod:
'I wot not whether he who stilled the raven's hunger
Should of me be praised as of the living or the dead,
Since of a truth his men tell either tale
(Bootless of himself to question) though wounded was he surely.'
But howsoever this may have been, never more returned King Olaf
Tryggvason to his realm of Norway; yet in this wise speaketh Hallfrod
the Troublous-skald:
'He who the tidings told that the lord was living
Had long for Tryggvi's trusted son a fighter been.
'Tis said the King from out the steel-storm came;
Alas, 'tis worse than this, methinks,
for of truth all facts are lacking.'
And this again:
'When the land-host with men in numbers towards the Holder's
War-wont King did fare, it scarce could be (so heard I)
That the King beloved could with life escape
(Folk seemed not truth to tell) from out the battle.
Some men e'en tell this skald that wounded is the King,
Though from the spear-storm saved and eastwards gone.
But tidings from the south now tell the slaying of the King
In the great fight (endure no more can I the wavering talk of men).'
|| With the victory that he encompassed did Earl Eirik Hakonson gain even
the 'Long Serpent' and much booty, and steered he the 'Serpent' far out
of the battle. Thus said Halldor:
'Thither the "Serpent" had borne him,
The helmeted chieftain, to the great sword-play,
(Then were the ships dight).
But south, in the din of the battle,
gladly the Earl took the "Serpent"
(Heming's high-born brother in blood did dye the swords).'
|| Now Svein the son of Earl Hakon even at this time was betrothed to
Holmfrid the daughter of Olaf King of Sweden. When Olaf the Swedish
King, Svein the Danish King and Earl Eirik divided the realm of Norway
between them, then had Olaf the Swedish King four counties, to wit,
Throndhjem, the two Mores & Raumsdal; and eastward to him pertained
Raumariki from the Gaut (Goeta) river to Svinasund.
This dominion did King Olaf make over to Earl Svein on the self-same
conditions as the tribute paying kings or earls had held their lands
aforetime from superior kings. Earl Eirik gat five counties in
Throndhjem, also Halogaland and Naumdalen, the Fjords & Fialir, Sogn and
Hardaland & Rogaland, and Agdir from the north right to Lidandesnes (the
Naze).
Thus saith Thord Kolbeinson:
'I wist that save for Erling (bounteous chief whom I praise)
Erewhile the "hersirs" mostly were friends unto the earls;
The battle ended the land all southward from Agdir
To Veiga, or farther north, was subject made to Eirik.
Under the lord the land prospered; & this 'twas good should be.
His duty he thought it to hold o'er the northmen his hand.
Now hath died Svein the king south of us, so the tale goes
(The strength of most doth fail,
and waste are his manors for grief).'
|| Svein the King of the Danes was now once more the possessor of Vik,
which had been his aforetime; to Earl Eirik he gave Raumariki and
Hedemark, to be held as a fief. Svein Hakonson, he that was the finest
man that men have ever looked on, received earldom from Olaf the Swede.
Eirik and Earl Svein were alike baptized into and made profession of the
true Faith, but even so long as they ruled over Norway gave they licence
to every man that he should please himself about what creed he would
cleave to, & moreover maintained they the old laws honourably and
likewise all the customs of the land; therefore were they justly men who
were well-beloved and good rulers. Now in all matters having concern in
the ruling of the realm of the twain brothers was Earl Eirik ever the
more prominent.