During all this time of Olaf Triggvison's wanderings Earl Hakon of Lade
continued to hold the sovereign rule in Norway, and there was great
peace in the land, with fruitful harvests and good fishing. In his
early years he was very popular for his kindliness and generosity, his
fearless courage and his great strength in battle. But it seems that
the greater power which he afterwards acquired disturbed the fine
balance of his mind, and he became deceitful, even to his nearest
friends, and cruel to a degree which presently won for him the hatred
of his people, who murmured against him in secret while fearing to
break out into open rebellion.
Earl Hakon knew nothing of the strong feelings that were rising against
him, nor did he doubt that he should enjoy his power unmolested to the
end of his days. One thought alone disturbed his sense of security. It
chanced that rumours had reached him concerning a certain viking who
called himself Ole, and who was said to have won great renown in the
realm of King Ethelred. Now Hakon was told that this same Ole had spent
his younger days in Gardarike, and he deemed that the lad must be of
the blood of the Norse kings, for it was no secret that King Triggvi
Olafson had had a son who had fared east into Gardarike, and been
nourished there at the court of King Valdemar, and that he was called
Olaf.
Earl Hakon had sought far and wide for Olaf Triggvison, but in vain.
Some men had, indeed, said that in the battle of the Jomsvikings they
had seen a young champion, named Ole the Esthonian, whose aspect was
that of the race of Harald Fairhair, and it was said that this same
champion was one of those who had been made prisoners and put to death.
But, in spite of this story, Hakon still believed in the later rumours.
He believed that the adventurous Ole the Viking was none other than
Olaf Triggvison, nor could he doubt that this daring young rover would
sooner or later lay claim to the kingdom of Norway.
As his own popularity grew less and less, Hakon looked forward with
increasing uneasiness to the inevitable conflict. He well understood
the devotion of the Norse people to the family of Harald Fairhair, and
he now considered that his own safety could only be secured by the
death of this possible rival.
Earl Hakon had a great friend named Thorir Klakka, a man who had been
many years at viking work, and had often gone on trading voyages to
England and Ireland and other lands bordering on the Western Sea. The
earl spoke with Thorir and confided to him his plan, bidding him go on
a trading voyage to Dublin, where Ole the Esthonian was then supposed
to be living, and if it was found that this man Ole was indeed the son
of King Triggvi, or any other offspring of the kingly stem of the
north, then Thorir was either to kill him or to entice him over to
Norway where Hakon himself would deal with him.
So without delay, Thorir went forth upon his mission, and sailed west
into Ireland. It was in the early springtime when he reached Dublin,
and he was not long in learning that Ole was then living at the court
of King Kuaran, his brother-in-law.
On a certain day Thorir was in the marketplace, buying some Irish
horses that were for sale. There was a beautiful white pony that he
greatly coveted, and he offered a high price for it. But there was
another who offered yet more--a tall young man, with long fair hair and
very clear blue eyes, who wore a very beautiful cloak of crimson silk
bordered with gold lace. Thorir at once knew him to be a Norseman, and
he also guessed that this was the man of whom he was in search. Now the
pony at last fell to Thorir's bidding. Then Thorir took the animal by
its halter and went and stood by the side of the handsome Norseman.
"I beg you will take the pony as a gift from me," said he, speaking in
the English tongue; "for I see that you are a great lord in this land,
and such a beautiful animal is better suited to such as you than to a
mere seafarer who has little use for it."
"And why should I take such a gift from a stranger, who owes me nothing
in the world?" returned Olaf Triggvison. "The pony is yours, my man,
for you have bought it and paid for it in fair market. If it indeed be
that you have no wish to keep the animal, then I will gladly buy it
from you at the price you paid. But I cannot take it as a free gift."
Olaf paid him his price in gold of Ethelred's coinage, and sent the
pony away in charge of one of his servants. But even when the business
was over, Thorir did not seem willing to leave, but stood near to Olaf
looking searchingly into his face.
"Why do you linger?" asked Olaf. "Is there something so very unusual
about me that you stare at me so?"
"There is much that is unusual about you, lord," answered Thorir; "and
little marvel is there that I should look upon you with interest.
Nowhere, save in my own birthland of Norway, have I ever seen a man so
tall and strong and fair."
"Certainly, there are many such men in Norway," said Olaf; "but also
there are many in these western lands; as to which witness those who
are about us here in this marketplace."
He glanced across to where his friend Kolbiorn Stallare was standing.
"There is one at your back who seems not less strong than I."
Thorir looked round at Kolbiorn, then back at Olaf. "You are well nigh
a head and shoulders taller than that one," said he; "and there is that
about you which seems to tell me you have spent the larger part of your
life in Norway."
Olaf said: "Since I was a babe in arms, I have been but once in that
land; and then only during two changes of the moon or so. Nevertheless,
I will not deny that there is indeed a vein of the Norse blood in me,
and for that reason I should be well enough pleased to hear from you
some news of what has been happening in Norway these few summers past."
"Little is there to tell," returned Thorir; "for, since the rascally
sons of Erik Bloodaxe were driven from the land, there have been no
great wars. True it is, that Earl Sigvaldi of Jomsburg did lately make
an attempt to win dominion in Norway. He led his host of vikings, with
I know not how many battleships, against Earl Hakon; but he was
defeated with great slaughter and took to flight."
"Of that famous fight I have already had tidings," said Olaf. "I have
heard that many well known vikings were vanquished on that day, and
that Vagn Akison was the only chief who stood his ground to the end."
Thorir looked with quick eyes into Olaf's face, and said: "Yes, Vagn
proved himself a valiant warrior in that encounter. But there was one
who was quite as brave and mighty as he--one who named himself Ole the
Esthonian. Men say that this same Ole has since won great renown in
England."
Olaf smiled, but was silent for some moments. Then at last he began to
ask many questions concerning the Upland kings, and who of them were
yet alive, and what dominion they had. Of Earl Hakon also he asked, and
how well beloved he might be in the land.
Thorir answered: "The earl is so mighty a man that he now has the whole
of Norway in his power, and none dares to speak a word but in his
praise. And yet," he added, remembering the terms of his mission, "Earl
Hakon is not all that a peaceful people would wish. Many would prefer
some other monarch if they but knew where to find one better to their
taste. A pity it is that there is no man of the blood of King Harald
Fairhair living, whom the Norsemen could put upon the throne. None such
have we to turn to; and for this cause it would little avail any man
not kingly born to contend with Earl Hakon."
Now, when Olaf Triggvison heard these things, there came upon him a
certain impatient desire to fare across to Norway and proclaim himself
a direct descendant of Harald the Fairhaired and the rightful heir to
the throne. So on the next day he again sought out the man Thorir, and
when they had spoken together for a little while, Olaf said:
"A long time ago, as I have heard, there was a young son of King
Triggvi Olafson who escaped with his mother, Queen Astrid, into Sweden.
Has no one heard whether that lad lived or died? Why do none of the
Norse folk seek him out and set him to reign over them in place of this
Hakon, who is neither kingly born nor kingly mannered?"
Thorir answered: "It was not for lack of trying that Queen Gunnhild did
not bring the child to his death. She pursued him far and wide; but the
gods protected him and he escaped. It is said by many men that he fell
into bondage; others say that he took refuge in Holmgard, where King
Valdemar reigns; and I have even heard it hinted that the viking naming
himself Ole the Esthonian, who has lately been warring in England, is
none other than Olaf Triggvison. Howbeit, there now lives in Viken a
woman who is said to be the widow of King Triggvi--Astrid is her
name--and she has declared that her son Olaf is surely dead, else would
he have come back to Norway of his own accord to claim his great
inheritance."
As he spoke these last words Thorir saw for the first time that a
change had come into Olaf's face, and he deemed that here truly was the
man whom Earl Hakon had sent him to entrap. Yet he held his own counsel
for a while, believing that if this were indeed Olaf Triggvison the
fact would speedily be brought to light, and that he would soon have
some chance of either putting him to death or of beguiling him into the
hands of Earl Hakon.
For many moments Olaf strode to and fro in silence. There was a new
light in his eyes, and his cheeks were flushed, and when he spoke there
was a tremor in his voice that showed how deeply this news of his long
lost mother had affected him.
"How long time is it since this woman, this Queen Astrid, came back
into Norway?" he asked.
"Many years," answered Thorir.
"Then it may be that she is already dead?" said Olaf.
But Thorir shook his head.
"That is not likely," said he, "for I saw her with my own eyes at
Yuletide past, and she was then living very happily with her husband in
Viken."
"Her husband?" echoed Olaf. "And what manner of man is he? A king
surely, for none but a king is worthy of such a wife."
"He is no king, but a wealthy man and of good kin," returned Thorir.
"His name is Lodin, and he went oft on trading voyages aboard a ship
which he owned himself. On a certain summer he made east for Esthonia
and there did much business. Now, in the marketplace of one of the
Esthonian seaports many thralls were brought for sale, and, among other
thralls who were to be sold, Lodin saw a certain woman. As he looked
upon her he knew by the beauty of her eyes that she was Astrid, Erik's
daughter, who had been wedded to King Triggvi Olafson. And yet she was
very unlike what she had been in her earlier days, being pale now, and
lean, and ill clad. So Lodin went up to her and asked her how it fared
with her, and how she came to be in such a place, and so far away from
Norway. She said: 'It is a heavy tale to tell. I am sold at thrall
markets and am brought hither now for sale,' and therewith she, knowing
Lodin, prayed him to buy her and take her back with him to her kindred
in Norway. 'I will give you a choice over that,' said he. 'I will take
you back to Norway if you will wed me.' Then Astrid promised him so
much, and he bought her and took her to Norway, and wedded her with her
kindred's goodwill."
Then Olaf said, "This is indeed the gladdest news that I have heard for
many a long year!" But the words had scarcely fallen from his lips when
he realized that he had unwittingly betrayed his long kept secret, for
why else should he look upon this as such glad news if he were not
himself the lost son of this same Queen Astrid? And it seemed that
Thorir had already guessed everything, for he said:
"Glad news must it always be when a son hears that his mother, whom he
thought dead, is still alive."
"I did not tell you that Queen Astrid was my mother," Olaf cried in
assumed surprise.
"There was no need to tell me," returned Thorir. "For even before I had
spoken a word with you I had guessed both your name and kin. You are
the son of King Triggvi Olafson. It was you who, in your infancy, were
pursued through the land by Queen Gunnhild's spies. It was you who,
escaping from Sweden with your mother, were captured by Esthonian
vikings and sold into slavery. Then, by some chance which I know not
of, you were received at the court of King Valdemar the Sunny.
Afterwards you joined the vikings of Jomsburg and passed by the name of
Ole the Esthonian. It was you who, in the sea fight against Earl Hakon,
rivalled in skill and prowess the most famous vikings of all
Scandinavia. A pity it is that instead of going a-warring in England
you did not again direct your force against Earl Hakon and drive him
from the throne which you, and you alone of all living men, should
occupy. It is you, and not Earl Hakon, who are the rightful king of all
Norway. The realm is yours by the right of your royal descent from King
Harald Fairhair, and I make no doubt that were you to sail into
Thrandheim fiord, you would at once be hailed by the people as their
deliverer and accepted as their sovereign king."
Thus with guileful speech and subtle flattery did Thorir Klakka seek to
entice Olaf over to Norway, to the end that Earl Hakon might secretly
waylay him and bring him to his death, and so clear his own path of a
rival whom he feared. And Olaf, listening, received it all as the very
truth, nor doubted for an instant that the people were waiting ready to
welcome him back to the land of his fathers.
There were many reasons urging him to this journey. In the first place,
his beautiful young wife, the Princess Gyda, had died very suddenly
only a few weeks after their coming to Dublin. She had been taken off
by a fever, and her death gave Olaf so much sorrow that he found no
more happiness in the home to which she had brought him. There was all
her wealth for Olaf to enjoy if he had so wished, and he might even
have become the king in Dublin. But he had wealth of his own and in
plenty, and had no great desire to wait for the death of his
brother-in-law before being raised to the Irish kingship. There was
also the thought of again joining Queen Astrid, his mother, who had
done so much for him in his infancy, and who now, doubtless, believed
him to be dead. For her sake alone, if for no other, he wanted more
earnestly than ever before to go back to Norway. Moreover, he had heard
from Thorir that the people of Norway were still strong believers in
the old gods, and in blood sacrifice and the worship of wooden images;
he had heard that Earl Hakon was a bitter enemy of the Christians, that
he forebade his people to give hospitality to any christened man or
woman; and this knowledge had put a new ambition into Olaf's mind--the
ambition to establish the Christian faith throughout the length and
breadth of Norway.
So not many days had passed by ere he got ready five of his ships and
set sail. He took with him several Christian priests who had followed
him from England, and Thorir was in company with him. He sailed first
to the South Isles, and thence up north into the Pentland Firth. Here
he encountered a terrible storm. His seamen were afraid, but he called
upon them to put their trust in God, and they took new courage. Yet the
storm did not abate, so Olaf made for the Orkneys, and there had
shelter in a quiet haven.
Right glad were the Orkney folk to see him among them once again, for
now they deemed that he had come to fulfil his former promise and
deliver them from the oppressive rule of Earl Hakon.
Now Thorir had charged Olaf not to reveal his true name to any man
until he should be safe in Norway and sure of his success. Accordingly
the islanders regarded him as a brave viking and nothing more.
Nevertheless, they gathered round him, saying that they were ready and
willing to follow him across the sea and to help him to drive Earl
Hakon to his deserved doom. To test their fidelity Olaf summoned a
great meeting of the folk and called one of their jarls before him. Few
words were spoken before Olaf, to the surprise of all present, declared
that the jarl must let himself be christened or that there and then he
should die.
"If you and your people refuse to be baptized," Olaf said, "then I will
fare through the isles with fire and sword, and I will lay waste the
whole land!"
Thorir Klakka laughed to himself at hearing this bold threat, and he
thought how ill it would go with any man who should attempt such a
thing in Norway.
But there was something in Olaf Triggvison's nature which compelled
obedience. The Orkney jarl saw well that the threat was made in serious
earnest, and he chose to be christened.
Now this meeting of the islanders was held on the margin of one of the
lakes, where stood the heathen temple which Olaf himself had helped to
build. And now he had his men pull down this temple to the ground, so
that not a stone of it remained standing in its place. Having thus made
a semblance of banishing the old faith in Odin and Thor, he set about
teaching the greater faith in Christ. He had in his company a certain
priest named Thangbrand, a mighty man who could wield the sword as well
as any viking, and whose voice was as the sound of thunder. Thangbrand
stood up to his knees in the lake, and as the people came out to him,
one by one, he sprinkled them with water and made upon them the sign of
the cross. Thus were all the islanders, men, women, and children, made
Christians. So when these ceremonies were over, Olaf weighed anchor and
sailed out eastward for Norway.
Ill content was Thorir Klakka at seeing with what ease Olaf Triggvison
had gained influence over these people, and how ready all men were to
follow and obey him. If his power were so strong over men who owed him
no allegiance, and who did not even know of his royal birth, how much
greater must it be over the people of Norway, whose adherence to the
family of Harald Fairhair would give them a double reason for obeying
him? If Olaf should ever set foot in Norway and proclaim his real name
then it might go far more ill with Hakon of Lade than the earl had
supposed, when he sent his friend Thorir across to Ireland. As the
ships sailed eastward across the sea Thorir thought this matter over,
and it came into his mind that it would be better for Hakon's safety
that Olaf Triggvison should never be allowed to reach his intended
destination.
On a certain night Olaf stood alone at the forward rail of his ship,
looking dreamily out upon the sea. The oars were inboard, and there
were but few men about the decks, for a good wind that was blowing from
the southwest filled the silken sails and sent the vessel onward with a
rush of snowy foam along her deep sides, and there was no work to be
done save by the man who stood at the tiller. To the south the sea and
sky were dark, but in the northern heavens there was an arch of
crimson, flickering light, from which long trembling shafts of a
fainter red shot forth into the zenith, casting their ruddy reflections
upon the waves. The gaunt, gilded dragon at the prow stood as though
bathed in fire, and the burnished gold of Olaf's crested helmet, the
rings on his bare arms, the hilt of his sword, and the knitted chains
of his coat of mail gleamed and glanced in the red light as though they
were studded with gems.
This red light, flashing in the midnight sky, was believed by the
Norsemen to be the shining of Thor's beard. But as Olaf Triggvison now
looked upon it from his ship's bow, he understood it to be a message of
hope sent from Heaven, beckoning him onward to his native land in the
north, there to avenge his father's death, to reconquer his realm, and
to reign as the first truly Christian King of Norway. And yet as his
vessel sailed on, plunging through the dashing foam, with her prow
rising and falling within the wide span of that great rosy arch,
strange doubts came over him, the old beliefs still lingered in his
mind, and he began to think that perhaps his new learning was false,
that Thor might after all be supreme in the world, and that this red
light in the sky was an evidence of his continued power, a visible
defiance of Christ.
Olaf was thinking these thoughts when, above the wailing of the wind
and the swishing of the waves, he heard, or fancied he heard, someone
walking behind him across the deck. He turned quickly. No one could be
seen; but his eyes rested upon the shadow cast by the hilt of his sword
upon the boards of the deck. The shadow was in the form of the cross.
The sign was prophetic, and in an instant all his doubts vanished.
"Christ is triumphant!" he cried.
The words were still on his lips when he heard the creaking of a
bowstring. An arrow flashed before him, struck against the peak of his
helmet and fell at his feet upon the deck. Then he saw the cloaked
figure of a man steal quickly away into the shadow of the sails.
Olaf picked up the arrow and examined it. By a mark upon its shaft and
the trimming of its feathers he knew it to be an arrow taken from his
own cabin. He also knew that its point was poisoned.
"Never did I suspect that I had a traitor in my following," he said as
he went aft towards his cabin. "Some man has attempted to take my life.
But whosoever he be, I shall surely find him and punish him!"
He searched among the shadows of the bulwarks and down among the
rowers' benches, but saw no trace of his secret enemy. When he entered
his cabin he found only Thorir Klakka, lying, as it seemed, asleep upon
the floor with an empty drinking horn beside him and breathing heavily.
Olaf thought that the man had been taking over much mead, so left him
there and went out upon the deck to tell his friend Kolbiorn of this
attempt upon his life. But as soon as Olaf was out of the cabin Thorir
rose, wakeful enough now that he was alone, and took from under him a
longbow which he placed in the rack.
"The man bears a charmed life!" muttered Thorir, "or else he has eyes
in the back of his head. Ill luck is mine! Had I but aimed a finger's
breadth lower he would now have been dead, and Earl Hakon might have
been saved the trouble of laying traps for him!"
Throughout that night Olaf was engaged searching for his unknown enemy;
but without avail. He questioned every man on board, but all swore by
the sign of the cross that they had seen nothing. For a time Olaf was
forced to suspect Thorir Klakka; but he soon dismissed the thought.
Thorir's conduct towards him had been from the time of their first
meeting so full of goodwill and seeming friendliness that it was
impossible to fix suspicion on him, and indeed there was no man among
all the ship's company who showed more concern over this matter than
did Thorir, or who made greater efforts to discover the miscreant who
had dared to attempt the life of the well beloved chief.