1. OLAF TRYGVASON'S BIRTH.

King Trygve Olafson had married a wife who was called Astrid. She was a

daughter of Eirik Bjodaskalle, a great man, who dwelt at Oprustader. But

after Trygve's death (A.D. 963) Astrid fled, and privately took with her

all the loose property she could. Her foster-father, Thorolf Lusarskeg,

followed her, and never left her; and others of her faithful followers

spied about to discover her enemies, and where they were. Astrid was

pregnant with a child of King Trygve, and she went to a lake, and

concealed herself in a holm or small island in it with a few men. Here

her child was born, and it was a boy; and water was poured over it, and

it was called Olaf after the grandfather. Astrid remained all summer

here in concealment; but when the nights became dark, and the day began

to shorten and the weather to be cold, she was obliged to take to the

land, along with Thorolf and a few other men. They did not seek for

houses unless in the night-time, when they came to them secretly;

and they spoke to nobody. One evening, towards dark, they came to

Oprustader, where Astrid's father Eirik dwelt, and privately sent a man

to Eirik to tell him; and Eirik took them to an out-house, and spread a

table for them with the best of food. When Astrid had been here a short

time her travelling attendants left her, and none remained, behind with

her but two servant girls, her child Olaf, Thorolf Lusarskeg, and his

son Thorgils, who was six years old; and they remained all winter (A.D.

964).

Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway · 第 127 / 1013 题