After King Olaf and Erling Skjalgson had this meeting at Augvaldsnes,
new differences arose between them, and increased so much that they
ended in perfect enmity. In spring (A.D. 1023) the king proceeded to
guest-quarters in Hordaland, and went up also to Vors, because he heard
there was but little of the true faith among the people there. He held
a Thing with the bondes at a place called Vang, and a number of bondes
came to it fully armed. The king ordered them to adopt Christianity; but
they challenged him to battle, and it proceeded so far that the men
were drawn up on both sides. But when it came to the point such a fear
entered into the blood of the bondes that none would advance or command,
and they chose the part which was most to their advantage; namely, to
obey the king and receive Christianity; and before the king left them
they were all baptized. One day it happened that the king was riding on
his way a singing of psalms, and when he came right opposite some hills
he halted and said, "Man after man shall relate these my words, that
I think it not advisable for any king of Norway to travel hereafter
between these hills." And it is a saying among the people that the
most kings since that time have avoided it. The king proceeded to
Ostrarfjord, and came to his ships, with which he went north to Sogn,
and had his living in guest-quarters there in summer (A.D. 1023); when
autumn approached he turned in towards the Fjord district, and went
from thence to Valders, where the people were still heathen. The king
hastened up to the lake in Valders, came unexpectedly on the bondes,
seized their vessels, and went on board of them with all his men. He
then sent out message-tokens, and appointed a Thing so near the lake
that he could use the vessels if he found he required them. The bondes
resorted to the Thing in a great and well-armed host; and when he
commanded them to accept Christianity the bondes shouted against him,
told him to be silent, and made a great uproar and clashing of weapons.
But when the king saw that they would not listen to what he would teach
them, and also that they had too great a force to contend with, he
turned his discourse, and asked if there were people at the Thing who
had disputes with each other which they wished him to settle. It was
soon found by the conversation of the bondes that they had many quarrels
among themselves, although they had all joined in speaking against
Christianity. When the bondes began to set forth their own cases, each
endeavored to get some upon his side to support him; and this lasted
the whole day long until evening, when the Thing was concluded. When the
bondes had heard that the king had travelled to Valders, and was come
into their neighborhood, they had sent out message-tokens summoning
the free and the unfree to meet in arms, and with this force they had
advanced against the king; so that the neighbourhood all around was left
without people. When the Thing was concluded the bondes still remained
assembled; and when the king observed this he went on board his ships,
rowed in the night right across the water, landed in the country there,
and began to plunder and burn. The day after the king's men rowed
from one point of land to another, and over all the king ordered the
habitations to be set on fire. Now when the bondes who were assembled
saw what the king was doing, namely, plundering and burning, and saw the
smoke and flame of their houses, they dispersed, and each hastened to
his own home to see if he could find those he had left. As soon as there
came a dispersion among the crowd, the one slipped away after the other,
until the whole multitude was dissolved. Then the king rowed across
the lake again, burning also on that side of the country. Now came the
bondes to him begging for mercy, and offering to submit to him. He gave
every man who came to him peace if he desired it, and restored to him
his goods; and nobody refused to adopt Christianity. The king then had
the people christened, and took hostages from the bondes. He ordered
churches to be built and consecrated, and placed teachers in them. He
remained a long time here in autumn, and had his ships drawn across the
neck of land between the two lakes. The king did not go far from the
sides of the lakes into the country, for he did not much trust the
bondes. When the king thought that frost might be expected, he went
further up the country, and came to Thoten. Arnor, the earl's skald,
tells how King Olaf burnt in the Uplands, in the poem he composed
concerning the king's brother King Harald:--
"Against the Upland people wroth,
Olaf, to most so mild, went forth:
The houses burning,
All people mourning;
Who could not fly
Hung on gallows high.
It was, I think, in Olaf's race
The Upland people to oppress."
Afterwards King Olaf went north through the valleys to Dovrefield, and
did not halt until he reached the Throndhjem district and arrived at
Nidaros, where he had ordered winter provision to be collected, and
remained all winter (A.D. 1024). This was the tenth year of his reign.