King Magnus had the holy cross carried before him in this battle, and
the battle was great and severe. The king's brother, Kristrod, had
penetrated with his troop into the middle of King Magnus's array,
and cut down on each side of him, so that people gave way before him
everywhere. But a powerful bonde who was in King Harald's array raised
his spear with both hands, and drove it through between Kristrod's
shoulders, so that it came out at his breast; and thus fell Kristrod.
Many who were near asked the bonde why he had done so foul a deed.
The bonde replies, "He knows the consequences now of slaughtering my
cattle in summer, and taking all that was in my house, and forcing me
to follow him here. I determined to give him some return when the
opportunity came."
After this King Harald's army took to flight, and he fled himself, with
all his men. Many fell; and Ingemar Sveinson of Ask, a great chief and
lenderman, got there his death-wound, and nearly sixty of King Harald's
court-men also fell. Harald himself fled eastward to Viken to his ships,
and went out of the country to King Eirik Eimune in Denmark, and found
him in Seeland and sought aid from him. King Eirik received him well,
and principally because they had sworn to each other to be as brothers
(1); and gave him Halland as a fief to rule over, and gave him
seven long-ships, but without equipment. Thereafter King Harald went
northwards through Halland, and many Northmen came to meet him. After
this battle King Magnus subdued the whole country, giving life and
safety to all who were wounded, and had them taken care of equally with
his own men. He then called the whole country his own, and had a choice
of the best men who were in the country. When they held a council among
themselves afterwards, Sigurd Sigurdson, Thorer Ingeridson, and all the
men of most understanding, advised that they should keep their forces
together in Viken, and remain there, in case Harald should return from
the south; but King Magnus would take his own way, and went north to
Bergen. There he sat all winter (A.D. 1135), and allowed his men to
leave him; on which the lendermen returned home to their own houses.
ENDNOTES: (1) These brotherhoods, by which one man was bound by oath to
aid or avenge another, were common in the Middle Ages among
all ranks. "Sworn brothers" is still a common expression
with us.--L.