OF EARL ROGNVALD AND SWEIN, ASLEIF’S SON.
IT happened at Westness, when the Earl did not come home, that Sigurd
sent men to search for him. When they came to the stone-heap they saw
the slain, and then they thought the Earl had been killed. They went
home and told the news. Sigurd went immediately to examine the bodies,
and they recognised nineteen as the Earl’s men; but six they did not
know. Then Sigurd sent men to Egilsey, to the Bishop, to tell him the
news. He went immediately to Sigurd. When they were talking about what
had happened, Sigurd hinted that it had been done at the instigation of
Earl Rögnvald; but the Bishop replied that it would be proved that Earl
Rögnvald had not acted treacherously towards his kinsman Earl Paul. “It
is my opinion,” he said, “that some others have committed this crime.”
Borgar, the son of Játvör, Erlend’s daughter, who lived at
Geitaberg,[347] had seen the barge coming from the south, and returning.
When this was heard, it was believed to have been done at the
instigation of Frákork and Olvir.
When the news spread in the Islands that Earl Paul had disappeared, and
no one knew what had become of him, the Islanders had a consultation,
and most of them went to Earl Rögnvald, and swore fealty to him; but
Sigurd, of Westness, and his sons, Brynjúlf and Hákon Kló, said they
would not swear oaths of fealty to any man while they did not know
anything of Earl Paul, or whether he might he expected to return or not.
There were others also who refused to swear oaths to Earl Rögnvald.
Others again fixed an hour or a day when they would become Earl
Rögnvald’s men, if Earl Paul had not then been heard of. But when Earl
Rögnvald saw that he had to do with many powerful men, he did not refuse
peremptorily anything which the people asked; and, as the time passed,
he had frequent meetings with the inhabitants, and at each of them some
submitted to him.
One day it happened in Kirkiuvag (Kirkwall) when Earl Rögnvald was
holding a Thing meeting with the Bœndr, that nine armed men were seen
walking from Skálpeid (Scapa) to the meeting. When they came near,
Swein, Asleif’s son, was recognised, and all were curious to know what
news he had to tell. He had come in a ship to Skálpeid, and left it
there, while he and his men walked to Kirkiuvag. When Swein came to the
meeting, his kinsmen and friends turned to him, and asked him for news,
but he did not say much. Swein sent for the Bishop, who welcomed him
heartily, because they had long been friends. They went aside to talk,
and Swein told the Bishop the whole truth about what he had done, and
asked for his advice in these difficult circumstances.
The Bishop said: “Those are weighty tidings you have brought, Swein, and
we shall probably not be by ourselves sufficient in this matter. I wish
you to wait here for me; but I shall plead your cause before the people
and Earl Rögnvald.”
Then the Bishop went to the meeting, and asked for silence. When silence
was obtained, the Bishop pleaded Swein’s cause, explaining for what
reason he had left the Orkneys, and what penalties Earl Paul had
inflicted on him for the slaying of Swein Brióstreip, a most wicked man.
The Bishop concluded by asking Earl Rögnvald and all the people to grant
security to Swein.
Earl Rögnvald replied: “For my part, I promise Swein three nights’
security; but I think I can see from your countenance, Sir Bishop, that
you and Swein know some great news which you have not yet made known. I
wish you to take Swein into your keeping, and to be responsible for him,
and I will speak to him to-morrow.”
“I will,” said the Bishop; “and he will be very glad to speak to you as
soon as possible; for he wishes to become your man, if you are willing
to receive him.”
The Earl replied: “I do not think my friends are too many in these
lands, yet I shall have some farther talk before I consent to this.”
Then these four—Earl Rögnvald, his father Kol, the Bishop, and Swein,
Asleif’s son—had a private interview. Swein repeated everything, good
and bad, that had happened between him and Earl Paul, and they came to
the conclusion to send away the bulk of the people at the meeting. The
Earl arose next morning and gave the people permission to go home; but
when the multitude had gone away, he called together all those that
remained, and made them all renew their promise of security to Swein,
while he told the news.
In the morning, Magnus[348] Karl, the brother of the Holy Earl Magnus,
was persuaded to tell Sigurd of Westness and his sons of Earl Paul’s
abduction, that he was not to be expected back to his dominions, and
that he had been maimed.
Sigurd said: “Great news do I think this, about the carrying away of the
Earl; yet to me the saddest of all is that he should have been maimed,
for he would not be anywhere where I would not go to him.” Afterwards he
told his friends that Hákon would not have left him unharmed, if he had
had a sufficient force with him when he told him these tidings, so
greatly was he moved by them.
When the news became generally known, all the Orkneymen submitted to
Earl Rögnvald, and he became the sole ruler of Earl Paul’s dominions.
Not long after this the foundations of St. Magnus’ Church[349] were
marked out, and craftsmen procured, so that more was done during that
year than in the ensuing four or five. Kol took great interest in the
erection of the building, and had the principal oversight of the whole;
but as it proceeded, it became very expensive to the Earl, and his means
were nearly exhausted. Then he consulted his father, and he advised him
to pass a law declaring that the Earls should be considered to have
inherited all the odal possessions from the owners, but that they were
to be redeemable by the heirs.[350] This was considered a great
hardship. Then Earl Rögnvald called a Thing meeting, and proposed to the
Bœndr that they should purchase the odal possessions, so that it would
not be necessary to redeem them afterwards, and an agreement was made
with which all parties were satisfied. It was to this effect, that they
should pay the Earl one mark (eight oz. of silver) for each plough’s
land all over the Islands. From that time there was no want of money to
build the church; and it was made a magnificent structure.