¶ Earl Hakon took his host southwards as speedily as ever he was able.
¶ Sailing northwards with his fleet Earl Sigvaldi rounded Stad, and first put in over against Hereya. Here, although the vikings fell in with the folk of the country, never could they get from them the truth as to the whereabouts of the Earl. Whithersoever they went the vikings pillaged, & in the island of Hod they ran up ashore & plundered the people, taking back with them to their ships both folk and cattle, though all men capable of bearing arms they slew. ¤ Now as they were going down again to their ships an old man approached them—for he was walking nigh to the men of Bui—and unto them said he, ‘Not as warriors go ye here, driving neat and calves down to the shore; better prey would it be for ye to take the bear since ye have come so nigh his lair.’ ¤ ‘What saith the carle?’ they cry, ‘Can ye tell us aught of Earl Hakon?’ The peasant made answer: ‘Yesterday he sailed to Hiorundarfjord having with him one or two ships, or three at most, & at that time he had not heard aught of ye.’ Forthwith ran Bui & his men to their ships, leaving all their booty behind, & Bui called out saying: ‘Let us make the most of having got this news, so that we may be the ones nighest to the victory.’ ¤ And when they had mounted up into their ships straightway rowed they out north of the isle of Hod, and then rounding that island into the fjord.
¶ Earl Hakon and his son Earl Eirik were lying in Hallsvik, with their hosts and one hundred and fifty ships. ¤ Now they had heard by this time that the Jomsborg vikings were lying-to off Hod, and the Earls accordingly rowed northward to seek them, and when they were come to the place which is called Hiorungavag met they one with another. ¤ Both sides then set themselves in array for battle. In the midst of his host was the banner of Earl Sigvaldi and over against this Earl Hakon took up his position; Earl Sigvaldi had twenty ships, and Earl Hakon sixty. ¤ In Earl Hakon’s following were the chiefs Thorir Hart of Halogaland, and Styrkar of Gimsar. As for the battle array, one wing consisted of the twenty ships belonging to Bui the Burly and his brother Sigurd. Against these Earl Eirik Hakonson placed sixty ships, with him being the chiefs Gudbrand the White from the Uplands & Thorkel Leira from Vik. ¤ In the other wing of the array was Vagn Akason with twenty ships, and against him with sixty ships was Svein Hakonson with Skeggi of Uphaug in Yriar, and Rognvald from Ervik in Stad. In Eirik’s lay it is told of thus:
‘And the sea-ships to battle sped towards the Danish ships,
The sea-host sailed the coast along:
From before the vikings cleared the Earl away many at More
The ships drifted amid war-slain heaps.’
And thus saith Eyvind in the Halogaland tale:
‘Hardly was it a tryst of joy in that day’s dawning
For the foemen of Yngvi Frey,