Of the doughty deeds of the belauded chieftain.’
¶ During the rule of Earl Hakon the increase was good in the land, & peace was there within it among the peasantry. Well-beloved, too, was the Earl among them for the greater part of his life, but as his years waxed old it happened that his intercourse with women became unseemly, and to such a pass came this that the Earl would cause the daughters of powerful men to be brought unto him, when he would lie with them for a week or twain, and then send them back to their homes. This manner of acting brought him to great enmity with the kinsmen of these women, and the peasantry fell to murmuring, as is the wont of the folk of Throndhjem when things are not to their liking.
¶ Now there came to the ears of Earl Hakon the fame of a man overseas westward who called himself Oli, & whom men held for a King; and he misdoubted from the talk of certain folk that this man must be of the lineage of the Norwegian Kings. He was told, indeed, that Oli called himself Gerdish (i.e., of Garda) by race, but the Earl had heard that Tryggvi Olafson had had a son who had been taken eastward to Garda (western Russia), and had been brought up there at the Court of King Valdamar, and that his name was Olaf. ¤ Often had the Earl sought information about this man, and he misdoubted that he it was who had now come to the western countries. Now to Hakon the Earl was a great friend, one Thorir Klakka, who was known far and wide, for he had sailed long whiles as a viking, and at others as a merchant. ¤ So west across the sea Earl Hakon now despatched this man, bidding him fare to Dublin as a merchant, as many were wont to fare in those days. It was laid on Thorir that he should ascertain of what manner of man was this Oli, and should he hear of a truth he was Olaf Tryggvason, or of the lineage of the Kings of Norway, then was Thorir, if it might be, to ensnare him into the power of the Earl.
¶ So Thorir gat him west to Dublin, and enquiring there for tidings of Oli learned that he was with his brother-in-law King Olaf Kvaran.[§] Thereafter Thorir brought it to pass that he gat speech of Oli, and when they had talked often and long (for Thorir was a very smooth-tongued man) fell Oli to asking about the Upland kings: which of them were still alive and what dominions pertained to them. ¤ Likewise asked he concerning the Earl, and if he were much beloved in the country. Thorir answered: ‘The Earl is so mighty a man that no one durst speak but as he wills, nevertheless the reason of this is that we have none other to look to. Verily know I the minds of many mighty men, & of the people likewise, & that they would be eager & ready were a king of the lineage of Harald Fair-hair to come to the realm. ¤ Of this, however, is there no likelihood inasmuch as it has been well proven how little it availeth to contend against Earl Hakon.’ ¤ And when they had talked much together on this matter, revealed Olaf unto Thorir his name & lineage, & craved counsel of him whether the peasantry would have him for their King should he fare over to Norway. With eagerness sought Thorir to urge him on to make this journey, praising him and his prowess most exceedingly. Then did Olaf conceive a great desire to be gone to the realm of his kin; and sailed he thereafter from the west with five ships, going first to the Hebrides; & together with him went Thorir. Later sailed he to the Orkneys where Earl Sigurd, the son of Hlodvir, was lying in Asmundarvag (Osmundwall) in Rognvaldzey (South Ronaldsey) in a long-ship for he was about to sail over to Katanes (Caithness). Then did King Olaf sail his folk from the west & put into haven in the island because Pettlanzfjord (Pentland Firth) was not navigable. ¤ When the King heard that the Earl was lying there summoned he him to talk with him, and Earl Sigurd having come to the King not long did they talk ere the King Olaf said that the Earl and all the folk of the land must let themselves be baptized or they would straightway be put to death; and the King said he would carry fire & sword through the isles, and lay waste the land if the folk thereof did not allow themselves to be christened. ¤ So the Earl being thus beset chose to accept baptism, and was baptized there and then with all his men. Thereafter swore the Earl an oath that he would become the King’s man, & give him his son for a hostage—his name was Whelp or Hound—and Olaf took him home with him to Norway.
¶ Olaf then sailed eastward out to sea, and when he left the main, went in to the Isle of Most, where he went on land in Norway for the first time. ¤ He caused a Mass to be said in his tent, & on the self-same spot was a church afterward builded. Now Thorir Klakka told the King that their wisest course was to keep secret his identity, and to let not the slightest rumour about him get abroad, and to travel as speedily as might be so as to fall upon the Earl while he was still unawares. ¤ Even so did King Olaf, faring northward day and night according to the set of the wind, & he let not the people know of his journey, nor who it was that was sailing. When he was come north to Agdanes gat he tidings that Earl Hakon was within the fjord, & moreover that he was at variance with the peasantry. Now when Thorir heard tell of this quite otherwise was it from what he had expected, for after the battle of the Jomsborg vikings all men in Norway were full friendly with Earl Hakon by reason of the victory he had won, & which had saved the land from war; but now so ill had things befallen that here was the Earl at strife with the peasantry, & that with a great chief come into the land.
¶ At this time Hakon the Earl was a guest at Medalhus in Gaulardal, his ships lying off Vigg the while. ¤ Now there was a certain Orm Lyrgia, a wealthy yeoman who lived at Bynes, and he had to wife Gudrun the daughter of Bergthor of Lundar, & so fair a woman was this Gudrun that she was called the ‘sun of Lundar.’ ¤ And on such an errand as this, namely to bring unto him Orm’s wife, did Earl Hakon send his thralls. ¤ The men coming thither to Bynes made known their errand, but Orm bade them first go out & sup, & before they had well eaten there had come to him many men whom he had sent for from the neighbouring homesteads. Then said Orm that he would in nowise suffer Gudrun to go with the thralls; and Gudrun herself bade the thralls go tell the Earl that never would she go to him save he sent Thora of Rimul,[§] a wealthy lady and one of the Earl’s sweethearts, to fetch her. Then the thralls said that they would come once again in such a manner that both master and mistress would repent them of this business, & uttering grievous threats they gat them gone. Now in all four directions of the countryside did Orm send out war-arrows, and with them word that all men should rise against Hakon the Earl to slay him. Moreover he let Haldor of Skerdingsted be told, and forthwith Haldor also made despatch of the war-arrow. ¤ Not long before this had the Earl taken the wife of a man named Bryniolf, and from that piece of work had arisen a great pother, and something nigh the assembling together of an host. ¤ So after receiving the message aforesaid all the people hastened together and made their way to Medalhus, but to the Earl coming news of their motions thereon left he the house together with his men and went to a deep valley which is now called Jarlsdal (the Earl’s valley), and therein they hid themselves. The day thereafter kept the Earl watch on the peasant host. The peasants had encompassed all the footways, though they were mostly of a mind that the Earl had made off to his ships. These were now commanded by his son Erling, a young man of singular promise. ¤ When night fell sent the Earl his men away from him, bidding them take to the forest tracks out to Orkadal, ‘No one will harm ye if I am nowhere nigh,’ he said. ‘Send also word to Erling to go out of the fjord so that we may meet in More. I shall find a means to hide me from the peasants.’ Then the Earl departed and a thrall of his named Kark bore him company. ¤ Ice was there on the Gaul river, but the Earl set his horse at it & they came through, with the loss of his cloak, to a cave which has since been called Jarlshellir (the Earl’s cave), and therein slept they soundly. When Kark awakened recounted he unto the Earl a dream he had dreamt: how a man black & ill to behold had come nigh the cave, and he was afeared would enter it, and this man had told him that ‘Ulli’ was dead. ¤ Then said the Earl, ‘Erling must have been slain.’ For the second time Thormod Kark slept and he cried out in his sleep, and when he awoke told his dream, namely that he had seen the self-same man coming down again, & he had bidden Kark tell the Earl that now all the sounds were closed. ¤ And Kark telling Earl Hakon his dream said he thought it might betoken a short life for him. Thereafter they arose and went to the homestead of Rimul, whence sent the Earl Kark to Thora bidding her come privily to him. This did she in haste, and made the Earl right welcome, and he craved of her hiding were it but for a few nights even until dispersed should be the peasants. ‘Here is it that thou wilt be sought by them,’ said she, ‘and search will they make both within and without, throughout the whole of this my homestead, for many there are that wot over well how that I would fain help thee all that I might. Howbeit one place is there wherein would I never seek for such a man as thou, and that is in the swine-sty.’ So thither hied they and said the Earl: ‘Here then will we hide us, for it behoves us that first of all must we give heed to our own lives.’ Thereupon dug the thrall a large ditch in the sty & carried away the earth, and afterwards placed wood across it. ¤ And Thora brought unto the Earl tidings that Olaf Tryggvason was come up the fjord, and that he had slain the Earl’s son Erling. ¤ Right so went the Earl into the trench, & Kark with him, and Thora dragged wood athwart it, and swept earth and muck over it, and drave the swine thereon. Now the swine-sty was under a certain big rock.
¶ With five long-ships shaped Olaf Tryggvason his course into the fjord, & Erling, the son of Earl Hakon with his three ships rowed him out to meet him. Or ever the ships drew nigh one to another Erling and his men knew that this was war, and then in lieu of coming to a meeting with Olaf did they make head for the land. Now Olaf when he had seen the long-ships rowing down the fjord towards him thought to himself that this would be Earl Hakon, and thereon gave the word of command to row ahead as hard as might be. ¤ The men of Erling even so soon as they were come nigh unto the shore leapt they in haste overboard & made for land. Thither after them were come the ships of Olaf and he himself saw swimming a man exceeding fair to look upon, and thereon seized he the tiller and threw it even unto this man, and the tiller smote the head of Erling, he that was son of the Earl, so that his skull was cloven, yea even to the brain. ¤ Thus came it to pass that Erling lost his life. ¤ There slew the men of Olaf many, but even so did a few make good their escape; others again made they prisoners, & giving them quarter gat tidings from them. ¤ Thus learnt Olaf that the peasants had driven away Earl Hakon, that he was fleeing before them, and that all the folk that were his were scattered. ¤ Thereafter did the peasants come unto Olaf, and as all liked one another passing well forthwith entered they into fellowship. ¤ The peasants hailed him for their King, and they covenanted together to seek Earl Hakon, & to make search up into Gaulardal where if peradventure he was to be found in any of the houses there, deemed they it likeliest would he be at Rimul since all men knew for why. ¤ Thora was the dearest friend to him in that valley. So thither went they, and sought the Earl both without and within but of him could they find no trace; and Olaf summoned the people together out in the yard, and standing on the rock which was beside the swine-sty spake unto them, and the words that he uttered were that he would reward with riches and honour the man who would work mischief to Earl Hakon. ¤ This speech was heard both by the Earl and Kark. Now by them in the sty had they a light there with them, and the Earl said: ‘Why art thou so pale, yet withal as black as earth? Is it in thy heart, Kark, that thou shouldst betray me?’ ‘Nay,’ said Kark, ‘we two were born on the self-same night, and long space will there not be twixt the hour of our deaths.’ Towards evening went King Olaf away, & when it was night Kark slept, and the Earl kept watch, but Kark was troubled in his sleep. Then the Earl awakened him & asked him whereof he dreamt, and he said: ‘I was now even at Ladir, and Olaf Tryggvason placed a gold ornament about my neck.’ ¤ The Earl answered: ‘A blood-red ring will it be that Olaf Tryggvason will lay about thy neck, shouldst thou meet with him. Beware now, and betray me not, & thou shalt be treated well by me as heretofore.’ Then stay they both sleepless each watching the other, as it might be, but nigh daybreak fell the Earl asleep and was troubled at once, so troubled that he drew his heels up under him & his head likewise under him, and made as though he would rise up, calling aloud and in a fearsome way. Then grew Kark afeard & filled with horror, so it came to pass that he drew a large knife from his belt and plunged it into the throat of the Earl cutting him from ear to ear. Thus was encompassed the death of Earl Hakon. ¤ Then cut Kark off the head of the Earl and hasted him away with it, and the day following came he with it to Ladir unto King Olaf, and there told he him all that had befallen them on their flight, as hath already been set forth. Afterwards King Olaf let Kark be taken away thence, & his head be sundered from his trunk.
¶ Thereafter to Nidarholm went King Olaf and likewise went many of the peasantry, and with them bare they the heads of Earl Hakon and Kark. In those days it was the custom to use this island as a place whereon might be slain thieves & criminals, and on it stood a gallows. And the King caused that on this gallows should be exposed the heads of Earl Hakon and Kark. Then went thither the whole of the host, and shouted up at them and cast stones, and said that they went to hell each in goodly company, ever one rascal with another. Thereafter did they send men up to Gaulardal, & after they had dragged thence the body of Earl Hakon did they burn it. ¤ So great strength was there now in the enmity that was borne against Earl Hakon by the folk that were of Throndhjem that no one durst breathe his name save as the ‘bad Earl,’ and for long afterwards was he called after this fashion. ¤ Nevertheless it is but justice to bear testimony of Earl Hakon that he was well worthy to be a chief, firstly by the lineage whereof he was descended, then for his wisdom and the insight with which he used the power that pertained to him, his boldness in battle, and withal his goodhap in gaining victories and slaying his foemen. Thus saith Thorleif Raudfelldarson:
‘Hakon! no Earl more glorious ’neath the moon’s highway: