第289章

It happened at the battle of Stiklestad, as before related, that King Olaf threw from him the sword called Hneiter when he received his wound.A Swedish man, who had broken his own sword, took it up, and fought with it.When this man escaped with the other fugitives he came to Svithjod, and went home to his house.

From that time he kept the sword all his days, and afterwards his son, and so relation after relation; and when the sword shifted its owner, the one told to the other the name of the sword and where it came from.A long time after, in the days of Kirjalax the emperor of Constantinople, when there was a great body of Varings in the town, it happened in the summer that the emperor was on a campaign, and lay in the camp with his army.The Varings who had the guard, and watched over the emperor, lay on the open plain without the camp.They changed the watch with each other in the night, and those who had been before on watch lay down and slept; but all completely armed.It was their custom, when they went to sleep, that each should have his helmet on his head, his shield over him, sword under the head, and the right hand on the sword-handle.One of these comrades, whose lot it was to watch the latter part of the night, found, on awakening towards morning, that his sword was gone.He looked after it, and saw it lying on the flat plain at a distance from him.He got up and took the sword, thinking that his comrades who had been on watch had taken the sword from him in a joke; but they all denied it.The same thing happened three nights.Then he wondered at it, as well as they who saw or heard of it; and people began to ask him how it could have happened.He said that his sword was called Hneiter, and had belonged to King Olaf the Saint, who had himself carried it in the battle of Stiklestad;and he also related how the sword since that time had gone from one to another.This was told to the emperor, who called the man before him to whom the sword belonged, and gave him three times as much gold as the sword was worth; and the sword itself he had laid in Saint Olaf's church, which the Varings supported, where it has been ever since over the altar.There was a lenderman of Norway while Harald Gille's sons, Eystein, Inge, and Sigurd lived, who was called Eindride Unge; and he was in Constantinople when these events took place.He told these circumstances in Norway, according to what Einar Skulason says in his song about King Olaf the Saint, in which these events are sung.

21.OLAF'S MIRACLE IN FAVOUR OF THE VARINGS.

It happened once in the Greek country, when Kirjalax was emperor there, that he made an expedition against Blokumannaland.When he came to the Pezina plains, a heathen king came against him with an innumerable host.He brought with him many horsemen, and many large waggons, in which were large loop-holes for shooting through.When they prepared for their night quarters they drew up their waggons, one by the side of the other, without their tents, and dug a great ditch without; and all which made a defence as strong as a castle.The heathen king was blind.Now when the Greek king came, the heathens drew up their array on the plains before their waggon-fortification.The Greeks drew up their array opposite, and they rode on both sides to fight with each other; but it went on so ill and so unfortunately, that the Greeks were compelled to fly after suffering a great defeat, and the heathens gained a victory.Then the king drew up an array of Franks and Flemings, who rode against the heathens, and fought with them; but it went with them as with the others, that many were killed, and all who escaped took to flight.Then the Greek king was greatly incensed at his men-at-arms; and they replied, that he should now take his wine-bags, the Varings.The king says that he would not throw away his jewels, and allow so few men, however bold they might be, to attack so vast an army.Then Thorer Helsifig, who at that time was leader of the Varings replied to the king's words, "If there was burning fire in the way, I and my people would run into it, if I knew the king's advantage required it." Then the king replied, "Call upon your holy King Olaf for help and strength." The Varings, who were 450men, made a vow with hand and word to build a church in Constantinople, at their own expense and with the aid of other good men, and have the church consecrated to the honour and glory of the holy King Olaf; and thereupon the Varings rushed into the plain.When the heathens saw them, they told their king that there was another troop of the Greek king's army come out upon the plain; but they were only a handful of people.The king says, "Who is that venerable man riding on a white horse at the head of the troop?" They replied, "We do not see him." There was so great a difference of numbers, that there were sixty heathens for every Christian man; but notwithstanding the Varings went boldly to the attack.As soon as they met terror and alarm seized the army of the heathens, and they instantly began to fly;but the Varings pursued, and soon killed a great number of them.

When the Greeks and Franks who before had fled from the heathens saw this, they hastened to take part, and pursue the enemy with the others.Then the Varings had reached the waggon-fortification, where the greatest defeat was given to the enemy.

The heathen king was taken in the flight of his people, and the Varings brought him along with them; after which the Christians took the camp of the heathens, and their waggon-fortification.

MAGNUS ERLINGSON'S SAGA.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

With this saga, which describes a series of conflicts, Snorre's "Heimskringla" ends.King Eystein died in 1177, but Magnus Erlingson continued to reign until his death in 1184.The conflicts continued until the opposition party was led to victory by King Sverre.

The only skald quoted is Thorbjorn Skakkaskald.

1.OF MAGNUS ERLINGSON'S BEGINNING.