12: Olaf the Tranquil, Magnus Barefoot, and Sigurd the Crusader
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The new King Olaf, his brother Magnus having soon died, bore rule in
Norway for some five-and-twenty years. Rule soft and gentle, not like
his father's, and inclining rather to improvement in the arts and
elegancies than to anything severe or dangerously laborious. A
slim-built, witty-talking, popular and pretty man, with uncommonly
bright eyes, and hair like floss silk: they called him Olaf Kyrre
(the Tranquil or Easygoing).
The ceremonials of the palace were much improved by him. Palace still
continued to be built of huge logs pyramidally sloping upwards, with
fireplace in the middle of the floor, and no egress for smoke or
ingress for light except right overhead, which, in bad weather, you
could shut, or all but shut, with a lid. Lid originally made of mere
opaque board, but changed latterly into a light frame, covered
(glazed, so to speak) with entrails of animals, clarified into
something of pellucidity. All this Olaf, I hope, further perfected,
as he did the placing of the court ladies, court officials, and the
like; but I doubt if the luxury of a glass window were ever known to
him, or a cup to drink from that was not made of metal or horn. In
fact it is chiefly for his son's sake I mention him here; and with the
son, too, I have little real concern, but only a kind of fantastic.
This son bears the name of Magnus Barfod (Barefoot, or Bareleg); and
if you ask why so, the answer is: He was used to appear in the
streets of Nidaros (Trondhjem) now and then in complete Scotch
Highland dress. Authentic tartan plaid and philibeg, at that
epoch,—to the wonder of Trondhjem and us! The truth is, he had a
mighty fancy for those Hebrides and other Scotch possessions of his;
and seeing England now quite impossible, eagerly speculated on some
conquest in Ireland as next best. He did, in fact, go diligently
voyaging and inspecting among those Orkney and Hebridian Isles;
putting everything straight there, appointing stringent authorities,
jarls,—nay, a king, "Kingdom of the Suderoer" (Southern Isles, now
called Sodor),—and, as first king, Sigurd, his pretty little boy of
nine years. All which done, and some quarrel with Sweden fought out,
he seriously applied himself to visiting in a still more emphatic
manner; namely, to invading, with his best skill and strength, the
considerable virtual or actual kingdom he had in Ireland, intending
fully to enlarge it to the utmost limits of the Island if possible.
He got prosperously into Dublin (guess A.D. 1102). Considerable
authority he already had, even among those poor Irish Kings, or
kinglets, in their glibs and yellow-saffron gowns; still more, I
suppose, among the numerous Norse Principalities there. "King Murdog,
King of Ireland," says the Chronicle of Man, "had obliged himself,
every Yule-day, to take a pair of shoes, hang them over his shoulder,
as your servant does on a journey, and walk across his court, at
bidding and in presence of Magnus Barefoot's messenger, by way of
homage to the said "King." Murdog on this greater occasion did
whatever homage could be required of him; but that, though
comfortable, was far from satisfying the great King's ambitious mind.
The great King left Murdog; left his own Dublin; marched off westward
on a general conquest of Ireland. Marched easily victorious for a
time; and got, some say, into the wilds of Connaught, but there saw
himself beset by ambuscades and wild Irish countenances intent on
mischief; and had, on the sudden, to draw up for battle;—place, I
regret to say, altogether undiscoverable to me; known only that it was
boggy in the extreme. Certain enough, too certain and evident, Magnus
Barefoot, searching eagerly, could find no firm footing there; nor,
fighting furiously up to the knees or deeper, any result but honorable
death! Date is confidently marked "24 August, 1103,"—as if people
knew the very day of the month. The natives did humanely give King
Magnus Christian burial. The remnants of his force, without further
molestation, found their ships on the Coast of Ulster; and sailed
home,—without conquest of Ireland; nay perhaps, leaving royal Murdog
disposed to be relieved of his procession with the pair of shoes.
Magnus Barefoot left three sons, all kings at once, reigning peaceably
together. But to us, at present, the only noteworthy one of them was
Sigurd; who, finding nothing special to do at home, left his brothers
to manage for him, and went off on a far Voyage, which has rendered
him distinguishable in the crowd. Voyage through the Straits of
Gibraltar, on to Jerusalem, thence to Constantinople; and so home
through Russia, shining with such renown as filled all Norway for the
time being. A King called Sigurd Jorsalafarer (Jerusalemer) or Sigurd
the Crusader henceforth. His voyage had been only partially of the
Viking type; in general it was of the Royal-Progress kind rather;
Vikingism only intervening in cases of incivility or the like. His
reception in the Courts of Portugal, Spain, Sicily, Italy, had been
honorable and sumptuous. The King of Jerusalem broke out into utmost
splendor and effusion at sight of such a pilgrim; and Constantinople
did its highest honors to such a Prince of Vaeringers. And the truth
is, Sigurd intrinsically was a wise, able, and prudent man; who,
surviving both his brothers, reigned a good while alone in a solid and
successful way. He shows features of an original,
independent-thinking man; something of ruggedly strong, sincere, and
honest, with peculiarities that are amiable and even pathetic in the
character and temperament of him; as certainly, the course of life he
took was of his own choosing, and peculiar enough. He happens
furthermore to be, what he least of all could have chosen or expected,
the last of the Haarfagr Genealogy that had any success, or much
deserved any, in this world. The last of the Haarfagrs, or as good as
the last! So that, singular to say, it is in reality, for one thing
only that Sigurd, after all his crusadings and wonderful adventures,
is memorable to us here: the advent of an Irish gentleman called
"Gylle Krist" (Gil-christ, Servant of Christ), who,—not over welcome,
I should think, but (unconsciously) big with the above
result,—appeared in Norway, while King Sigurd was supreme. Let us
explain a little.
This Gylle Krist, the unconsciously fatal individual, who "spoke Norse
imperfectly," declared himself to be the natural son of whilom Magnus
Barefoot; born to him there while engaged in that unfortunate
"Conquest of Ireland." "Here is my mother come with me," said
Gilchrist, "who declares my real baptismal name to have been Harald,
given me by that great King; and who will carry the red-hot
ploughshares or do any reasonable ordeal in testimony of these facts.
I am King Sigurd's veritable half-brother: what will King Sigurd
think it fair to do with me?" Sigurd clearly seems to have believed
the man to be speaking truth; and indeed nobody to have doubted but he
was. Sigurd said, "Honorable sustenance shalt thou have from me here.
But, under pain of extirpation, swear that, neither in my time, nor in
that of my young son Magnus, wilt thou ever claim any share in this
Government." Gylle swore; and punctually kept his promise during
Sigurd's reign. But during Magnus's, he conspicuously broke it; and,
in result, through many reigns, and during three or four generations
afterwards, produced unspeakable contentions, massacrings, confusions
in the country he had adopted. There are reckoned, from the time of
Sigurd's death (A.D. 1130), about a hundred years of civil war: no
king allowed to distinguish himself by a solid reign of well-doing, or
by any continuing reign at all,—sometimes as many as four kings
simultaneously fighting;—and in Norway, from sire to son, nothing but
sanguinary anarchy, disaster and bewilderment; a Country sinking
steadily as if towards absolute ruin. Of all which frightful misery
and discord Irish Gylle, styled afterwards King Harald Gylle, was, by
ill destiny and otherwise, the visible origin: an illegitimate Irish
Haarfagr who proved to be his own destruction, and that of the
Haarfagr kindred altogether!
Sigurd himself seems always to have rather favored Gylle, who was a
cheerful, shrewd, patient, witty, and effective fellow; and had at
first much quizzing to endure, from the younger kind, on account of
his Irish way of speaking Norse, and for other reasons. One evening,
for example, while the drink was going round, Gylle mentioned that the
Irish had a wonderful talent of swift running and that there were
among them people who could keep up with the swiftest horse. At
which, especially from young Magnus, there were peals of laughter; and
a declaration from the latter that Gylle and he would have it tried
to-morrow morning! Gylle in vain urged that he had not himself
professed to be so swift a runner as to keep up with the Prince's
horses; but only that there were men in Ireland who could. Magnus was
positive; and, early next morning, Gylle had to be on the ground; and
the race, naturally under heavy bet, actually went off. Gylle started
parallel to Magnus's stirrup; ran like a very roe, and was clearly
ahead at the goal. "Unfair," said Magnus; "thou must have had hold of
my stirrup-leather, and helped thyself along; we must try it again."
Gylle ran behind the horse this second time; then at the end, sprang
forward; and again was fairly in ahead. "Thou must have held by the
tail," said Magnus; "not by fair running was this possible; we must
try a third time!" Gylle started ahead of Magnus and his horse, this
third time; kept ahead with increasing distance, Magnus galloping his
very best; and reached the goal more palpably foremost than ever. So
that Magnus had to pay his bet, and other damage and humiliation. And
got from his father, who heard of it soon afterwards, scoffing rebuke
as a silly fellow, who did not know the worth of men, but only the
clothes and rank of them, and well deserved what he had got from
Gylle. All the time King Sigurd lived, Gylle seems to have had good
recognition and protection from that famous man; and, indeed, to have
gained favor all round, by his quiet social demeanor and the qualities
he showed.
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