6: Olaf Tryggveson
<< 5: Hakon Jarl || 7: Reign of Olaf Tryggveson >>
Hakon, in late times, had heard of a famous stirring person,
victorious in various lands and seas, latterly united in sea-robbery
with Svein, Prince Royal of Denmark, afterwards King Svein of the
Double-beard ("Zvae Skiaeg", Twa Shag) or fork-beard, both of whom
had already done transcendent feats in the viking way during this
copartnery. The fame of Svein, and this stirring personage, whose
name was "Ole," and, recently, their stupendous feats in plunder of
England, siege of London, and other wonders and splendors of viking
glory and success, had gone over all the North, awakening the
attention of Hakon and everybody there. The name of "Ole" was
enigmatic, mysterious, and even dangerous-looking to Hakon Jarl; who
at length sent out a confidential spy to investigate this "Ole;" a
feat which the confidential spy did completely accomplish,—by no
means to Hakon's profit! The mysterious "Ole" proved to be no other
than Olaf, son of Tryggve, destined to blow Hakon Jarl suddenly into
destruction, and become famous among the heroes of the Norse world.
Of Olaf Tryggveson one always hopes there might, one day, some real
outline of a biography be written; fished from the abysses where (as
usual) it welters deep in foul neighborhood for the present. Farther
on we intend a few words more upon the matter. But in this place all
that concerns us in it limits itself to the two following facts first,
that Hakon's confidential spy "found Ole in Dublin;" picked
acquaintance with him, got him to confess that he was actually Olaf,
son of Tryggve (the Tryggve, whom Blood-axe's fierce widow and her
sons had murdered); got him gradually to own that perhaps an
expedition into Norway might have its chances; and finally that, under
such a wise and loyal guidance as his (the confidential spy's, whose
friendship for Tryggveson was so indubitable), he (Tryggveson) would
actually try it upon Hakon Jarl, the dissolute old scoundrel. Fact
second is, that about the time they two set sail from Dublin on their
Norway expedition, Hakon Jarl removed to Trondhjem, then called Lade;
intending to pass some months there.
Now just about the time when Tryggveson, spy, and party had landed in
Norway, and were advancing upon Lade, with what support from the
public could be got, dissolute old Hakon Jarl had heard of one Gudrun,
a Bonder's wife, unparalleled in beauty, who was called in those
parts, "Sunbeam of the Grove" (so inexpressibly lovely); and sent off
a couple of thralls to bring her to him. "Never," answered Gudrun;
"never," her indignant husband; in a tone dangerous and displeasing to
these Court thralls; who had to leave rapidly, but threatened to
return in better strength before long. Whereupon, instantly, the
indignant Bonder and his Sunbeam of the Grove sent out their
war-arrow, rousing all the country into angry promptitude, and more
than one perhaps into greedy hope of revenge for their own injuries.
The rest of Hakon's history now rushes on with extreme rapidity.
Sunbeam of the Grove, when next demanded of her Bonder, has the whole
neighborhood assembled in arms round her; rumor of Tryggveson is fast
making it the whole country. Hakon's insolent messengers are cut in
pieces; Hakon finds he cannot fly under cover too soon. With a single
slave he flies that same night;—but whitherward? Can think of no
safe place, except to some old mistress of his, who lives retired in
that neighborhood, and has some pity or regard for the wicked old
Hakon. Old mistress does receive him, pities him, will do all she can
to protect and hide him. But how, by what uttermost stretch of female
artifice hide him here; every one will search here first of all! Old
mistress, by the slave's help, extemporizes a cellar under the floor
of her pig-house; sticks Hakon and slave into that, as the one safe
seclusion she can contrive. Hakon and slave, begrunted by the pigs
above them, tortured by the devils within and about them, passed two
days in circumstances more and more horrible. For they heard, through
their light-slit and breathing-slit, the triumph of Tryggveson
proclaiming itself by Tryggveson's own lips, who had mounted a big
boulder near by and was victoriously speaking to the people, winding
up with a promise of honors and rewards to whoever should bring him
wicked old Hakon's head. Wretched Hakon, justly suspecting his slave,
tried to at least keep himself awake. Slave did keep himself awake
till Hakon dozed or slept, then swiftly cut off Hakon's head, and
plunged out with it to the presence of Tryggveson. Tryggveson,
detesting the traitor, useful as the treachery was, cut off the
slave's head too, had it hung up along with Hakon's on the pinnacle of
the Lade Gallows, where the populace pelted both heads with stones and
many curses, especially the more important of the two. "Hakon the
Bad" ever henceforth, instead of Hakon the Rich.
This was the end of Hakon Jarl, the last support of heathenry in
Norway, among other characteristics he had: a stronghanded,
hard-headed, very relentless, greedy and wicked being. He is reckoned
to have ruled in Norway, or mainly ruled, either in the struggling or
triumphant state, for about thirty years (965-995?). He and his
seemed to have formed, by chance rather than design, the chief
opposition which the Haarfagr posterity throughout its whole course
experienced in Norway. Such the cost to them of killing good Jarl
Sigurd, in Greyfell's time! For "curses, like chickens," do sometimes
visibly "come home to feed," as they always, either visibly or else
invisibly, are punctually sure to do.
Hakon Jarl is considerably connected with the Faroer Saga often
mentioned there, and comes out perfectly in character; an altogether
worldly-wise man of the roughest type, not without a turn for
practicality of kindness to those who would really be of use to him.
His tendencies to magic also are not forgotten.
Hakon left two sons, Eric and Svein, often also mentioned in this
Saga. On their father's death they fled to Sweden, to Denmark, and
were busy stirring up troubles in those countries against Olaf
Tryggveson; till at length, by a favorable combination, under their
auspices chiefly, they got his brief and noble reign put an end to.
Nay, furthermore, Jarl Eric left sons, especially an elder son, named
also Eric, who proved a sore affliction, and a continual stone of
stumbling to a new generation of Haarfagrs, and so continued the curse
of Sigurd's murder upon them.
Towards the end of this Hakon's reign it was that the discovery of
America took place (985). Actual discovery, it appears, by Eric the
Red, an Icelander; concerning which there has been abundant
investigation and discussion in our time. Ginnungagap (Roaring
Abyss) is thought to be the mouth of Behring's Straits in Baffin's
Bay; Big Helloland, the coast from Cape Walsingham to near
Newfoundland; Little Helloland, Newfoundland itself. Markland/i> was
Lower Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Southward thence to
Chesapeake Bay was called Wine Land (wild grapes still grow in Rhode
Island, and more luxuriantly further south). White Man's Land,
called also Great Ireland, is supposed to mean the two Carolinas,
down to the Southern Cape of Florida. In Dahlmann's opinion, the
Irish themselves might even pretend to have probably been the first
discoverers of America; they had evidently got to Iceland itself
before the Norse exiles found it out. It appears to be certain that,
from the end of the tenth century to the early part of the fourteenth,
there was a dim knowledge of those distant shores extant in the Norse
mind, and even some straggling series of visits thither by roving
Norsemen; though, as only danger, difficulty, and no profit resulted,
the visits ceased, and the whole matter sank into oblivion, and, but
for the Icelandic talent of writing in the long winter nights, would
never have been heard of by posterity at all.
<< 5: Hakon Jarl || 7: Reign of Olaf Tryggveson >>
