The Sagas of the Icelanders (54 page)

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By now Hoskuld was an elderly man and his sons full-grown. Thorleik built a farm at Kambsnes and Hoskuld turned over to him his share of the property. He then married Gjaflaug, the daughter of Arnbjorn, the son of Sleitu-Bjorn, and his wife Thorlaug Thordardottir from Hofdi. Gjaflaug was both a good-looking and a haughty woman, and was thought a fine match. Thorleik was anything but a peaceable man and was a great warrior. There was no love lost between Thorleik and his kinsman Hrut. Bard, Hoskuld’s other son, lived at home with his father and the running of the farm was as much in his hands as Hoskuld’s. There is little mention made of Hoskuld’s daughters here, although they are known to have descendants. Olaf Hoskuldsson was also a young adult by this time and the most handsome man people had ever seen. He always dressed well and carried fine weapons. Melkorka, Olaf’s mother, lived at Melkorkustadir, as was previously mentioned. Hoskuld became more and more reluctant to look after Melkorka’s affairs, saying he felt it was just as much Olaf’s responsibility
as his, and Olaf said he would offer her whatever help and advice he could.

Melkorka, however, felt humiliated by Hoskuld and made up her mind to repay him in kind. Thorbjorn Pock-marked had looked after most of the farming for Melkorka. Only a short time after she settled on the farm he had asked for her hand in marriage, but Melkorka had refused even to consider the offer. At this time there was a ship beached at Bordeyri in Hrutafjord. The skipper was a man called Orn, a follower of King Harald Gunnhildarson.

The next time Melkorka saw Olaf, she brought up the subject of his journeying abroad to seek out his high-born kinsmen, ‘as everything I have told you is true, Myrkjartan is my father and he is king of the Irish. You could take the ship at Bordeyri.’

Olaf said, ‘I have mentioned it to my father, and he was not in favour of the idea. And as far as my foster-father goes, his property consists mainly of land and livestock, and he has little in the form of Icelandic export goods.’

Melkorka answered: ‘I’ve had my fill of people calling you the son of a slave-woman. If it’s concern about trade goods that is preventing you from making the journey, then I would rather help you out by marrying Thorbjorn, if it means you’ll make the journey. I’m sure he’ll contribute whatever goods you feel you need for the journey if he gets me as his wife in the bargain.

‘There is another advantage to this as well – it will give Hoskuld a double sting when he learns that you have left the country and I am married.’

Olaf said it was up to his mother to decide. Soon afterwards he spoke to Thorbjorn and asked him to provide him with a large quantity of export goods on loan.

Thorbjorn replied: ‘Only on one condition, that I reach a marriage agreement with Melkorka. Then you can consider my property to be just as much yours as anything else you have at your disposal.’

Olaf told Thorbjorn he had himself a bargain. They discussed the details of the transaction, and agreed that it should remain a secret.

Hoskuld asked Olaf if he would accompany him to the Althing but Olaf replied that he was too occupied on the farm. He said he had to see about having a pasture walled off for his lambs down by the river Laxa. Hoskuld was pleased at Olaf’s reply, and his apparent interest in the farm. No sooner had Hoskuld departed for the Althing than wedding feasting got under way at Lambastadir. Olaf set the conditions of the wedding agreement himself. He chose thirty hundreds of goods off the top, before the property was divided [between Thorbjorn and Melkorka], for which he was to make
no payment. Bard Hoskuldsson attended the wedding and knew of their plans.

When the ceremonies were over, Olaf rode to the ship, met with Orn, the skipper, and arranged his passage. Before he left, his mother Melkorka handed Olaf a heavy gold arm ring, saying: ‘This treasure my father gave me when I cut my first tooth, and he’ll surely recognize it when he sees it again.’

She also gave him a knife and belt which he was to hand over to her nurse – ‘who will not fail to know what these tokens mean’.

‘I’ve now done all I can to help you,’ Melkorka continued. ‘I’ve also taught you to speak Irish, so that you’ll be able to speak to people anywhere you make land in Ireland.’

They then parted. A favourable wind rose as Olaf reached the ship and they put out to sea at once.

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Hoskuld returned from the Althing to be told the news. He was far from pleased, but as his own family were involved, he soon calmed down and took no action. Olaf and his shipmates had a good passage and made land in Norway.

Orn urged Olaf to go to pay his respects to King Harald, saying that men who had less to recommend them than Olaf had been handsomely received by the king. Olaf said he would take his advice. Olaf and Orn then proceeded to where the king sat and were well received; the king welcomed Olaf warmly as soon as he learned who his kinsmen were, and lost no time in offering him a place among his followers. Upon hearing he was Hrut’s nephew, Gunnhild also took a great liking to him. Some people even said that she would have enjoyed Olaf’s company regardless of who his kinsmen were. As the winter progressed, Olaf grew moody and Orn asked what was troubling him.

Olaf answered: ‘I have to make the journey to the Western Isles. It’s very important to me that you arrange it so that we make the voyage this summer.’

Orn told Olaf to forget the idea, saying he knew of no ship journeying westward.

As they were talking, Gunnhild came up and spoke: ‘Now I hear something I have never heard before: the two of you disagreeing on anything.’

Olaf welcomed Gunnhild warmly but did not change the subject of their discussion. Orn left, and Olaf and Gunnhild continued the conversation. Olaf told her of his intentions and how important the journey was for him.
He said he knew for certain that King Myrkjartan was his grandfather.

To this Gunnhild replied: ‘I will support your journey so that you can go as well equipped as you wish.’

Olaf thanked her for the offer. Gunnhild then ordered a ship to be made ready and manned, asking Olaf how many men he wished to have accompany him on his journey. Olaf asked for sixty men, and stressed the importance of choosing men who were more like warriors than merchants. She promised to see to this. Of Olaf’s companions only Orn is named.

The company was well turned out. King Harald and Gunnhild accompanied Olaf to his ship and said they hoped their own good fortune would follow him along with their goodwill. King Harald added that this would not be difficult, as he had seen no young man more promising among the Icelanders of the time. King Harald then asked how old Olaf was.

Olaf replied: ‘I am now eighteen years old.’

The king spoke: ‘You will make the finest of men, as capable as you are and still barely more than a child. Come to us directly upon your return.’

Then the king and Gunnhild said farewell.

Olaf boarded his ship and they sailed out to sea. They had poor winds during the summer, the breezes light and blowing from the wrong direction, and spells of thick fog. They drifted long distances at sea. Most of the men on board soon lost their sense of direction. Eventually the fog lifted and a wind came up. The sail was hoisted and a discussion began on which direction to take to head to Ireland. There was no agreement among the men on the question: Orn was of one opinion, but most of the men were opposed and declared that Orn was wrong and that the majority should determine their course.

The question was put to Olaf, who said, ‘Let the man of best judgement determine our course; the counsel of fools is the more misguided the more of them there are.’

The question was considered decided by Olaf’s words, and from then on Orn decided on their course. They sailed night and day for several days, with little wind, until one night the men on watch leapt up and woke the others. They said they had seen land very close to the bow of the ship, and the sail was still up and only a light breeze blowing. The others jumped up at once and Orn told them to steer out to sea at once if they could.

‘There’s no point in us doing that,’ Olaf said. ‘I can see from the way the waves break there are skerries on all sides; reef the sail as quickly as you can. We’ll discuss what course to take when it grows light and we can see what land this is.’

They cast the anchor, which struck bottom at once.

During the night there was considerable discussion as to where they might be, and when the day dawned they saw that it was Ireland.

Orn then spoke: ‘I’m afraid we won’t be well received. We’re far from any port or merchant town where foreigners are assured of trading in peace, and now the tide has gone out and left us stranded here like a minnow. It’s my guess that, according to Irish law, they’ll lay claim to all the property we have on board; they call it a stranded ship when less than this has ebbed from the stern of the ship.’

Olaf said they would come to no harm. ‘But I did see a group of men up on shore today, and the arrival of our ship is obviously news to the Irish. I checked the coastline carefully while the tide was out. There is a river flowing into the sea beside this point and water in the estuary even when the tide ebbs. If our ship is not damaged, I think we should put out our boat and draw the ship over there.’

The beach was clay where the ship lay at anchor, so that not a single plank was damaged. They moved the ship as Olaf suggested and dropped anchor there.

Later that day a large crowd of people came down to the beach. Two of them approached in a boat to ask who was in command of the ship. Olaf replied to them in Irish, as they had spoken in that tongue. When the Irish learned that they were Norse, they referred to their laws on ship strandings and said that if the ship’s company handed over all the property on board they would be unharmed until the king had pronounced his judgement in their case. Olaf said that this was indeed the law if there was no interpreter among the traders.

‘I warn you, we are men of peace but we don’t intend to give up without a fight.’

Giving a war cry, the Irish charged into the sea, intending to wade out to the ship and draw it ashore with them aboard. The water was so shallow that it only came up to their armpits and just above the belts of the tallest of them. The pool where the ship was anchored was so deep, however, that they could not touch bottom. Olaf told his men to get their weapons out and form a line along the sides of the ship. They stood so close together that their shields formed an unbroken row, with a spear point extending from the lower end of each shield. Olaf took up position in the bow. He
wore a coat of mail and on his head a helmet with golden plates. At his waist was a sword, its hilt inlaid with gold, and in his hand he held a spear with a hooked blade, also highly decorated. Before him he held a red shield, with the design of a lion in gold.

The sight of their readiness for battle struck fear into the hearts of the Irish, and they realized that the ship was not the easy prey they had imagined. They turned back and gathered in a group. Many were greatly upset, thinking this was obviously a vessel of war and likely to be followed by a number of others. They sent word to the king, who was visiting nearby. He came at once to the spot where the ship lay at anchor, accompanied by a group of followers. The distance between ship and shore was so narrow that it was possible to call from one to the other. The Irish had made several attacks, shooting arrows and casting spears, without any of Olaf’s men coming to harm. Olaf stood in the bow attired as previously described, and people were greatly impressed by the imposing-looking leader of the ship.

Olaf’s companions fell silent when they saw a group of horsemen approach, well armed and valiant-looking, as it now appeared they would have to face far superior forces.

When Olaf heard the words of concern expressed by his companions, however, he told them to pull themselves together – ‘as our situation has taken a turn for the better. The Irish are now welcoming their king, Myrkjartan.’

The procession on shore then came near enough to exchange words with the men on board ship. The king asked who the skipper of the ship was. Olaf gave his name and asked in return who this valiant knight was with whom he spoke.

‘My name is Myrkjartan,’ he answered.

When Olaf asked, ‘Are you then the king of the Irish?’, he replied that he was.

Then the king asked for general news and Olaf provided suitable answers to all his questions, following which the king asked where they had sailed from and who they were. He enquired more carefully into Olaf’s kin than before, as he realized that this man was both proud and careful to say no more than he was asked.

Olaf said, ‘For your information we set sail from Norway, and the men on board are followers of King Harald Gunnhildarson. As to my own kin, my lord, my father who lives in Iceland is named Hoskuld, and is a man of
a prominent family. As far as my mother’s kinsmen are concerned, I expect you know more about them than I do; her name is Melkorka and I have been told truly that she is your own daughter, King. This was my reason for making such a lengthy journey, and it is of great importance to me to hear what reply you make to my words.’

Upon hearing this the king fell silent and went to speak to his followers. Learned men asked the king what truth there was in the words the man spoke. The king answered:

‘This Olaf is obviously a man of high birth, whether or not he is our kinsman, and no one speaks better Irish.’

The king then got to his feet and spoke: ‘My reply to your words is to grant protection to all of your companions on board. As to your kinship with us, we will have to discuss the question more fully before I can give you an answer.’

Gangways were then put out to the ship and Olaf went ashore, followed by his men. The Irish were impressed by their rugged appearance.

Olaf greeted the king courteously, removed his helmet and knelt before him, and the king welcomed him warmly. They began a discussion; Olaf repeated his story, speaking at length and with effect.

In conclusion he referred to the gold ring on his arm, which Melkorka had handed over to him at their parting in Iceland, ‘saying that you, my lord, had given it to her when she cut her first tooth’.

The king took the ring in his hand and upon examining it, his face grew very red.

He then spoke: ‘These tokens are irrefutable, and are even more convincing because you resemble your mother so much that you could be recognized by that alone. Such being the case, I do not hesitate to acknowledge you as my kinsman, Olaf, and may all who hear my words bear this witness. I therefore invite you, and all your men, to my court. What honour you receive there will depend upon the man you prove yourself to be when I put you to the test.’

The king obtained horses for them and appointed men to stand guard over their ship and cargo. The king then rode to Dublin and the news that the king was accompanied by his grandson, the son of his daughter who had been taken prisoner at the age of fifteen years, caused great stir. No one was more affected by the news than Melkorka’s nurse. Despite being bedridden with old age and illness she rose and went, without the aid of her stick, to meet Olaf.

The king then told Olaf: ‘The woman approaching was Melkorka’s nurse and she will ask you for news of her.’

Olaf received her with open arms, set her upon his lap and told her that her former charge was living in comfort in Iceland. Then Olaf handed her the belt and knife, which the old woman recognized at once, and tears of joy came to her eyes.

She said her happiness was doubled by seeing this outstanding young son of Melkorka’s – ‘just like you’d expect from one of his kin’.

The old woman enjoyed good health for the rest of that winter.

The king seldom remained long in one place, as there was generally fighting somewhere in the British Isles. He spent the winter warding off both Vikings and other raiders. Olaf and his men fought with the king on his ship, and those they were pitted against found them hard to handle. The king soon came to seek the advice of Olaf and his men in all decisions, for he discovered him to be a clever and daring commander. As the winter drew to a close, the king called an assembly, which great numbers of people attended. The king addressed the assembly, beginning his speech with the following words:

‘As you know, this past autumn a man came to us who proved to be the son of my daughter, and of good family on his father’s side as well. Olaf has since shown himself to be highly accomplished and a man of such determination that we have no one in our kingdom to equal him. I wish Olaf to inherit the crown after my day, as he is better suited to rule than are my sons.’

Olaf thanked him for his offer with many well-chosen words and fair praise, but said he would not take the chance of having to deal with the reaction of Myrkjartan’s sons after his death. He would rather, he said, enjoy a brief spell of honour than a long rule of shame. He said he intended to return to Norway as soon as the weather made it safe for ships to make the journey between the countries, and it would bring little joy to his mother should he fail to return. The king said it was up to Olaf to decide, and the assembly was then dissolved.

When Olaf was ready to sail, the king accompanied him to the ship and gave him a spear with gold inlay, a decorated sword and much other wealth. Olaf asked to take Melkorka’s nurse with him, but the king said there was no need to do so, and so she remained. Olaf and his men boarded their ship and he and the king parted as great friends. Then Olaf and his men put to sea and had favourable winds until they made land in Norway, where news
of Olaf’s voyage spread widely. They beached their ship and Olaf obtained horses for himself and his companions to make the journey to King Harald.