M<HH-: or n<; IITIXG. 18.3 



up to the standard being only eighteen winters old), Thorstein 

 lllit'arson, Thorolf, Ivar the Starter, Orm Hood-nose, and 

 many other very i'amous men were on the Serpent, though we 

 rannot name them. Eight men were in every half-room (six- 

 teen in one room), selected one by one. Thirty men were in 

 the foreroom. People said that the picked men on board sur 



king' 



ler and Jostein, the king's uncles, the Trana ; both these ships 

 were very well manned. Eleven large ships left Thrandheim 

 with Olaf, also twenty-seaters and smaller ships and store-ships 

 (vistabyrding)" (Olaf Tryggvason's Saga (Heimskringla), 

 c. 102). 



When the crew felt that they were unequal to the contest by 

 bring boarded, they then cut the ropes that tied them to other 

 ships, and tried to avoid the coming danger. 



" The king's men attacked the jarl's ship and almost got up on 

 it. When the jarl saw his danger he called to the men in the 

 forepart of the ship to cut the ropes (by which the ships were 

 fastened together) and let them loose ; they did so. The 

 king's men threw their grappling hooks on the club-formed 

 beaks of the prow, and thus held them fast, Then the jarl 

 bade the men in the prow cut off the beaks, which they did. 

 Einar Thambarskelfir had laid his ship on the other side of the 

 jarl's, and cast an anchor into the prow of the jarl's ship, and 

 thus they got out on the fjord " (St. Olaf s Saga, c. 48). 



" At this time there was a great war in Norway ; Harald 

 Liifa, the son of Halfdan Svarti (black), was subduing the 



country When he came to Hordaland a mass of 



warriors met to light him Both sides had many 



men. This was one of the greatest battles in Norway ; most 

 Sagas mention it, for there came men from the whole country, 

 and many from other countries, with a great number of 

 Vikings. Onund laid his ship at the side of that of Thorir 

 Ohinlong, which was nearly in the middle of the fleet, King 

 Harald with his ship attacked that of Thorir Chinlong, who 

 was known as the greatest berserk and very valiant. There 

 ensued the severest fights on both sides. The king urged 

 his berserks to attack ; they were called Ulfhednar (the wolf- 

 skin coats), and no weapons wounded them; and when they 

 rushed forward nothing withstood them. Thorir defended 

 himself very manfully and fell on his ship with great valour ; 

 it was cleared of men from stem to stern, and as the ropes 



