BATTLE OF BRAVOLL. 437 



fared badly, as there was no rule in the land ; many thought 

 that he was too old. Some chiefs resolved when he was 

 bathing in a tub to cover it with timber and stones, intending 

 to choke him therein.^-'When he found that they wanted to 

 kill him, he asked to be allowed to leave the bath, saying : 

 ' I know that you think I am too old ; that is true, but I would 

 rather die my fated death. I do not wish to die in the bath, 

 but in a much more kingly way.' Then his friends came and 

 took him away. A little while after he sent word to Sweden, 

 to King Hring, his kinsman, that he should gather a host 

 from all the lands he ruled over, and meet him on the frontier 

 and fight against him, and told him all about the reason, 

 namely, that the Danes thought him too old. 



" Hring gathered men from all Sweden and Western Gaut- 

 land, and many from Norway ; it is said that when Swedes 

 and Norwegians went with the levy out of Stokksund the ships 

 were two thousand and five hundred. Hring rode with his 

 hird and the West Gotlanders higher up past Eyrasund, and 

 then westward, to the forest Kolmdrk which separates Sweden 

 from Eastern Gautland. When he reached a place called 

 Bravik his ship-host met him, and he encamped on Bravoll 

 near the forest, between it and the bay. 



" King Harald gathered men from all Denmark, and a great 

 host came from Austrriki (the eastern realm) and all the way 

 from Kcenugard l and Saxlaud. When his host had gathered 

 on Selund, at Kogja, the passage to Skaneyri from Landeyri 

 could be made on ships only ; the whole sea seemed to be 

 covered with his ship-host. He sent Herleif with his Saxon 

 host to King Hring, in order to stake out the field chosen for 

 the battle, and declare the truce and peace broken. King 

 Harald was seven days on his journey eastwards to Bravik. 

 Both made ready for the battle, and arrayed their hosts. 



" It is said that in the host of King Harald and with him 

 there was a chief named Bruni, the wisest of all his men, whom 

 he bade to draw up the host, and assign to the chiefs their 

 places under the standards ; that of the king stood in the 

 midst of the array, and his bodyguard was placed around it. 



" With Harald were : Svein, Sam, Gnepi the Old, Gard, 

 Brand, Bla3iig, Teit, Tyrving, Hjalti ; these were his scalds 

 and champions. In his hird were these champions : Hjort, 

 Borgar, Beli, Barri, Beigad, Toki. There were the shicM- 

 maidens Visnia and Heid, each of whom had conie with a 

 numerous host. Visma carried Harald's standard, and with 

 her were the champions Karri and Milva. Another shidd- 



1 K'cenugard (Kief). 



