BATTLE OF JOMSVIKINGS. 197 



hit the Jarl. The first flew past his right side, the second his 

 left, and the third flew on to the forepart of the ship above the 

 Jail's head. Then the king said : ' Never before did I thus 

 miss a man ; great is the Jarl's haming'a (luck) ; it must be 

 God's will that he now shall rule in Norway ; and that is not 

 strange, for I think he has changed the stem-dweller on the 

 [I.mli. I said to-day that he would not gain victory over us. 

 if he had Thor in the stem.' 



" As many of the Jarl's men had got up on board the Serpent 

 as could be there, and his ships lay on all sides of it, and but 

 few remained for defence against such a host. In a short time 

 many of King Olaf's champions fell, though they were both 

 strong and valiant. There fell both the king's brothers-in- 

 law, Hyrning and Thorgeir, Vikar of Tiunclalanrl, Ulf the 

 red, and many other brave men, who left a famous name 

 behind. 



" Kolbjorn Stallari (Marshal) had defended the stem during 

 the day with the other stem-defenders ; he had weapons and 

 clothing very much like King Olaf, and he had dressed so 

 because he thought that, if necessary, as it now was, he might 

 save the life of the king. When the most valiant of the king's 

 men in the foreroom began to fall, Kolbjorn went up on the 

 lypting to the king. It was not easy to tell them apart, for 

 Kolbjorn was a very large and handsome man. There was then 

 such a thick shower of weapons in the lypting, that the shields 

 of King Olaf and Kolbjorn were covered all over with arrows. 

 But when the Jarl's men came up to the lypting, it seemed to 

 them that so much light came over the king that they could 

 not see through it, yet when the light vanished they saw King 

 Olaf nowhere " (Olaf Tryggvason s Saga, Fornmanna Sogur, ii., 

 299-332). 



The Battle of the Jornsvikings arose out of a vow made by 

 Sigvaldi, at the arvel given by King Svein Tjuguskegg (forked 

 beard) for Strut Harald Jarl, that he would rule Norway. 



" The Jornsvikings went northward along the coast, plunder- 

 ing and ravaging wherever they landed. They made great 

 coast raids, slew many men, and often burned towns; all, \\li<> 

 heard of them and could flee, fled. When they were at 

 Ulfasund, off Stad, it is said that they and Hakon jarl heard 

 of each other. They sailed twenty sea-miles northward from 

 Stad, and entered the harbour at Hereyjar, and laid all their 

 fleet therein. Then they were in want of food again, and 

 Vagn Akason went on his skeid to the island Hod, not knowing 

 that the jarl lay in the bay, near the island. Vagn landed. 



