490 SOME EXPEDITIONS AND DEEDS OF GREAT VIKINGS. 



a battle was fought, and Eirik gained the victory, and Ulfkel 

 fled. Eirik jarl fought another battle at Hringmaraheidi 

 (heath) against the English and obtained the victory " (Knyt- 

 linga Saga, c. 15). 



" ^Ethelred the King of the English died the same autumn 

 or summer that Knut came with his host to England ; he had 

 then been King of England thirty-eight winters. Queen 

 Emma after his death at once made herself ready to leave the 

 land ; she intended to go west to Valland (France) to her 

 brothers, Vilhjalm (William) and Robert, who were jarls there. 

 Their father was Rikard (Richard), jarl of Rouen, son of 

 Richard, son of William longspear; he was the son of Gongu- 

 Hrolf, who won Normandy, and was the son of Rognvald, jarl 

 of Moeri. The men of King Knut became aware of the journey 

 of Queen Emma ; when she and her men were ready to sail, 

 his men came and took the ship with all that was in it, and 

 took her to him ; King Knut's chiefs advised him to marry 

 Queen Emma, and he did so " (Knytlinga Saga, c. 9). 



" After the death of ^Ethelred, his and Queen Emma's sons 

 were taken as kings ; Jatmund (Edmund) the Strong was 

 the eldest ; Jatgeir (Edgar) the second ; Jatvig (Edwig) the 

 third ; and Jatvard (Edward) the Good, the fourth. Edmund 

 gathered a large host and went against Knut ; they met 

 at a place called Skorstein, and fought the most famous 

 battle which had taken place at that time ; very many of 

 both hosts fell. Edmund rode forward into the midst of 

 the Danish host, and came so near his stepfather King Knut, 

 that he touched him with a sword-blow. Knut thrust his 

 shield in front of the neck of the horse on which he sat ; the 

 blow hit the shield a little below its handle, and was so heavy 

 that the shield was cleft asunder, and the horse was cut at the 

 shoulders in front of the saddle. The Danes then attacked 

 him so violently that he went back to his men, but not before 

 he had killed many Danes, being very slightly wounded 

 himself. When the king had ridden forward away from his 

 men they thought he had fallen, as they did not see him, and 

 the host fled, for some saw him riding away from the Danes. 

 All who saw this fled, but the king shouted loudly and bid 

 them return to the fight, but no one seemed to hear it ; the 

 entire host fled, and there ensued a great fall of men ; the 

 Danes pursued the fleeing till night" (Knytliuga Saga, c. 10). 



" Ulf jarl was then, as often, one of the foremost of the 

 men of King Knut, and pursued the fugitives farthest; he 

 entered a wood so thick that he did not get out of it until 

 dawn. Then he saw in some fields in front of him sheep 



