506 SOME EXPEDITIONS AND DEEDS OF GREAT VIKINGS 



full of water. The jarls let their arrays 1 go down along the 

 river, and most of their men ; the standard of Harald was 

 near the river ; there the ranks were thick ; but they were 

 thinnest at the ditch, and least to be depended upon. Thither 

 Morcar came down with his standard. The wing of the 

 Northmen by the ditch retreated, and the English followed 

 them, thinking they were going to flee ; but when Harald saw 

 that his men retired along the ditch, he ordered a war-blast to 

 be blown, and urged them on ; he had the standard land- 

 waster (landeyda) earned forward, and made so hard an attack 

 that all were driven back. There was great slaughter in the 

 jarls' host. Waltheof had had his standard brought along 

 the river downward against the array of Harald, but when the 

 king hardened the attack the jarl and his men fled along the 

 river upward ; only those who followed him escaped, but so 

 many had fallen that large streams of blood in many places 

 flowed over the plains When the jarl had fled Harald 

 surrounded Morcar and the men who had advanced along the 

 ditch with him ; the English fell by hundreds. Many jumped 

 into the ditch, and the slain lay there so thick that the North- 

 men walked across it with dry feet on human bodies ; there 

 Morcar perished. 



"Tosti jarl had come northward from FlaBiningjaland 

 (Flanders) to meet King Harald when he arrived in England ; 

 he was in all the battles which we have related. It all 

 happened as he had told the king, for many friends and 

 kinsmen of Tosti jarl joined them in England, which was a 

 great support to Harald. After this battle the people of the 

 nearest districts submitted to King Harald, while some fled. 

 Then he set off to take the town of York, and went with the 

 entire host to Stafnfurdubryggja (Stamford Bridge) ; 2 but as he 

 had won so great a victory over great chiefs and an over- 

 whelming host, they had all become frightened and despaired 

 of resistance. The townsmen resolved to send word to Harald 

 and offer to surrender themselves and the town ; it was agreed 

 that the next Sunday the king should hold a Thing and speak 

 to the townsmen ; so on this Sunday Harald went up to the 

 town with his host, and had a meeting outside of it at which 

 all the people promised to obey and serve him ; they gave 

 him as hostages sons of high-born men whom Tosti jarl pointed 

 out, for he knew all in the town. The king and his men went 

 down to the ships in the evening, having won an easy victory, 

 and they were very merry. It was agreed that on the second 



1 Fylking. passage has Stanfurdubryggja. 



2 In Heimskringla the corresponding 



