KONGELF BEWITCHED. 299 



reasons, had sliovtly before been expelled from Norway, 

 treacherously, at her instigation, fell npon Olof Tryggwe- 

 son, near to the island of Swoldern, wiien a mnrderous 

 fight took place, in which the Norwegian king lost both 

 crown and life. Sigrid was thus amply revenged. The 

 victors divided the lands of the conquered between 

 themselves, and the province of Bolius fell to the lot 

 of the king of Sweden. 



Though Queen Sigrid might have had just reason to 

 complain of the brutal conduct of Olof Tryggweson, she 

 herself was not immaculate. It is related that when 

 pestered for her hand by a host of SDin-Kungar, or petty 

 kings, she, to get rid of her suitors, invited them to a 

 banquet, and, when they were overcome with wine, caused 

 fire to be set to the palace, where they were all consumed. 

 During the catastrophe she is said to have exclaimed, 

 " Thus will I treat all ' Sma-Kungar ' who presume to 

 pay their addresses to me ;" and hence her epithet of 

 " Storrada." 



But the glory of Kongelf, like all other sublunary 

 things, was destined to pass away. This was in the year 

 1135, during the reign of King Harald Gille, said to be 

 of Irish descent. " Extraordinary phenomena," we are 

 informed, '■' preceded the coming evil. On the night of 

 the first Sunday in Easter the inhabitants were roused 

 out of their sleep by unearthly sounds, by a strange 

 rustling in the air, and by noises resembling the march- 

 ing of an immense host of armed men. Half-naked, as 

 they were, the people rushed into the streets to ascertain 

 what was the matter, but no one could discover the cause 

 of alarm. The dogs howled and went mad, and those 

 bitten by them went mad also. These tokens, which 

 continued until Ascension Dav, were believed to forebode 

 some impending calamity ; and many, in consequence, 

 sold their property and removed elsewhere. Anders 



