Hakon the Good 153 



master of the country as Harald Fairhair had been, 

 Athelstan furnished Hakon with a fleet and with troops 

 in order that he might prosecute his claim of succession 

 to a portion, at any rate, of the kingdom. Hakon sailed 

 to the Throndhjem district, and there the people at once 

 rose in his favour. 



The Throndhjem people were brought over to Hakon's 

 side chiefly by the promises which the new-comer held 

 out, that he would restore to them their old freehold 

 tenure. There was a very powerful family who ruled 

 as earls of the Throndhjem district ; the earls of Lade 

 they were generally called. Lade (Hladir) their estate 

 lay close to where the town of Throndhjem now stands. 

 The representative of the family at this moment was 

 Earl Sigurd, and he declared himself for King Hakon. 

 The defection of the Throndhjem people was followed 

 by that of the people of what were called the Uplands, 

 that is to say, the eastern part of Norway. The people 

 of the Vik district followed suit, so that now Erik's 

 kingdom was confined to the fjord district in the centre. 

 Finding himself no match for his younger brother, Erik 

 at last abandoned this also, set sail westward, and even- 

 tually became king of Northumbria, as a vassal of King 

 Athelstan. It is said that he became a Christian there, 

 but that seems doubtful. Erik's wife, Gunhild, at any 

 rate, could hardly have done so, for we have quoted from 

 the remains of that beautiful poem or dirge, composed 

 by command of his widow after the death of King Erik, 

 in which it is described how Odin makes preparation 

 for the coming to his halls of this mighty warrior. 



Though Erik thus continued his adventurous career 

 in the west, after he had left his native country, he 



