Battle at Fr cedar berg 159 



brought up by the Finns, was really the sister of King 

 Harald of Denmark, and that this accounts for the fact 

 that Harald became foster-father to her son Harald. 

 He generally assisted Gunhild's sons with troops and 

 ships when they made their attacks upon Norway. 

 And it would seem that when they finally attained 

 the crown of Norway they ruled in a certain degree 

 as vassals of the Danish king. 



The second serious attempt was made in the twenty- 

 first year of Hakon's reign. The king was then staying 

 on the island of Frtedo, near the more modern Christian- 

 sund, and had with him only his personal bodyguard 

 and some of the neighbouring bonders, whom he had 

 bidden to the house. News was brought that Erik's 

 sons lay with a fleet just to the south of Stad, the 

 most westerly point of the Norse mainland. Hakon 

 sent round the war-token (a split arrow), and hastily 

 collected a small force and fleet; then he set sail to 

 meet the fleet of Erik's sous. The two fleets ap- 

 proached, and landed their men at two opposite sides 

 of the promontory of Frsedarberg, which lies at the 

 entrance of the Sundal Fjord. Hakon had but nine 

 ships' crews and Erik's sons had tw^enty. But the 

 battle was won for the reigning king by a device of 

 the Nestor of his army, a certain old soldier Egil, wlio 

 had fouuht under Harald Fairhair. The device was one 

 which any one familiar with the uneven character of the 

 Norwegian ground will best appreciate. In the thickest 

 of the fight the army of Erik's sons, turning round, 

 saw advancing to near the crest of a low hill twelve 

 standards which, from their spacing and alignment, 

 clearly betokened the advance of another troop of 



