Conversion of Olaf Tryggvaso7i 1 7 5 



married at this time Gyda, the sister of the Norse king 

 of Dublin, Olaf Quaran. At first Olaf Trypgvason 

 plundered wherever he could the territory of the Chris- 

 tians, and passed south to the Scillies ; and at this 

 time a curious circumstance led to his conversion to 

 Christianity. 



News was broucrht to him of a certain hermit, a 

 Christian, who had wonderful knowledge of the future. 

 Olaf, to try him, dressed up one of his men, the hand- 

 somest and stoutest among his bodyguard, and told him 

 to go to the hermit and represent himself as King Olaf, 

 for, says the Saga-writer, King Olaf was known in all 

 countries as handsomer, stronger, and braver than other 

 men. But tlie holy man was not deceived. ' Thou art 

 not the king,' he said, ' but I advise thee to remain 

 faithful to thy king.' After this proof of the seer's 

 knowledge, Olaf himself consulted him; and the hermit 

 admonished the Norse king to abandon his heathen 

 faith, at the same time giving a further proof of his 

 inspiration by foretelling an event which happened a 

 few days later. 



The same story is told of Totila, the Goth, who 

 visited St. Benedict on Monte Cassino; therefore it 

 may be apocryphal here. But what is certain is that 

 Olaf Tryggvason became a much more zealous Christian 

 than any of the preceding rulers in Norway. Hakon 

 the Good had been a Christian, and had made some 

 attempt at the conversion of Norway. The sons of 

 Gunhild even were nominally Christians, though their 

 faith was of a very lukewarm sort. Olaf's was of a 

 very different description. His proceedings, if the 

 accounts in the Saga are to be believed, were sometimes 



