Conversion of Olaf 1 8 1 



man who, for a long time, had a close connection with 

 the "Western Islands. There were several Olafs kings 

 of Ireland. One of them, Olaf Quaran by name, was 

 said to have been the brother-in-law of our Olaf. 

 Christianity had taken a pretty firm hold upon the 

 Norsemen of the west by this time. The first Christian 

 Scandinavian king in England had been the Guthorm, 

 of the baptism at Wed more, the rival of Alfred, who 

 had been converted 130 years earlier. 



There had been a Christian king in ISTorthumbria 

 before the end of the ninth century. We know that 

 though the Orkney earls had not yet become Christians, 

 Erik's sons had taken up the new faith while in the 

 West. There was nothing strange, therefore, in this 

 Olaf from the West beins: a Christian of a sort. But 

 Olaf Tryggvason is distinguished from his contem- 

 poraries by the zeal with which he adhered to the new 

 faith. 



He is a romantic figure. Tall, strong, and handsome 

 beyond all Norsemen of his day, with the kingly attri- 

 bute of beautiful fair hair, which was supposed to prove 

 him to be of the frenuine Ynsrlino; race ; he became 

 celebrated amon^f the Scandinavian nations longr before 

 he was called to become a candidate for the Norwegian 

 throne. Not only was he a mighty and approved man 

 of war, but he was superior to all men in those athletic 

 exercises — swimming, climbing, running, skating, or 

 'ske-ing,' — running on snow-shoes — and spear-throwing, 

 in which the Norsemen took such delight. He is said 

 to have scaled the precipitous Hornelen, and placed 

 his shield upon the summit. 



Olaf came into Norway with the fixed determination 



