2 1 8 Norway and the Norwegians 



fifth year of his reign brought about a relapse towards 

 heathenism. The famine was attributed to the answer 

 of the old gods for the conversion of the extreme north 

 of the country, the part which liad till then remained 

 true to them. But Olaf exerted himself successfully 

 to stamp out this reactionary movement. 



Olaf had wide-reaching plans ; but he was somewhat 

 rash, and not always perfectly honest. He sent 

 messages of friendship to the outlying western islands, 

 which had been always considered in some sort of way 

 dependencies of the Norwegian crown, but most of 

 which were practically independent. The Orkneys he 

 had got himself acknowledged over-lord of. But Thor- 

 finn, one of two claimants to the earldom, before long 

 disposed of his rival Kognvald ; he was not a man to 

 remain in a state of dependence so soon as he should 

 have firmly established himself. This Thorfinn is a 

 striking figure in the history of the Earls of Orkney, 

 whom, had we space, it would be pleasant to speak of 

 at greater length. 



The Faroes were a small group, little able to with- 

 stand the power of Norway, and Olaf managed in a 

 friendly way to entice some of the leading men of the 

 islands to his court. When he had them there he 

 retained them, in effect as hostages, till the islands 

 accepted the Norwegian law, and agreed to pay ' skatt ' 

 to Norway. Olaf tried the same wiles upon Iceland. 

 He invited all the most conspicuous Icelanders over to 

 Norway. But these were too cunning to comply. They 

 sent their sons instead. These in their turn were kept 

 by Olaf practically as hostages. One of them. Stein, 

 killed the king's bailiff, who sought to hinder him from 



