272 Norivay and the Norzvegians 



Magnus was taken prisoner, blinded, and placed in 

 a convent. This is a proceeding most common in 

 mediaeval history, the blinding of an unsuccessful rival, 

 and imprisoning him in a convent. It constantly 

 occurs in the history of the Visigoths of Spain, and 

 of the Franks in France ; but, strange to say, it is a 

 new feature in the history of Norway, and is worth 

 noting on that account. For one thing Norway was 

 only beginning to possess religious houses. Nobody 

 had built more of them than Olaf Kyrri. 



Harald Gilli presents all the characteristics of a 

 mere adventurer. As has already been said, he had 

 never been recognised by his putative father; why 

 Sigurd Jorsalafari recognised him it is difficult to 

 understand. Nevertheless, as we see, he was supported 

 by the strongest party among the lendermen. It may 

 have been that Magnus, Sigurd's son, was personally 

 unpopular, and that Harald was personally liked ; 

 there was much of the jovial, reckless Irishman in his 

 composition. But it is probable that the chief reason 

 of the lendermen for supporting him was that they 

 felt that with this stranger on the Norwegian throne 

 they would have more weight in the commonwealth 

 than under an undoubted descendant of St. Olaf. 



The man who profits by a state of disturbance in a 

 country may expect others also to take advantage of it. 

 There arose before long in the district l)ordering on 

 Sweden, a new claimant, a deacon by profession, by 

 character a brave but turbulent, unscrupulous man, 

 little fitted for the clerical profession. His name 

 was Sigurd, and he got the nickname of Slemhidjahi, 

 ur the I'ud Deacon, He claimed to be, like Harald 



