lOo James Christian Lindbci'^ 



NOTES 



PAGE NOTE 



4 1. Hlade. The location of Hakon's palace, and during the eighteen 

 years of his rule the political center of Norwa}'. 



4 2. Harahi Graafcld. King of Norway 950-963. Through the schem- 



ing of Hakon he was lured down to Denmark where he was killed 

 by Guldharald who aspired to the kingship of Norway. His 

 nickname Graafeld means Gray-skin. The circumstance of his 

 getting the name is as follows : A trader had brought a ship- 

 load of furs. One day he complained to the king that he was 

 unable to sell his merchandise. The King asked the trader to 

 present him with a fur. When the request was granted, the king 

 put on the fur, and all his men to imitate their king bought furs 

 until the whole cargo was sold. 



5 3. Tlicre are sixteen others. "Was there ever a land and sixteen 



earls so under one ruler?" — Einar's Vellekla, v. 29. 



Olaf Trygveson. See Introductory Note. 



Hakon Jarl. See Introductory Note. 



TJior. Next to Odin, his father, Thor was the principal god of 



Norse mythology. The Roman Mars. The hammer was his 



destructive weapon. 

 7 7. There were twelve chief gods, or Aesir (dwelling in Asgard), 



besides Odin (the 'All-Father'), viz.: Thor, Baldur, Niord, Frey, 



Ty or Tyr, Bragi, Htimdal, llod, Vidar, Ull, Forsetti, and Loki 



or Lopt. 

 ~ 8. Frigga. The goddess of love and wife of Odin. 

 7 9. Freia or Freya. As Frigga also the goddess of love. She was 



the daughter of Niord, and to her belonged one-half of all who 



were slain in battle. 

 9 10. As late thou didst thy zi-it. The reference is to the successful 



trading expedition from which Thorer has just returned. 



10 11. Eivind Skaldaspildcr. Hakon's court-poet. Spilder (Spillir) 



means 'robber' or 'spoiler.' Some authorities think that he re- 

 ceived this nickname because he eclipsed all other poets, hence 

 "spoiled' them; others contend that he was a great plagiarist, that 

 he 'robbed' other poets and hence was called the 'poet-spoiler.' 

 ■'The line here quoted from Eivind is not found in wdiat is left 

 of this poet's works." — Liebenberg. ■ 



11 12. Ki)ig of Dublin. Oehlenschlaeger is not always true to actual 



history. Olaf was not king of Dublin, but that king's son-in-law. 



11 13. Harald Fairhair (Haarfager). King of Norway 860-930; son of 

 Halfdan the Black. Harald was Olaf's great-grandfather. 



11 14. Daiievirkc, 'Danes' work.' This was an ancient entrencliment 

 erected by King Gottrik in the 9th century as a protection to 

 Denmark against invasion from the South. It is often referred 

 to as the 'Wall,' or the 'Bulwark,' of the North. 



11 15. To Harald's aid. Flarald BJaatand, the son of Gorm, king of 

 Denmark 935-985. After the death of Harald Haarfager. he was 

 also ruler in Norway. He was forced by the German Emperor, 

 Otho I, to accept Christianity. 



11 16. The lineage of Harald. This refers to Harald Fairhair. 



12 17. A ransonied th.rall. See note 27 below. 



138 



