第42章

(1) Danavirke.The Danish work was a wall of earth, stones, and wood, with a deep ditch in front, and a castle at every hundred fathoms, between the rivers Eider and Slien, constructed by Harald Blatand (Bluetooth) to oppose the progress of Charlemagne.Some traces of it still exist.

-- L.

25.OLAF TRYGVASON'S WAR EXPEDITION.

Olaf Trygvason had been all winter (A.D.980) in Vindland, as before related, and went the same winter to the baronies in Vindland which had formerly been under Queen Geira, but had withdrawn themselves from obedience and payment of taxes.There Olaf made war, killed many people, burnt out others, took much property, and laid all of them under subjection to him, and then went back to his castle.Early in spring Olaf rigged out his ships and set off to sea.He sailed to Skane and made a landing.

The people of the country assembled, and gave him battle; but King Olaf conquered, and made a great booty.He then sailed eastward to the island of Gotland, where he captured a merchant vessel belonging to the people of Jamtaland.They made a brave defence; but the end of it was that Olaf cleared the deck, killed many of the men, and took all the goods.He had a third battle in Gotland, in which he also gained the victory, and made a great booty.So says Halfred Vandredaskald: --"The king, so fierce in battle-fray, First made the Vindland men give way:

The Gotlanders must tremble next;

And Scania's shores are sorely vexed By the sharp pelting arrow shower The hero and his warriors pour;And then the Jamtaland men must fly, Scared by his well-known battle-cry."26.OTTA AND HAKON IN BATTLE.

The Emperor Otta assembled a great army from Saxland, Frakland, Frisland, and Vindland.King Burizleif followed him with a large army, and in it was his son-in-law, Olaf Trygvason.The emperor had a great body of horsemen, and still greater of foot people, and a great army from Holstein.Harald, the Danish king, sent Earl Hakon with the army of Northmen that followed him southwards to Danavirke, to defend his kingdom on that side.So it is told in the "Vellekla": --"Over the foaming salt sea spray The Norse sea-horses took their way, Racing across the ocean-plain Southwards to Denmark's green domain.

The gallant chief of Hordaland Sat at the helm with steady hand, In casque and shield, his men to bring From Dovre to his friend the king.

He steered his war-ships o'er the wave To help the Danish king to save Mordalf, who, with a gallant band Was hastening from the Jutes' wild land, Across the forest frontier rude, With toil and pain through the thick wood.

Glad was the Danish king, I trow, When he saw Hakon's galley's prow.

The monarch straightway gave command To Hakon, with a steel-clad band, To man the Dane-work's rampart stout, And keep the foreign foemen out."The Emperor Otta came with his army from the south to Danavirke, but Earl Hakon defended the rampart with his men.The Dane-work (Danavirke) was constructed in this way: -- Two fjords run into the land, one on each side; and in the farthest bight of these fjords the Danes had made a great wall of stone, turf, and timber, and dug a deep and broad ditch in front of it, and had also built a castle over each gate of it.There was a hard battle there, of which the "Vellekla" speaks: --"Thick the storm of arrows flew, Loud was the din, black was the view Of close array of shield and spear Of Vind, and Frank, and Saxon there.

But little recked our gallant men;

And loud the cry might be heard then Of Norway's brave sea-roving son --'On 'gainst the foe! On! Lead us on!"Earl Hakon drew up his people in ranks upon all the gate-towers of the wall, but the greater part of them he kept marching along the wall to make a defence wheresoever an attack was threatened.

Many of the emperor's people fell without making any impression on the fortification, so the emperor turned back without farther attempt at an assault on it.So it is said in the "Vellekla": --"They who the eagle's feast provide In ranked line fought side by side, 'Gainst lines of war-men under shieldsClose packed together on the fields, Earl Hakon drive by daring deeds The Saxons to their ocean-steeds;And the young hero saves from fall The Danavirke -- the people's wall."After this battle Earl Hakon went back to his ships, and intended to sail home to Norway; but he did not get a favourable wind, and lay for some time outside at Limafjord.

27.HARALD AND HAKON ARE BAPTIZED.

The Emperor Otta turned back with his troops to Slesvik, collected his ships of war, and crossed the fjord of Sle into Jutland.As soon as the Danish king heard of this he marched his army against him, and there was a battle, in which the emperor at last got the victory.The Danish king fled to Limafjord and took refuge in the island Marsey.By the help of mediators who went between the king and the emperor, a truce and a meeting between them were agreed on.The Emperor Otta and the Danish king met upon Marsey.There Bishop Poppo instructed King Harald in the holy faith; he bore red hot irons in his hands, and exhibited his unscorched hands to the king.Thereafter King Harald allowed himself to be baptized, and also the whole Danish army.King Harald, while he was in Marsey, had sent a message to Hakon that he should come to his succour; and the earl had just reached the island when the king had received baptism.The king sends word to the earl to come to him, and when they met the king forced the earl to allow himself also to be baptized.So Earl Hakon and all the men who were with him were baptized; and the king gave them priests and other learned men with them, and ordered that the earl should make all the people in Norway be baptized.On that they separated; and the earl went out to sea, there to wait for a wind.

28.HAKON RENOUNCES CHRISTIANITY.