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The Egil's Saga on Eric Bloodaxe

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 36 - Of Eric Bloodaxe and Thorolf.

attribution: Eric promised Thorolf his friendship in exchange for the ship gift

"Take it I will,' said Eric, 'and thou wilt deem it but poor payment therefor though I should offer thee my friendship; but this thou mayest look for if I live.'"

attestation: Eric Bloodaxe held oversight in Hordaland and the Firths, maintaining a body-guard

"Eric Bloodaxe now took a share in the realm. He held oversight in Hordaland and the Firths; he took and kept about him a body-guard."
attestation: Eric led an expedition to Bjarmaland where Thorolf served as his standard-bearer in the forecastle

"Eric Bloodaxe made ready to go to Bjarmaland, and chose him much people for that voyage. Thorolf betook him to this voyage with Eric, and was in the forecastle of his ship, and bare his standard."
attestation: Eric won a great battle by the river Dvina in Bjarmaland

"Eric had a great battle by the river Dvina in Bjarmaland, wherein he won the victory"
relationship: Eric took Gunnhilda daughter of Auzur Toti as his wife during the Bjarmaland voyage

"in that voyage he took Gunnhilda, daughter of Auzur Toti, and brought her home with him. Gunnhilda was above all women beautiful and shrewd, and of magic cunning."

attestation: Eric Bloodaxe gave Thorolf a gold-mounted axe as a gift for Skallagrim at their parting

"the king delivered to Thorolf an axe, which he said he wished to give to Skallagrim. The axe was snag-horned, large, gold-mounted, the haft overlaid with silver"

attestation: Eric and Gunnhilda arrived at Atla-isle for a banquet with a sacrifice to guardian spirits

"King Eric and queen Gunnhilda came that same evening to Atla-isle, and Bard had prepared there a banquet for the king; and there was to be there a sacrifice to the guardian spirits."
attribution: The king ordered Aulvir's party brought into the hall when he learned Thorir's men were present

"'Go after them at once, and call them in hither.'"
attribution: Eric ordered all ships and boats on the island seized and a morning search to find and kill Egil

"The king bade his men go with all speed and seize every ship or boat on the island. 'But in the morning,' said he, 'when it is light, we must search all the island and slay the man.'"

attestation: Bergonund had become a close friend of king Eric and even more intimate with Gunnhilda

"Onund was become a close friend of king Eric, but was on even more intimate terms with Gunnhilda."
attribution: King Eric warned that Arinbjorn had long advocated Egil's cause and he would not tolerate assaults on his friends

"He has had this grace through thee, that I have let him be here in the land; but now shall I think it too much to bear if thou back him in his assaults on my friends."

attestation: King Eric attended the Thing with a large following including Bergonund and his brothers

"King Eric was there numerously attended. Bergonund was among his train, as were his brothers; there was a large following."

attestation: King Eric's wrath burned hot at Egil's final words at the Thing and he bade his men pursue by ship

"King Eric heard the concluding words of Egil that he spake last at the Thing, and his wrath waxed hot."
attribution: Eric ordered his men to take Egil's life and spare no one who stood up for him

"we will take Egil's life if we get the chance, and spare no man who shall stand up for him."
attestation: Eric pursued Arinbjorn's fleet northward and caught up with Arinbjorn's ship in Sheeping-sound

"he came up with Arinbjorn's ship in the inner part of Sheeping-sound."
attestation: The king's men captured and burned Egil's merchant ship and killed ten of his men left behind

"those of Egil's men who had been left behind, and not leapt into the cutter, were all slain who could be caught, but some escaped to land. Ten men of Egil's followers were lost there."

attestation: Eric slew his brothers Olaf and Sigurd at Tunsberg one year after Harold's death

"these two, his brothers, Eric slew at Tunsberg, one year after king Harold's death."
attestation: Eric made Egil an outlaw throughout Norway before departing for war

"before king Eric rowed forth to this war, he made Egil an outlaw through all Norway, and free for any man to slay."

attestation: King Eric ruled Norway one year before Hacon Athelstan's foster-son came from England to claim the throne

"King Eric ruled over Norway one year after the death of his father king Harold, before Hacon Athelstan's foster-son, another son of Harold, came out of the west from England"
attestation: Egil learned that king Eric and Gunnhilda governed Northumberland from the town of York and Arinbjorn was with them

"king Eric Bloodaxe was there and Gunnhilda, and they had the government of the province, and Eric was but a short way up the country in the town of York."
attribution: The king recognized Egil and demanded to know how he dared come before him

"How wert thou so bold, Egil, that thou daredst to come before me? Thy last parting from me was such that of life thou couldst have from me no hope."
attribution: Eric declared Egil's crimes too many and great to let him leave alive

"I need not to count the crimes on thy hands, for they are so many and great that each one might well warrant that thou go not hence alive."
attribution: Eric agreed that Egil should live the night and be brought before him in the morning

"Egil shall live this night. Take thou him home with thee, and bring him to me in the morning."

attestation: The refrain celebrated Eric's name and fame won through battle

"Glory and fame Gat Eric's name."
attestation: The poem described Eric's scourging of Scotland and feeding of ravens and wolves

"Scotland's scourge let feed Wolf, the Ogress' steed: For erne of downtrod dead Dainty meal was spread."

attribution: Eric gave Egil his head but warned he must never come before Eric or his sons again

"I give thee now thy head this time for this reason, that thou camest freely into my power. I will do no dastardly deed on thee; yet know thou this for sure, that this is no reconciliation with me or my sons"

attestation: Eric Bloodaxe fell in the west while freebooting, and Gunnhilda and their children went to Denmark

"Eric Bloodaxe had fallen in the west while freebooting; but Gunnhilda and her sons and Eric's had gone to Denmark"