The Heimskringla on Harald Gille

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 34. Harald Gille Comes To Norway.

• attestation: Harald walked barefoot over nine glowing ploughshares attended by two bishops -- the greatest ordeal ever made in Norway -- and his feet were found unburnt three days later.

  "nine glowing plowshares were laid down, and Harald went over them with bare feet, attended by two bishops.

Three days after the iron trial the ordeal was taken to proof, and the feet were found unburnt."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 35. Race Between Magnus And Harald Gille.

• attestation: Harald Gille was tall, slender, dark-haired with black eyes, quick and brisk, and wore short light Irish-style clothing.

  "Harald Gille was a tall, slender-grown man, of a long neck and face, black eyes, and dark hair, brisk and quick, and wore generally the Irish dress of short light clothes."

• attestation: Harald struggled with the Norse language, producing words that many laughed at.

  "The Norse language was difficult for Harald, and he brought out words which many laughed at."

• attestation: While drunk, Harald claimed men in Ireland were so swift no horse could overtake them; Magnus called him a liar and wagered his gold ring against Harald's head.

  "Magnus, the king's son, heard this, and said, "Now he is lying, as he usually does."

Harald replies, "It is true that there are men in Ireland whom no horse in Norway could overtake.""

• attestation: Harald dressed in Irish running gear -- shirt, trousers with foot-ribands, short cloak, hat, and spear-shaft -- for the race against Magnus's swift Gautland horse.

  "He had on a shirt and trousers which were bound with ribands under his foot-soles, a short cloak, an Irish hat on his head, and a spear-shaft in his hand."

• attestation: In the first race Harald kept pace with the horse; Magnus accused him of holding the saddle-girth. In the second, Harald ran the whole course before the horse.

  "They began the race again, and Harald ran the whole race-course before the horse."

• attestation: In the decisive third race, Magnus let his horse breathe, then galloped at full speed while Harald stood still -- yet Harald ran past and lay down waiting before Magnus arrived.

  "Then Harald ran quickly past the horse, and came to the end of the course so long before him that he lay down, and got up and saluted Magnus as he came in."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 36. Of Sigurd'S Swimming.

• attestation: Harald Gille was present on the king's ship during this incident, noted in the forecastle with Svein Rimhildson nearby.

  "Harald Gille was in the forecastle of the king's ship, and Svein Rimhildson, a son of Knut Sveinson of Jadar, had his berth the next before him."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 37. Of Harald And Svein Rimhildson.

• attestation: Harald rushed to the ship and struck Svein with a pole-axe, severely wounding his hands, then fled ashore.

  "Harald, who went immediately out to the ship, to the aft part of the forecastle, and with a pole-axe struck Svein so that he received a severe wound on his hands"

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 1. Magnus And Harald Proclaimed Kings.

• attestation: Harald Gille was pleasing, gay, full of mirth, and so generous he spared nothing for his friends, willingly listening to good advice

  "Harald Gille, on the other hand, was very pleasing in intercourse, gay, and full of mirth; and so generous that he spared in nothing for the sake of his friends. He willingly listened to good advice"

• attestation: Harald was chosen king of half the country at the Hauga Thing in Tunsberg, calling his earlier oath to renounce his heritage a forced oath

  "At this Thing, Harald was chosen king of half the country, and it was called a forced oath which had been taken from him to renounce his paternal heritage."

• relationship: King Harald had a son called Sigurd by Thora, daughter of Guthorm Grabarde

  "King Harald had a son called Sigurd, by Thora, a daughter of Guthorm Grabarde."

• relationship: Harald married Ingerid, daughter of Ragnvald, who was son of the Swedish King Inge Steinkelson

  "King Harald afterwards married Ingerid, a daughter of Ragnvald, who was a son of the Swedish King Inge Steinkelson."

• attestation: Harald was in Tunsberg when he heard of King Sigurd's death and called his friends to a meeting there

  "Harald was in Tunsberg when he heard of his brother King Sigurd's death. He called together his friends to a meeting, and it was resolved to hold the Hauga Thing (1) there in the town."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 2. Of The Forces Of Harald And Magnus.

• attestation: After three years of joint rule (1131-1133), Magnus and Harald spent their fourth winter in Nidaros, their people always ready to fight

  "When the two relations, Harald and Magnus, had been about three years kings of Norway (A.D. 1131-1133), they both passed the fourth winter (A.D. 1134) in the town of Nidaros, and invited each other as guests; but their people were always ready for a fight."

• attestation: Harald went to the Uplands and eastward to Viken gathering his own forces, while both sides killed cattle and people on opposing farms

  "Harald went to the Uplands, and by the upper roads eastwards to Viken; and when he heard what King Magnus was doing, he also drew together men on his side. Wheresoever the two parties went they killed the cattle, or even the people, upon the farms of the adverse party."

• attestation: Harald had with him Kristrod, his maternal half-brother, and many lendermen, but Magnus had far more men since the main strength of the country was open to him

  "King Harald had with him Kristrod, his brother by his mother's side, and many other lendermen; but King Magnus had many more."

• attestation: Harald ordered his men to arms, saying they would fight if Magnus wanted to fight them

  "Then King Harald stood up, and ordered his men to take their arms. "We shall fight, if our relative King Magnus wants to fight us.""

• attestation: Harald wore two shirts of ring-mail while his brother Kristrod had no armour on, described as a gallant man

  "King Harald had on two shirts of ring-mail, but his brother Kristrod had no armour on; and a gallant man he was."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 3. Battle At Fyrileif.

• attestation: After Kristrod's fall, Harald's army fled; Ingemar Sveinson of Ask and nearly sixty court-men fell, and Harald fled east to his ships

  "After this King Harald's army took to flight, and he fled himself, with all his men. Many fell; and Ingemar Sveinson of Ask, a great chief and lenderman, got there his death-wound, and nearly sixty of King Harald's court-men also fell."

• attestation: Harald fled to King Eirik Eimune in Denmark, who gave him Halland as a fief and seven unequipped long-ships because they had sworn brotherhood

  "went out of the country to King Eirik Eimune in Denmark, and found him in Seeland and sought aid from him. King Eirik received him well, and principally because they had sworn to each other to be as brothers"

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 13. Of King Harald Gille And Bishop Magnus.

• attestation: King Harald Gille was very generous, exemplified by his treatment of Bishop Magnus Einarson from Iceland who came to be consecrated.

  "King Harald Gille was a very generous man."

• attestation: When the bishop came to say farewell, the king's treasury was empty of valuable gifts, so he gave his own drinking goblet.

  "The king said, "Here is a drinking goblet remaining; take this, bishop; it is not without value.""

• attestation: The king shamed the queen into giving her costly cloth-covered cushion, then gave his own cushion too, saying 'They have long been together.'

  "The king: "Thou hast the cushion under thee."

Thereupon this, which was covered with costly cloth, and was a valuable article, was given to the bishop. When the bishop was going away the king took the cushion from under himself and gave it him, saying, "They have long been together.""

• attestation: The costly cloth from the cushions was made into choristers' cloaks still preserved at Skalholt, demonstrating the lasting impact of Harald's generosity.

  "of the costly cloth with which the cushions given him by the king were covered, were made the choristers' cloaks which are now in Skalholt."

• attestation: The queen's reluctance to give without being prompted showed that Harald held higher standards of royal generosity than those around him.

  "The king said to her, "When did you ever hear a noble lady say so to a bishop without giving him something?""

• attestation: The king rebuked the queen for simply saying farewell to a bishop without offering a gift, asking when she had ever heard a noble lady do so.

  ""When did you ever hear a noble lady say so to a bishop without giving him something?"

She replies, "Sire, what have I to give him?""

• attestation: The treasurer confirmed all articles of value had been given away, showing Harald's liberality had exhausted the royal stores.

  "The treasurer replies, "Sire, as far as I know, all articles of any value are given away.""

• attestation: Bishop Magnus arrived when tables had been removed and no suitable gifts were at hand, yet the king improvised by giving personal possessions.

  ""You come to us just now at a bad time; for the tables are just removed, and there is nothing at hand suitable to present to you. What is there to give the bishop?""

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 14. Beginning Of Sigurd Slembidjakn.

• attestation: King Harald Gille's friends dismissed the iron ordeal as a lie and deception by the Danes.

  "King Harald Gille's friends, however, said this was only a lie, and deceit of the Danes."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 16. Of Sigurd Slembe.

• attestation: Instead of acknowledging Sigurd, Harald accused him of involvement in killing Thorkel Fostre in the West, who had been one of Harald's best friends.

  "the king laid an accusation against Sigurd, because he had been at the killing of Thorkel Fostre in the West. Thorkel had accompanied Harald to Norway when he first came to the country, and had been one of Harald's best friends."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 17. Treachery Towards King Harald.

• attestation: On Saint Lucia's day (December 13), two conspirators at the king's table used a wager about where the king would sleep to discover he would be with Thora, not Queen Ingerid.

  "one of them said to the king, "Sire, we two table-companions submit our dispute to your judgment, having made a wager of a basket of honey to him who guesses right. I say that you will sleep this night with your Queen Ingerid; and he says that you will sleep with Thora, Guthorm's daughter.""

• attestation: The king answered laughing without suspecting treachery, inadvertently revealing his sleeping location while the main guard was stationed at the queen's house.

  "The king answered laughing, and without suspecting in the least that there lay treachery under the question, that he who had asked had lost his bet."

• attestation: The conspirators thus learned the main guard would be in the wrong place, since most expected the king to sleep with the queen.

  "the main guard was without the house in which most people thought the king would sleep, viz., that which the queen was in."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 18. Murder Of King Harald.

• attestation: The drunk, sleeping Harald awoke under the blows and murmured 'Thou art treating me hardly, Thora,' thinking his concubine had struck him.

  "he said in his sleep, "Thou art treating me hardly, Thora." She sprang up, saying, "They are treating thee hardly who love thee less than I do.""

• attestation: King Harald's body was buried in the old Christ church.

  "King Harald was buried in the old Christ church."

Heimskringla > part in the government with his brother Hardaknut. In the same autumn > 1. History Of Kings Sigurd And Inge.

• attestation: The whole nation swore that kingly power would go to no other man as long as any of King Harald's sons lived, considering their father holy.

  "the country took the oath to them, that the kingly power should not go to any other man as long as any of King Harald's sons were alive."