The Heimskringla on Hrorek

Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 34. Kings In The Upland Districts.

• attestation: King Hrorek acknowledged that Harald Harfager's kingdom had decayed, with no heir as supreme king, but argued the people had experienced many different rulers.

  "True it is that Harald Harfager's kingdom has gone to decay, none of his race being supreme king over Norway."

• attestation: Hrorek recounted that King Hakon Athelstan's-foster-son satisfied everyone, but Gunhild's sons were so tyrannical people preferred foreign kings who left them self-governing.

  "When King Hakon, Athelstan's foster-son, was king, all were content; but when Gunhild's sons ruled over the country, all were so weary of their tyranny and injustice that they would rather have foreign men as kings"

• attestation: Hrorek recalled that Earl Hakon gained power with the people's help against the Danish king but became so overbearing that the Throndhjem people killed him.

  "the people encouraged Earl Hakon to keep the country, and defend it with sword and spear against the Danish king. But when he had set himself fast in the kingdom with the help of the people, he became so hard and overbearing towards the country-folks, that they would no longer suffer him. The Throndhjem people killed him"

• attestation: Hrorek criticized Olaf Trygvason for being unreasonable with small kings, levying more scat than Harald Harfager, and not allowing freedom of religion.

  "With us small kings he was so unreasonable, as to take to himself not only all the scat and duties which Harald Harfager had levied from us, but a great deal more. The people at last had so little freedom under him, that it was not allowed to every man to believe in what god he pleased."

• attestation: Hrorek declared himself content with the status quo under Danish oversight, receiving help when needed and ruling in peace without overburden.

  "I am therefore content that things be as they are, for I do not see what better rights I am to enjoy by one of my relations ruling over the country"

• attestation: Hrorek noted that all the people rose together against the Jomsborg vikings when enmity arose between the Danish king Harald and Earl Hakon.

  "When enmity arose between the Danish king Harald and Earl Hakon, the Jomsborg vikings made an expedition against Norway; then the whole people arose, and threw the hostilities from themselves"

• attestation: Hrorek refused to take part in Olaf Haraldson's enterprise, seeing no benefit in having a kinsman rule if his own position would not improve.

  "if I am to be no better off, I will take no part in the affair."

Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 73. Treachery Of The Upland Kings.

• attestation: Hrorek was considered the most eminent for understanding among the Upland kings at that time.

  "King Hrorek, who was the most eminent for understanding of the kings who at that time were in the country"

• attestation: Hrorek reminded them he had warned at the Hadaland meeting that making Olaf supreme would prove dangerous.

  "Now is the day come that I foretold when we had had our meeting at Hadaland, and ye were all so eager to raise Olaf over our heads"

• attestation: Hrorek presented two options: submit completely to Olaf's will, or rise against him before he progressed further.

  "We have but two things now to do: the one is, to go all of us to him, and let him do with us as he likes, which I think is the best thing we can do; or the other is, to rise against him before he has gone farther through the country"

• attestation: Hrorek noted that Olaf's force of 300-400 men was not too large for the combined kings to face, but warned that joint command usually produces worse results than a single leader.

  "Although he has 300 or 400 men, that is not too great a force for us to meet, if we are only all in movement together; but, in general, there is less success and advantage to be gained when several of equal strength are joined together"

• attestation: Hrorek ultimately advised against confronting Olaf directly.

  "therefore it is my advice, that we do not venture to try our luck against Olaf Haraldson"

• attestation: Hrorek insisted they must all remain assembled together day and night to prevent defection, distrusting promises if they dispersed.

  "if ye determine upon attacking Olaf at a fixed time, when he comes here to Hedemark, I will not trust much to you if some are north in the valleys, others up in Hedemark"

• attestation: The five kings summoned lendermen and powerful bondes from all surrounding districts, each king agreeing to bring 360 men.

  "it was settled among them that each of the kings should have 300 (1) men"

Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 74. Mutilating Of The Upland Kings.

• attestation: King Olaf captured all the conspirator kings and punished them: he blinded Hrorek, cut out Gudrod's tongue, and banished Ring and two others.

  "The kings had not people enough to make resistance, but were all taken prisoners, and led before the king. Hrorek was an able but obstinate man"

• attestation: Hrorek had both his eyes punched out because Olaf could not trust his fidelity.

  "Hrorek was an able but obstinate man, whose fidelity the king could not trust to if he made peace with him; therefore he ordered both his eyes to be punched out"

Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 82. Of King Hrorek'S Treachery.

• attestation: The blinded King Hrorek was kept beside King Olaf in the high-seat and maintained in equal comfort to his former status.

  "the king gave him two men to serve him, let him sit in the high-seat by his side, and kept him in meat and clothes in no respect Norse than he had kept himself before"

• attestation: Hrorek habitually beat his servant boys when taken for walks alone, then complained to Olaf about their service.

  "It was his custom to make his footboy, when he went out in the daytime, lead him away from people, and then to beat the lad until he ran away"

• attestation: Hrorek privately manipulated Svein by appealing to family honor and urging revenge against the man who took his kingdom.

  "It is hardest of all," says he, "that thou and my other relations, who ought to be men of bravery, are so degenerated that thou wilt not avenge the shame and disgrace brought upon our race"

• attestation: Hrorek convinced Svein to participate in an assassination plot against King Olaf despite his blindness.

  "I, a blind man, may conquer them as well as they conquered me when I was asleep. Come then, let us kill this thick Olaf"

• attestation: Hrorek's moods swung between prolonged silence, bitter speech, and convivial drinking that left all his companions drunk.

  "Sometimes he would sit silent for days together, so that no man could get a word out of him; and sometimes he was so merry and gay, that people found a joke in every word he said"

Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 84. Murder Of Olaf'S Court-Men.

• attestation: Hrorek lured his two guards outside using a ruse in the privy yard, where both were killed.

  "when they came out upon the steps both of them were killed: the man who went out the last was the first killed"

• attestation: Twelve of Hrorek's men, including his banner-man Sigurd Hit and Fin the Little, escaped with the king by boat.

  "There were twelve of Hrorek's men there, and among them Sigurd Hit, who had been his banner-man, and also little Fin. They drew the dead bodies up between the houses, took the king with them, ran out to a boat they had in readiness, and rowed away"

• attestation: A gash cut into a tree stump was used as a ruse to lure Hrorek's guards out of the privy building.

  "a great stump of a tree in which clearly a gash had been cut, which, as was afterwards known, had been done as a stratagem to entice those out who had been killed"

• attestation: Hrorek's men fled ashore while Hrorek remained seated in the stern, bidding his men farewell and wishing for better luck.

  "Hrorek and his men turned towards the land, and all sprang on shore except the king, who sat on the aft seat. He bade them farewell, and wished they might meet each other again in better luck"

Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 85. Of Hrorek'S Assault.

• attestation: Hrorek sat next to King Olaf in the choir and felt the king's shoulder to determine if he wore armor.

  "There Hrorek sat next to the king, and concealed his countenance in his upper cloak. When Olaf had seated himself Hrorek laid his hand on the king's shoulder, and felt it"

• attestation: Hrorek expressed incomprehension about Christ's ascension to heaven, finding many Christian teachings incredible.

  "I understand nothing about it so as to hold in my mind what ye tell me about Christ. Much of what ye tell me appears to me incredible"

• attestation: When Olaf bowed before the altar with his cloak hanging behind his shoulders, Hrorek struck at him with a ryting knife.

  "King Hrorek started up hastily and sharply, and struck at the king with a long knife of the kind called ryting"

• attestation: Hrorek taunted the fleeing Olaf by calling out whether he was running from a blind man.

  "Art thou flying, Olaf, from me, a blind men"

• attestation: Hrorek's purpose in touching Olaf's shoulder was revealed to have been checking whether the king wore armor.

  "It was to feel if King Olaf had armour on or not that Hrorek had laid his hand on the king's shoulder"

• attestation: Hrorek struck again with the knife but missed as Olaf sprang upon the floor.

  "Hrorek struck at him again with the knife, but did not reach him"

Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 86. King Hrorek'S Journey To Iceland.

• attestation: Hrorek stayed with Thorgils over winter but was unhappy and requested transfer to Gudmund at Modruveller, who received him kindly.

  "Thorgils received these in a friendly way, and invited King Hrorek to his house, where he stayed all winter. But he did not like being there, and begged that Thorgils would let him go to Gudmund"

• attestation: After being unhappy at Gudmund's estate too, Hrorek was given a small farm called Kalfskin where he said he felt most respected.

  "Gudmund gave him a habitation upon a small farm called Kalfskin, where there were but few neighbours. There Hrorek passed the third winter, and said that since he had laid down his kingdom he thought himself most comfortably situated here"

• attestation: Hrorek fell sick and died the following summer, said to be the only king whose bones rest in Iceland.

  "The summer after Hrorek fell sick, and died; and it is said he is the only king whose bones rest in Iceland"