The Heimskringla on Thorgils Halmason
Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 222. Of Thorgils Halmason.
- attestation: Thorgils Halmason, father of Grim the Good, dwelt at Stiklestad farm and offered to fight alongside King Olaf in the coming battle.
"A bonde, by name Thorgils Halmason, father to Grim the Good, dwelt in Stiklestad farm. Thorgils offered the king his assistance, and was ready to go into battle with him."
Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 249. A Miracle On A Blind Man.
attestation: Thorgils Halmason and his son Grim retrieved King Olaf's corpse from the battlefield at dusk and carried it to a small empty hut on the far side of their farm.
"Thorgils Halmason and his son Grim went to the field of battle towards evening when it was dusk, took King Olaf's corpse up, and bore it to a little empty houseman's hut which stood on the other side of their farm."
attestation: They stripped the king's body, swathed it in linen, and concealed it under firewood inside the hut so nobody would find it.
"they took the clothes off the body, swathed it in a linen cloth, laid it down in the house, and concealed it under some firewood so that nobody could see it"
attestation: Thorgils and Grim had brought light and water with them when they prepared King Olaf's body in the hut.
"They had light and water with them. Then they took the clothes off the body, swathed it in a linen cloth"
Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 250. Of Thorer Hund.
- attestation: Thorgils deflected Thorer's inquiry by claiming he was not in the battle and reporting rumors that King Olaf had been seen alive at night with followers at Staf.
"I was not in the battle, and knew little of what took place there; but many reports are abroad, and among others that King Olaf has been seen in the night up at Staf, and a troop of people with him"
Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 251. Of King Olaf'S Body.
attestation: Thorgils Halmason and his son Grim were anxious to preserve King Olaf's body from his enemies, who spoke of burning or sinking it in the sea.
"Thorgils Halmason and his son Grim had King Olaf's body, and were anxious about preserving it from falling into the hands of the king's enemies, and being ill-treated; for they heard the bondes speaking about burning it, or sinking it in the sea."
attestation: Thorgils and Grim made two coffins: one adorned for the king's body, and a decoy filled with stones and straw weighing about as much as a man.
"Thorgils and his son accordingly made a coffin, which they adorned as well as they could, and laid the king's body in it; and afterwards made another coffin in which they laid stones and straw, about as much as the weight of a man, and carefully closed the coffins."
attestation: When the bonde army left Stiklestad, Thorgils secretly transported the real coffin under the foot-boards of a large rowing-boat while placing the decoy coffin in plain view.
"privately took the coffin with the king's body down to the boat, and set it under the foot-boards. They had also with them the coffin containing the stones, and placed it in the boat where all could see it"
attestation: They sailed down the fjord to Nidaros, arriving at dusk at the king's pier, and sent word to Bishop Sigurd of their arrival with the king's body.
"went down the fjord with a good opportunity of wind and weather, and arrived in the dusk of the evening at Nidaros, where they brought up at the king's pier. Then Thorgils sent some of his men up to the town to Bishop Sigurd, to say that they were come with the king's body."
attestation: The ruse succeeded: Thorgils preserved the real coffin with the king's body while the bishop's men unknowingly disposed of the decoy containing stones and straw.
"Thorgils and his people then took the coffin which stood in view, and bore it into the boat; and the bishop's men rowed out into the fjord, and sank the coffin in the sea. It was now quite dark."
attestation: Seven or eight of Thorgils's relations and friends accompanied them on the secret journey with the king's body.
"Thorgils and his son made themselves ready, got a large rowing-boat, and took with them seven or eight men, who were all Thorgil's relations or friends"
attestation: The nightly light over King Olaf's corpse prompted Thorgils to fear his enemies would discover the body's location.
"therefore they were afraid the king's enemies might seek the body where this signal was visible. They hastened, therefore, to take the body to a place where it would be safe."
attestation: Thorgils brought the king's body to Nidaros specifically to the king's pier, suggesting continued loyalty to the fallen ruler.
"arrived in the dusk of the evening at Nidaros, where they brought up at the king's pier."