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The The Orkneyinga Saga on Kali

The Orkneyinga Saga > Chapter L > Of Kali And Gillichrist.

attestation: At fifteen Kali went to Grimsby as a merchant and met Gillichrist, who confided that his real name was Harald and that Magnus Barelegs was his father, his mother being in the Hebrides; they exchanged presents and promised each other friendship.

"WHEN Kali was fifteen winters old, he went with some merchants to England, taking with him a good (cargo of) merchandise. They went to a trading place called Grímsbœ (Grimsby). Kali met there a man who was called Gillichrist. The latter asked Kali about many things in Norway, and spoke chiefly with him, so that they became companions. Then he told Kali in confidence that his name was Harald, that Magnus Barelegs was his father, and his mother was in the Sudreyar."

attestation: Kali sailed from Grimsby to Agdir and Bergen; there he met Jón Pétrsson, the son of Serk from Sogn, a king's vassal; the two became companions and parted great friends.

"In the inn where he sat drinking there was a man named Jón Pétrsson, the son of Serk, from Sogn. He was the king's vassal at the time. Jón and Kali soon became companions, and parted great friends. Whereupon Jón went home to his estates, and Kali went to his father, Kol, at Agdir."

attestation: Kali and Hávard a domestic of Sölmund's were the only ones to swim across a sheet of water in a cave called Dollshellir on an island called Dolls near Thrándheim; Kali found the far shore difficult and abandoned the search for treasure.

"The merchants went into the cave, and found it very difficult to penetrate into it. They came to a sheet of water stretching across the cave, and no one dared to cross it except Kali, and one of Sölmund's domestics called Hávard. They swam across the lake, having a rope between them."

attestation: At Bergen inn, a drunken quarrel over who was greatest among Norwegian landowners led Hávard companion of Kali to strike Brynjúlf of Jón Pétrsson's household; Hávard was then tracked and killed by Brynjúlf's party.

"Out of this a great quarrel arose, and as the ale spoke in them, they kept so little within bounds that Hávard jumped up, took a piece of wood, and struck Brynjúlf a blow on the head, so that he fainted. Brynjúlf and his men attacked them immediately with arms, and Hávard and his companion were both slain."

attestation: Harald Gilli and King Magnus were reconciled, each taking half the kingdom; when Harald finally defeated Magnus he took the whole kingdom and renewed the gift of the Orkneys and the earldom to Rögnvald.

"King Harald then took possession of the whole kingdom, and the next spring he renewed the gift of the Islands and the title of Earl to Rögnvald."