Hálfdanar saga svarta

The Saga of Halfdan the Black

HEIMSKRINGLA: Chronicles of Norse kings

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

Halfdan the Black (Old Norse: Hálfdan Svarti), as he was called, got his nickname because of his black hair. Halfdan was a king in Norway before its unification. He is said to have ruled over Vestfold, Sogn, half of Vingulmark, and half of Heidmark in the 9th century AD. His realm grew both through conquest and his inheritance. Halfdan was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king who unified Norway.

The story spans roughly 40 years, it begins when he is one year old, circa 810 AD, and ends with Halfdan’s death, when he is 40 years old, circa 850 AD.

The saga of Halfdan the Black is the second saga of Heimskringla (e. The Round World). A book that chronicles the lineage of Norwegian kings up until the year 1177. It was written by Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241), an Icelandic historian, influential politician and poet. Snorri is also known for writing the Prose-Edda, a guide to Norse poetry and a valuable source of Norse mythology.

The oldest known manuscripts which tell the saga are from the 1200s. They are, Heimskringla (written circa 1230 AD), Fagrskinna (written circa 1220 AD), Ágrip (written circa 1190), and Historia Norwegiæ (written in the late 1200s).

1

Halfdan fights against Gandalf and Sigtrygg.

Halfdan was one year old when his father fell. His mother, Asa, immediately went with him west to Agdir and settled there to rule the land that her father, Harald, had owned. Halfdan grew up there and quickly became strong and powerful, with black hair; he was called Halfdan the Black. He was eighteen years old when he took the kingship in Agdir. He immediately went to Vestfold and divided the kingdom with his brother Olaf.

That same autumn, he went with an army to Vingulmark to confront King Gandalf, and they had many battles with various outcomes; but in the end, they made peace: Halfdan was to have half of Vingulmark, as his father Gudrod had before him. After that, King Halfdan went up to Raumariki and conquered it. This news reached King Sigtrygg, son of King Eystein; who resided in Heidmark and had previously conquered Raumariki.

King Sigtrygg then marched with his army against King Halfdan, and there was a great battle, in which Halfdan emerged the victorious one. When the retreat began, King Sigtrygg was struck by an arrow, below his left arm, and there he died. Afterwards, Halfdan conquered all of Raumariki. Another son of King Eystein, also named Eystein, brother of King Sigtrygg, was ruling Heidmark at that time.

When King Halfdan went back to Vestfold, King Eystein marched with his army to Raumariki and conquered lands there.

2

Battle between Halfdan and Eystein.

Halfdan heard the news of unrest in Raumariki; he gathered his army and marched to Raumariki against King Eystein, where they met in battle, and Halfdan emerged victorious. Eystein fled up to Heidmark. Halfdan went after him with his army up to Heidmark, where they had another battle, and again Halfdan won, while Eystein fled north to the Dales to meet with Hersir Guthbrand. He gathered more forces there, then later in the winter went out to Heidmark; he encountered Halfdan the Black on the large island lying in Mjors. They fought there; many people fell from both sides, and Halfdan won. There fell Guthorm, the son of Hersir Guthbrand, who was considered the most handsome man in Oppland. Eystein fled again north to the Dales, then he sent his kinsman Hallvard Skalk to negotiate peace with King Halfdan. Due to their kinship, King Halfdan then gave up half of Heidmark to King Eystein, as their relatives had previously owned. Halfdan also conquered Thoten and the area called Land; he also acquired Hadaland. He became a powerful king at that time.

3

King Halfdan’s marriage

Halfdan the Black married a woman named Ragnhild, the daughter of Harald Goldbeard; he was the king in Sogn. They had a son, whom King Harald named after himself, and this boy grew up in Sogn under the care of his maternal grandfather, King Harald. When Harald became a frail old man, he had no son of is own; thus, he gave his kingdom to his grandson and had him crowned as king. Shortly afterward, Harald Goldbeard passed away. That same winter, Ragnhild, his daughter, also passed away. In the spring, young King Harald fell ill in Sogn and died; he was only ten years old. When Hálfdan the Black heard of his death, he began his journey with a large army and traveled north to Sogn. He was well received there. He claimed the kingdom and inheritance for his son, and there was no resistance; he brought that realm under his control. Earl Atli the Lean, from Gaul, came to him; he was a friend of King Halfdan. The king appointed Atli as Earl over the Sogn-district to administer the laws and collect taxes there. King Hálfdan then returned to his realm in Oppland.

4

The battle between Halfdan and sons of Gandalf.

King Halfdan went out to Vingulmark in the autumn. One night, while he was feasting, a man who had been guarding the horses came to him around midnight and told him that an army was approaching the house. The king immediately rose and ordered his men to arm themselves, then went out and marshaled them. Soon after, the sons of Gandalf, Hysing and Helsing, arrived with a large force, and a great battle ensued. However, because King Halfdan was overwhelmed by numbers, he fled to the forest, leaving many of his men behind. There, Olvir the Wise, his foster father, was killed. Afterward, troops rallied to King Halfdan; he then went in search of Gandalf’s sons and found them at Eid near Eyna, where they fought. Hysing and Helsing fell there, but their brother Haki escaped. Following this, King Halfdan conquered all of Vingulmark, while Haki fled to Alfheim.

5

Halfdan’s later bride, when he marries Ragnhild, the daughter of Sigurth Hjort.

Sigurthr Hjort, known as the king of Ringerike, was greater and stronger than any other man; he was also the fairest of all in appearance. His father was Helgi the Sharp, and his mother was Aslaug, the daughter of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, son of Ragnar Lothbrok. It is said that when he was twelve years old, he killed the berserker Hildibrand in single combat and eleven of his companions; he accomplished many feats of strength, and there are long tales about him. Sigurd had two children: his daughter was named Ragnhildr, who was the most beautiful of all women; she was then in her twenties. Guthormr was her brother’s name, he was in his youth. Now, concerning the death of Sigurthr, it happened that he rode alone into the uninhabited forest, as was his habit – he hunted large animals that are dangerous to humans, which he eagerly sought.

When he had ridden a long way out to the forest, he came upon a clearing near Hadaland; there, Haki the berserker met him with thirty men. There they fought, and Sigurd hjortr fell, along with twelve men from Haki’s group, while he lost his hand and suffered three other wounds. After that, Haki rode with his men to Sigurdr’s estate, and he took Ragnhildr with him, his daughter, and Guthormr, her brother, and he carried them away, along with much wealth and many treasures back to Hadaland; there, he owned large farms. Then he ordered a feast to be prepared and intended to be wedded to Ragnhildr, but it was delayed because of the severity of his wounds. Haki the Berserker lay wounded throughout the autumn and into winter. But during Yule, King Halfdan was in Heidmork; he had heard all these tidings. One early morning when the king was dressed, he called Harek gand to him and told him to go over to Hadaland and bring back Sigurthr hjortr’s daughter, Ragnhildr. Harekr prepared and had a hundred men with him, arranging the journey in such a way that they crossed the water and arrived at Haki’s place before dawn. They covered the doors of the buildings where the servants slept, then went to the sleeping quarters where Haki slept, broke in, and took Ragnhildr and Guthormr, her brother, along with all the wealth there; they burned down the building and all the men who were inside. They covered a great wagon, placed Ragnhildr and Guthormr inside, and headed for the ice. Haki rose and followed them for a while, but when he reached the edge of the ice, he turned the hilt of his sword downwards and impaled himself on the blade, and the sword went through him; he met his death there, and he was buried on the bank of the water. King Halfdan saw them crossing the ice; he was a man of great sight and saw the covered wagon, and he thought he knew what the errand was then accomplished as he wanted. He had his table set, and he sent men far and wide throughout the district, inviting many to come to him; there was a great feast that day, and at that feast, King Halfdan received Ragnhildr, and she then became a wealthy queen. Ragnhildr’s mother was Thorne, the daughter of King Klakkharald of Jotland, and the sister of Thyri Dane-improver, who was given in marriage to Gorm the Old, who then ruled over the Danes.

6

Of Ragnhild’s dreams

Queen Ragnhild had great dreams; she was wise. One of her dreams was that she thought she was standing in her grass garden and took a thorn from her dress. As she held it, it grew so that it became a great branch, with one end reaching down to the earth and soon took root, while the other end of the tree reached high into the sky. Next, it seemed to her that the tree was so big that she could barely see over the top; it was astonishingly thick. The lowest part of the tree was red as blood, the trunk was beautifully green, and the top branches were snow-white. The branches of the tree were many and large, some higher, some lower; the branches of the tree spread so widely that she thought they extended over all of Norway and even farther.

7

Halfdan’s dream

King Halfdan never dreamed; he found it strange and brought it up with a man named Thorleif the Wise, seeking advice on what might be done about it. Thorleif said that if he wanted to know something, he should sleep in a pigsty, and then he would surely have a dream. The king did so, and this dream appeared to him: He thought that he had the best hair of all men, and his hair was in locks, some long down to the ground, some to the middle of his legs, some to his knees, some to his hips, some to the middle of his sides, some to his neck, and some no more than sprouting from his head like knots. Each lock of his hair was of a different color, but one lock outshone all with its brightness, beauty, and size. He told this dream to Thorleif, who interpreted it as meaning that a great lineage would come from him and that this lineage would rule lands with great honor, though not all with equal honor, and that one from his lineage would come who would be greater and nobler than all. People believe that this lock signified King Olaf the Holy.

King Halfdan was a wise and truthful man, and he established laws, upholding them himself and ensuring others did as well so that fury could not overthrow the laws. He also set penalties and determined compensation according to a person’s rank and status. Queen Ragnhildr bore a son, who was sprinkled with water and named Haraldr; he grew quickly and became very handsome. He was raised there and soon became a great athlete and sharp-witted. His mother loved him greatly, but his father less so.

8

Vanishing of Halfdan’s food

King Halfdan was at a Yule feast in Hadaland. An extraordinary event occurred on Yule Eve, many people had assembled, but when they sat down to eat: all the food and ale vanished from the tables. The king sat sadly, while everyone else went home. To find out what caused this event, the king had a certain Finn, who was very knowledgeable, captured and tried to force him to tell the truth, but despite being tortured, the Finn did not confess. The Finn fervently called upon Haraldr, the king’s son, for help. Harald begged for mercy on his behalf but did not succeed, so he released the Finn against the king’s will and fled with him.

They traveled until they came to a place where a chieftain was holding a great feast and were warmly welcomed. After they had stayed there until spring, one day the chieftain spoke to Haraldr: “Your father took it very hard that I took some food from him this past winter, but I will repay you with joyful news: your father is now dead, and you should return home. You will inherit all the realm that your father owned, and in addition, you shall possess all of Norway.”

9

Death of Halfdan the Black

Halfdan the Black was traveling from a feast in Hadaland, and his journey took him across the lake Rand. It was spring, and there had been a significant thaw. As they drove across Rykinsvik, where there had been cattle wells in the winter, the cattle manure had dug into the ice. As the king drove close to it, the ice broke beneath him, and King Halfdan and many of his men perished there. He was forty years old.

He had been the most prosperous of all kings. People esteemed him so highly that when the news of his death spread and his body was brought to Ringerike for burial, nobles from Romerike, Vestfold, and Heidmark all came, each requesting to take the body to bury in their districts, believing it would bring them good fortune. They reached an agreement to divide the body into four parts. The head was buried in a mound at Stein in Ringerike, and each group took their portion home and buried it. These burial sites are all called Halfdan’s mounds.