NOTES

The extracts given from the Saga of Olaf the Holy in these Notes are from the translation by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson in Volume Four of The Saga Library."

PAGE 3. THE SKI-Journey.

The historical basis of this story is provided by Chapter 151 of the Saga of Olaf the Holy, in the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson. Iamtland (Jæmtland) is a province of Sweden lying just east of the Norwegian mountain-wall in about the latitude of Throndhjem. The Saga reads: "Ketil Iamti hight a man, the son of Earl Onund of Spareby in Thrandheim. He had fled before King Eystein the Evil-minded east over the Keel. He cleared the woods and built there whereas it is now called Iamtland." The Iamtlanders for a time recognized the King of Norway as their liege, and paid him tribute, being themselves of Norwegian descent. But at the date of The Ski-Journey (1027?), “they had made up their mind that they would yield obedience to the King of Sweden." King Olaf of Norway, however, still claimed the right to tax the Iamtlanders, and sent twelve messengers to make the collection. When these messengers arrived in Iamtland, a Thing was summoned. The people "were all of one mind on this, that they would not pay scat to the King of Norway. The messengers some would have hanged, and others would have them for blood-offering. But it was settled that they should be held there until the bailiffs of the Swede-king should be coming, and these should determine concerning them what they would, by the counsel of the folk of the country; but that they should make a show of this, that the messengers being well-holden, they were tarried for their abiding the scat, and they should part them and quarter them two and two together." Thorod, their leader, with another of the messengers, was quartered with Thorar, the Law-man, and one evening, when "the ale spake in the Iamts," these captives learned for what purpose they were being held, and soon thereafter made their escape. One night they sought shelter in “a little homestead,” were hospitably welcomed, and “laid them down to sleep." The rest of the story, as related in the Saga, is as follows:

"That while the fire was yet aflame. Thorod then saw that from another chamber came forth a man, and never had he seen a man like big. That man had on raiment of gold-broidered scarlet, and was of

the goodliest to behold. Thorod heard that he blamed them for taking guests, when they had scarce meat enough to bless themselves withal. The housewife said: 'Be not wroth, brother, seldom doth such a chance befall: do them rather something that may be to their profit, for thou art handier thereto than we be.'

"Thorod heard that the big man was named Arnljot Gelline, and that the goodwife was his sister. Thorod had heard tell of Arnljot, and of this, moreover, that he was the greatest way-besetter and evildoer. "So Thorod and his man slept night over, for they were weary afore of their much walking. But when about one-third of the night was still left, thither came Arnljot and bade them stand up and array them for their journey. So Thorod and his man stood up and arrayed them, and breakfast was served them. Then Thorir [their host] gave snow-shoes to either of them, and Arnljot betook himself to faring with them, and strode on the snow-shoes, which were both broad and long. But so soon as Arnljot plied his staff, he was off and afar from them. Then abided he, and said that in this wise they would get no-whither, and bade them step on the snow-shoes along with him; and so did they; and Thorod stood next to Arnljot and held by his belt, while Thorod's fellow held on to him. Then Arnljot slid on as fast as if he were faring loose.

"Now when one-third of the night was spent, they came to a certain hostel, and made fire there, and dight their meat. But whenas they were at meat then spake Arnljot, and bade them cast down nought of the meat, neither bone nor crumb. Arnljot took out of his sark a silver dish, and ate therefrom. But when they were full, Arnljot gathered their leavings together, and thereupon they got ready for their beds.

“At one end of the house there was a loft on the tie-beams, and up into that loft went Arnljot and the others, and there they laid them down to sleep. Arnljot had a mickle bill, the socket thereof was golddriven, but its shaft was so high that one's hand could but just reach to the socket, and he was girt with a sword withal. They had both weapons and raiment up there in the loft with them.

“Arnljot bade them hold their peace. He lay the foremost of them in the loft.

"A little while afterwards there came twelve men to the house; they were chapmen, who were faring to Iamtland with their wares. When they came into the house they made mickle din about there, and were very merry, and they made them big fires. But when they had their meat they cast out all the bones. Thereafter they got them ready for bed, and lay down on a settle before the fire there. But when they had

sat there for a little while there came into the house a mickle troll-wife; and whenas she came in, she swept up fast, and took the bones and all things she deemed good to eat and cast them into her mouth. Then she seized the man that lay next to her, and tore and slit him all asunder, and cast him into the fire. Then awoke the others to an evil dream forsooth, and leapt up. But she sent them to hell one after other, till only one was left alive; and he rushed up the floor under the loft, calling out for help if any were thereto in the loft who might be of avail to him. Arnljot stretched out his hand for him, and caught him by the shoulder and drew him up into the loft. Then she ran up to the fire and fell to eating of the men, those who were roasted. Then stood Arnljot up and gripped his bill, and thrust it between her shoulders so that the point ran out through the chest. She turned her hard thereat and cried out evilly and ran out. Arnljot lost the hold of the spear and she had it away with her. Then Arnljot bestirred himself and cleared out the bodies of the men, and set a door and door-posts before the hall, for she had broken it all loose when she went out.

"And now they slept for what was left of the night. But when day dawned, they stood up and first ate their day-meal; and when they had eaten, Arnljot said : ‘Now shall we part here : ye shall follow this sledge-road whereby the merchants fared hither yesterday; but I will seek my spear. For my wages I shall take what I deem of money's worth among the chattels which these men owned. But thou, Thorod, shalt bear my greeting to King Olaf, and tell him this, that he is the man of all men I were fainest to meet, but he will deem my greeting nothing worth.'

"Therewith he took up the silver dish and rubbed it with a cloth and said: 'Bring this dish to the king and say that it is my greeting.' Thereafter either of them got ready for the journey and parted, even as things were. And Thorod and his fellow, and the man withal out of the company of the merchants who had escaped alive, went each his own way, and Thorod went on until he met King Olaf in Chippingham [Nidaros=Throndhjem], when he told him all about his journeys and brought him the greeting of Arnljot, and handed over to him the silver dish. The king says that it was ill that Arnljot should not have come to see him, 'and it is a great scathe that so good a fellow and a man so noteworthy should have fallen into such evil ways."" (Chapter 151.)

This episode marks Arnljot's first appearance in the Saga of Olaf the Holy. He does not appear again until he comes to offer himself to the King on the field of Stiklestad, as described in the Thirteenth Song

of Björnson's epic. The poet, meanwhile, gives free flight to his imagination, building upon the basis of these scanty materials the marvellous character-study which enthralls us in our reading of the poem. It will be noticed that in one respect The Ski-Journey departs from the saga-narrative. The Iamtlanders who intrude upon the hut in which Arnljot has sought shelter for the night are represented as being the pursuers on his track with their blood-hounds, instead of being the travelling chapmen of the saga.

PAGE 7. AT THE WINTER-THING.

This Song was written in Kristiania in the winter of 1859-60, a winter of unusually heavy snows, and published in a Danish magazine with the understanding that it was a fragment of a greater work soon to appear. "It portrays the unrest and ferment that stir in the minds of the Iamtlanders. This remote forest settlement was still heathen, but the faith in the old gods is being undermined, and reports of King Olaf's introduction of Christianity into Norway have made a deep impression upon receptive and thoughtful natures. It is as if the stormy winter were shaping men's minds to seriousness of thought. The gloomy clouds of winter that come driving from Norway and settling heavily over the Iamtland forest 'whisper of eternal things.' Thoughts turn to the great Fimbulwinter, which, according to the old faith, should be the precursor of the world's destruction. Minds grow tense with anticipative terror. Even Trand, the priest, is disturbed by the new ideas and doubts awakened by the reports of King Olaf's crusade in Norway. He knows that the old gods must sometime be overthrown, that Loki sometime just before Ragnarök shall be loosed from the bonds that the gods have laid upon him, and with all the giant-hosts of evil shall meet the gods in a decisive battle. But he knows also that after the downfall of the gods, 'the Mighty' shall come from on high and create a new order. May Olaf's god be 'the Mighty'? At times, he seeks to persuade himself that the whole matter is a tissue of lies and witchcraft, contrived by the giants, the enemies of the gods. But at others, it seems to him the beginning of the end, and that Loki has freed himself. He becomes so possessed by these thoughts that in his dreams he sees Olaf (Olaf the Big, as they called him in Sweden) seated in the place of Olaf's image." (J. Mörland.)

PAGE 9. Olaf Digre.
Olaf the Big.