Chapter LXXIX: Of Eindridi Ungi (the Young)

AT that time the sons of Harald Gilli[370] ruled over Norway. Eystein was the oldest of them, but Ingi was a legitimate son, and he was most honoured by the Lendermen, because he let them have their way in all things as they liked. At this time the following Lendermen (Barons) assisted him in the government:—Ogmund and Erling, the son of Kyrpinga Orm. They advised King Ingi to send word to Earl Rögnvald, and give him an honourable invitation, saying truly that he had been a great friend of his father, and desired him to become as intimate with the Earl as he could, so that he might be a dearer friend of his than of his brother, whatever might happen between them. The Earl was related to the brothers, and a great friend of theirs; and when he received this message, he quickly prepared to go, because he felt a desire to go to Norway to see his friends and kinsmen. Earl Harald asked to be permitted to go with him, out of curiosity and to amuse himself; he was then nineteen winters old.

When the Earls were ready, they started from the west with some merchants, having a noble retinue, and arrived in Norway early in the spring. They found King Ingi in Biörgvin (Bergen), and he received them very well. Earl Rögnvald saw many of his friends and kinsmen, and spent a great deal of the summer there. Eindridi Ungi (the young) arrived from Mikligard (Constantinople) that summer; he had been long in service[371] there, and was able to tell many things from there; and it was thought good entertainment to inquire from him about things in that part of the world. The Earl conversed frequently with him.

Once when they were talking, Eindridi said: “It seems strange to me that you do not think of going out to Jórsalaheim (Jerusalem), and that you should be satisfied with being told of the things that are there; it would best suit such men as you are to be there on account of your great accomplishments, and you will be honoured above all others wherever you come among noble men.”

When Eindridi had said this, many spoke in favour of it, and exhorted the Earl to become the leader of such an expedition. Erling made a long speech in support of the proposal, and said he would join the party himself, if the Earl would consent to be their chief. And as many men of note seemed eager for the journey, he promised to go. And when he and Erling were settling matters between them, many noble men joined the party. These Lendermen (Barons) were among them: Eindridi Ungi, who was to be their guide, Jón Pétrsson, Aslák Erlendsson, Guttorm Möl, and Kol from Halland. It was resolved that none of them should have a larger ship than with thirty benches, except the Earl, and no one should have an ornamented vessel but he. This was done in order that no one should envy another because he had finer men or a better ship than he. Jón Fót (leg) was to build a ship for the Earl, and to have it as finely fitted out as possible. Earl Rögnvald went home in the autumn, and intended to stay at home two winters. King Ingi gave the Earl two long ships—small, but very beautiful, and specially built for rowing; they were, therefore, of all the ships the swiftest. Earl Rögnvald gave Harald one of them, called Fífa; the other was called Hjálp. In these ships the Earls went to sea, holding westward. Earl Rögnvald had received large presents from his friends. It was Tuesday evening when the Earls put out to sea, and they had a fair wind during the night. On Wednesday there was a great storm, and in the evening they saw land. It was very dark, and they saw signs of breakers surrounding them on all sides. Up to this time they had kept together. There was nothing to be done except to run the vessels on shore, and this they did.[372] The beach before them was stony and narrow, enclosed behind by crags. All the men were saved, but they lost a large quantity of their stores. Some of the things were thrown up by the sea during the night. As usual, Earl Rögnvald bore himself as the bravest of all the men there. He was so merry that he played with his fingers, and spoke nearly all his sayings in rhyme. He took a golden ring from his hand, and sang this ditty:

Thus I hang the hammer-beaten
Hand-ring from my rounded fingers;
Thus I put my fingers through it:
So the nymph of crashing waters
Threw me, joyful, in a rock-rift
There to play me with my fingers.

When they had carried their things up from the sea, they went farther inland to search for habitations, because they thought they knew they had landed in Hjaltland. They soon found farms, and distributed themselves among them. The people were glad to see the Earl, and when he was asked about his voyage, he sang:

Both my ships on beach went crashing;
When the surges swept my men off,
Sore afflicted by the billows
Were the friends of Hjalp and Fífa.
Certainly this misadventure
Of the danger-seeking rovers
Will not soon be quite forgotten
By those who got such a wetting.

The mistress of the house brought a fur cloak to the Earl, who, stretching his hands forward to receive it, and laughing, sang this ditty:

Here I shake a shrunken fur coat;
Surely ’tis not ornamental.
All our clothes are in the ship-field,
And it is too wide to seek them.
Lately, all the young sea-horses
Left we dressed in splendid garments,
As we drove the steeds of mast-heads
To the crags, across the surges.

Large fires were made, and there they warmed themselves. A female servant entered shivering all over, and her words were unintelligible on account of her shiver. The Earl said he understood her:

Asa! you seem quite exhausted.
Atatata! ’tis the water.
Hutututu! where shall I sit?
By the fire—’tis rather chilly.

The Earl sent twelve of his men to Einar in Gullberuvík, but he said he would not receive them unless the Earl came himself. When Earl Rögnvald heard this, he sang:

Einar said he would give food to
None of all the lads of Rögnvald,
He himself alone excepted—
(Empty words I now am talking),
For I know that he, the friendly,
Never failed to keep his promise.
Go we in then where the fires are
Burning brightly all the evening.

The Earl stayed a long time in Hjaltland, and in the autumn he went south to the Orkneys, and resided in his dominions. That autumn two Hjaltlanders[373] came to him. One was named Armód, a poet; the other was Oddi the little, the son of Glúm: he made verses well. The Earl received them both as his men. The Earl had a grand Yule feast, to which he invited guests, and gave his men presents. He handed a spear, inlaid with gold, to the poet Armód, shook it at him, and told him to make a song on the spur of the moment:

Princely gifts the battle-fanner
With no niggard hand distributes:
Scaldic honours are not measured
By the gifts bestowed on others.
The defender of his country,
And the best of all commanders,
With his own hand brings to Armód
This blood-candle, golden pointed.

One day during Yule the guests were looking at the tapestry. The Earl said to Oddi the little: “Make a song about the workman’s handicraft on the tapestry, and have it made by the time that I have finished my stanza, and use none of the same words that are in mine.” The Earl sang:

The old one on the hangings standing,
Has a sheath-rod on his shoulder,
But, in spite of all his anger,
He will not get one step farther.

Oddi sang:

For a stroke himself prepares the
Warrior in stooping posture,
Where the tapestry is parted;
Yet his danger will be greatest.
Time it is for ships’ commanders
Peace to make ere harm does happen.

During Yule-tide, the Earl entertained Bishop William and many of his chiefs. Then he made known his intention to go to Jórsalaheim (Jerusalem), and requested the Bishop to go with him, because he was a good Parisian scholar,[374] and the Earl wished him to be their interpreter. The Bishop agreed to the Earl’s request, and promised to go. The following chiefs went with Earl Rögnvald:—Magnus, the son of Hávard, Gunni’s son; Swein, Hróald’s son; and the following men of lesser note:—Thorgeir Skotakoll, Oddi the little, Thorberg Svarti, Armód the scald, Thorkel Krókauga, Grímkell of Flettuness, and Bjarni his son. When the two winters appointed for their preparations were passed, Earl Rögnvald went early in the spring from the Orkneys east to Norway, to see how far the Lendermen (Barons) had progressed with their preparations; and when he came to Biörgvin, he found there Erling, Jón, his brother-in-law, and Aslák, but Guttorm arrived shortly after. To Biörgvin came also the ship which Jón Fót had caused to be built for the Earl. It was a most exquisite piece of workmanship, and all ornamented. The whole of the carved work on the prow, the vanes, and many other parts of the ship, were gilt. Altogether, it was a most splendid ship. Eindridi came frequently to town during the summer, and said he should be ready in a week. The Earl’s men murmured greatly at having to wait so long, and some proposed not to wait for him, saying that such voyages as this had been made without Eindridi. A short time after Eindridi came to town and said he was ready. Then the Earl commanded his men to set sail when they thought there was favourable wind; and when the day came when they thought they might expect a favourable wind, they left the town, and set sail. The breeze was faint, and the Earl’s ship moved slowly, because it required strong wind. The other chiefs lowered their sails, and would not leave the Earl. When they were outside the Islands, the breeze increased to such a degree that in the smaller vessels they had to take in sail, but the Earl’s ship now went at a great speed. They saw two large ships coming after them, and soon they passed them. One of these two ships was highly finished. It was a dragon; both its head and stem were richly gilded; it was white on the bows, and painted everywhere above the sea where it was thought it would look well. The Earl’s men said that was very likely Eindridi’s, adding: “He has not kept well the agreement that no one should have an ornamented ship except you, sire.”

The Earl replied: “Eindridi’s pride is great, and he may be excused for not liking to be on the same level with us, as we are so much his inferiors; but it is difficult to see whether his good fortune runs before him or goes along with him. But let us not direct our movements according to his hotheadedness.”

Eindridi soon passed them in the larger vessel, but the Earl kept all his ships together, and had a successful voyage. They arrived all safe in the Orkneys in the autumn.