CHAPTER V.

SCANDINAVIA IN EARLY TIMES.

Little known of Sweden and Norway before the introduction of Christianity -The Danes the best known-The reason of this-How the Goths were first led to settle in Sweden-Odin's arrival-His conflict with the King of the Goths-The worship of two Odins-The Ynglingar-Their descent from Odin-How they lose Sweden-Ingjald-The Uppsala burning of six Small Kings-The Braga-cup oath-Ingjald `kills himself Olaf the "Tree Hewer" clears the border lands-His successors found the kingdom of Norway-The Ynglinga saga - Religion of Swedes and Norwegians-King-pontiffs-Skaania-Ivar Vidfadme the great conqueror-Danes and Swedes claim the same great men-Reason why we know so little of Sweden in early times-Founders of Russia came from Sweden-Rurik-Daring of Norwegian sea-men-Their discoveries, and what led to them-Stern rule of Harald HaarfagerStruggles in Norway "Strand-hug" Gaungo Hrolfr, or Rollo "the Walker" Settlement of Normandy - Danish settlements in Scotland and Ireland-The men of Lochlin-Harald's death-Hakon Æthelstane-fostre -Hakon placed on the knees of King Æthelstan -Splendid gift of golden-beaked ship--Hakon's good training in England.

PART I.

SWEDEN AND NORWAY.

State of Sweden and Norway.-BEFORE we enter upon the reign of Knud's nephew and successor, Svend Estridsen, whose descendants have ruled over Denmark from that early time (1047) till the present day, we must learn something of Sweden and Norway, which were very little known to the rest of the world before the beginning of the eleventh century.

This may have been owing to their greater distance from Christian civilized lands, or to the rigour of the climate, which closed their harbours for many months in the year, and made

those rugged parts of Scandinavia unattractive to strangers. The Danes were, in fact, for many ages the only one of the Northern nations known to the Christians of Europe, and although it is very probable that Swedes, and after a time Norwegians also, took part in the great Danish invasions of England and of the Frankish empire, they were all included by the people of those countries under the common name of Northmen, or Danes. And, as all the three northern nations continued to speak the "Dönsk tunga" (Danish tongue), to follow the same forms of religion, and to show the same spirit of fierceness, courage and daring long after they had separated and formed distinct kingdoms, it was no wonder foreigners should have supposed them to be only one people. This idea was, moreover, quite correct, for we now know that, in spite of their divisions into Danes, Swedes and Norwegians, the Northmen were only one people, tracing their descent from the same common Gothic forefathers who had come from the far East, and spread themselves over the islands and the most fruitful coastlands of the Baltic.

The Goths probably stayed in those more genial parts of Scandinavia as long as their leaders found space enough for themselves and their followers, but when their numbers increased, and "the Small Kings" began fighting among themselves and interfering with each other, the younger chiefs with the restlessness of their race set forth in search of new homes. Some such causes, it is believed, led to the settlement of the southern parts of Sweden by the Goths from Ey-gotaland, or the Danish Islands.

In the old Swedish legends it is related that Odin founded the empire of the Svea, and built a great temple at a spot called Sigtuna, near Lake Maelar, in the present province of Upland, which was known by the Northmen under the name of the "lesser Svithjód" to distinguish it from that "greater Svithjód," or Scythia, from which they believed that he had led his followers. When Odin arrived with his twelve pontiffs, or chief priests, he is said to have found that great part of the land was occupied by a people who, like himself, had come from Svithjód, but in such long past ages that according to their own account no one could fix the time. These people, who

called themselves "Göta," or "Gauta," Goths, and boasted that they had driven all the dwarfs, giants and “ Fenni" of the country back into the mountains and dreary wastes, were so strong that Odin was forced to make a compact with their king Gylfe, before he could settle in the land. But after these two great chiefs had proved each other's strength in a trial of magic, they lived together on friendly terms, and Sweden was thenceforth divided into the two free nations of the "Svea," Swedes, and the "Göta," Goths. The Svea were governed after Odin's death by his pontiffs, who had charge of his temple at Sigtuna; and this tribe by degrees grew so much more powerful than the Göta, that they were allowed to take the lead in all public matters, and their rulers were looked up to as chief kings by all the " Smaa-kongar" of the Goths as well as Swedes. these and other legends of the same kind it is not easy to discover whether the old Swedes honoured Odin as a god, or as a mere human chief of their race; but it has been supposed by some writers that long after the first Gothic invaders brought his worship into Sweden, a second band of the same tribe may have come, under a leader called by his name, who set up a newer form of faith, which gained such hold over the minds of the people that in time they came to worship the two Odins under one common faith.

In

The Ynglingar. Like the Danes the Swedes traced the descent of their early kings back to Odin, through his successor in Sweden, the pontiff Njord, whose son Frey-Yngve was the founder of the royal race of the Ynglingar. We are told that this prince, who built a great temple to Odin on the ruins of the more ancient one of Sigtuna, and called it Upp-Sala (or the High Halls), was so much beloved by his subjects, that when he died his family did not venture to proclaim his death lest trouble should arise among the Svea, but laid his body within a carefully-built stone mound, to which they continued for three years to carry all the gifts and annual offerings of the people. They did not burn the body according to their ancient custom, because it had been foretold that as long as Frey Yngve stayed in Lesser Svithjód all would go well with the land; but when they found, at the end of three years, that the seasons continued 1 The Finns and Lapps.

to be good, they ventured to make known his death, and the people, in gratitude for all he had done for them on earth, placed him among their gods and prayed to him for peace and plenty.

This king, Frey-Yngve, was counted as the last of the gods, but his descendants continued to rule over the Svea for several generations till enmity sprang up among the different members of the royal house. Then the Ynglingar lost all power over the Small Kings of Sweden through the evil deeds of one of the race, called Ingjald and surnamed "Ill-raada," the Bad Ruler. This prince, who was a cruel and crafty man, drew upon himself the anger of the people by burning alive six Small Kings on pretence of doing honour to his father, the good King Anund. His treachery on this occasion was equal to his cruelty for, in order to get as many kings into his power as possible, he had sent messengers to all those of his kinsmen who were Smaa-kongar," and begged that they would show their respect for the late King by attending his grave-feast.

Six of the Small Kings obeyed the summons, and were according to ancient usage invited to take their places on the high-seat at the end of the hall, which in the dwellings of the Northmen was always reserved for the master of the house and his most honoured guests. Ingjald, as the giver of the feast, sat on a low stool at their feet, since it was not considered right for the heir to take his father's seat till the grave-feast was over and the last toast had been drunk to the memory of the dead. When his turn came to drink from the "Braga," or "Good-health" horn, he arose to his feet, and said he claimed the right of making a sacred vow before he drained the cup. Such vows made in the act of drinking the last "Braga or toast to the dead, were held to be more binding than any others. And when the feast was over, he caused the six kings to be seized and burnt alive, on the plea that the gods had constrained him to swear that he would sacrifice them all in memory of his father. This grave feast, known as the "Uppsala Burning," was soon followed by another burning even worse than the former, if the numbers of the victims be considered. In this second burning, the King and his wicked daughter, Aasa, perished in the flames which they had them

selves kindled to escape from the vengeance of their enemies. For having been warned that young Ivar of Skaania was drawing near to avenge the death of his father, Halfdan, who was one of the six kings burnt at Uppsala, Ingjald and his daughter set fire to their palace, and after having drugged the mead of the servants in order to prevent an alarm being given and closed the doors while the men were buried in sleep, they and all who were in the building were consumed to ashes.

After these events, the Svea would have no more of the Ynglingar for their kings, and Ingjald's children were driven out of the country. His eldest son Olaf, fearing the anger of the people, fled with a few companions beyond the mountains to the dense forests, which then covered the border-land between the present Sweden and Norway, and began to clear the ground by burning the trees, in order to make it fit for human habitation. This Olaf was known as 66 Trætelje," or the Tree-hewer, and the land which he cleared was thenceforth called Vermland, in memory of his having warmed it by setting fire to the great forests. Like his father Ingjald, this prince also met his death by burning; for when some years afterwards his people suffered from famine, they laid the blame on Olaf and forced him to submit to be burnt at the great Sacrifice to Odin, in order that the god, in return for a royal victim, might avert the evil that had come upon them. Odin was believed to have accepted the offering made to him, as fruitful years followed the sacrifice of Olaf, whose descendants passed over from Vermland into Norway, and became the founders of that kingdom.

Ynglinga Saga.-Such are the accounts given of the rise of the Swedish and Norwegian monarchies in the legend, known as the Ynglinga Saga, which was written down by scribes in Iceland from the old songs brought over to that country by the early settlers and handed down by them to their children, and through them to later generations. This and other sagas, which related to the rise of the royal races of Sweden and Norway, were no doubt based on real events, which in the course of time were mixed up with many fables. We owe our knowledge of them to King Harald Haarfager, for they were collected and recited aloud by famous skalds at the court of this King, who reigned over Norway between 863 and