Part 3 (1/2)
Far from consenting to this, the Bonders raised a general shout, smiting at the same time their s.h.i.+elds with their weapons; but Olaf's men advancing on them swiftly, and flinging spears, they turned and ran, leaving Gudbrand's son behind, a prisoner, to whom Olaf gave his life: ”Go home now to thy father, and tell him I mean to be with him soon.”
The son goes accordingly, and advises his father not to face Olaf; but Gudbrand angrily replies: ”Ha, coward! I see thou, too, art taken by the folly that man is going about with;” and is resolved to fight. That night, however, Gudbrand has a most remarkable Dream, or Vision: a Man surrounded by light, bringing great terror with him, who warns Gudbrand against doing battle with Olaf. ”If thou dost, thou and all thy people will fall; wolves will drag away thee and thine; ravens will tear thee in stripes!” And lo, in telling this to Thord Potbelly, a st.u.r.dy neighbor of his and henchman in the Thing, it is found that to Thord also has come the self same terrible Apparition! Better propose truce to Olaf (who seems to have these dreadful Ghostly Powers on his side), and the holding of a Thing, to discuss matters between us. Thing a.s.sembles, on a day of heavy rain. Being all seated, uprises King Olaf, and informs them: ”The people of Lesso, Loar, and Vaage, have accepted Christianity, and broken down their idol-houses: they believe now in the True G.o.d, who has made heaven and earth, and knows all things;” and sits down again without more words.
”Gudbrand replies, 'We know nothing about him of whom thou speakest.
Dost thou call him G.o.d, whom neither thou nor any one else can see? But we have a G.o.d who can be seen every day, although he is not out to-day because the weather is wet; and he will appear to thee terrible and very grand; and I expect that fear will mix with thy very blood when he comes into the Thing. But since thou sayest thy G.o.d is so great, let him make it so that to-morrow we have a cloudy day, but without rain, and then let us meet again.'
”The king accordingly returned home to his lodging, taking Gudbrand's son as a hostage; but he gave them a man as hostage in exchange. In the evening the king asked Gudbrand's son What their G.o.d was like? He replied that he bore the likeness of Thor; had a hammer in his hand; was of great size, but hollow within; and had a high stand, upon which he stood when he was out. 'Neither gold nor silver are wanting about him, and every day he receives four cakes of bread, besides meat.' They then went to bed; but the king watched all night in prayer. When day dawned the king went to ma.s.s; then to table, and from thence to the Thing. The weather was such as Gudbrand desired. Now the Bishop stood up in his choir-robes, with bishop's coif on his head, and bishop's crosier in his hand. He spoke to the Bonders of the true faith, told the many wonderful acts of G.o.d, and concluded his speech well.
”Thord Potbelly replies, 'Many things we are told of by this learned man with the staff in his hand, crooked at the top like a ram's horn. But since you say, comrades, that your G.o.d is so powerful, and can do so many wonders, tell him to make it clear suns.h.i.+ne to-morrow forenoon, and then we shall meet here again, and do one of two things,--either agree with you about this business, or fight you.' And they separated for the day.”
Overnight the king instructed Kolbein the Strong, an immense fellow, the same who killed Gunhild's two brothers, that he, Kolbein, must stand next him to-morrow; people must go down to where the s.h.i.+ps of the Bonders lay, and punctually bore holes in every one of them; _item_, to the farms where their horses wore, and punctually unhalter the whole of them, and let them loose: all which was done. Snorro continues:--
”Now the king was in prayer all night, beseeching G.o.d of his goodness and mercy to release him from evil. When ma.s.s was ended, and morning was gray, the king went to the Thing. When he came thither, some Bonders had already arrived, and they saw a great crowd coming along, and bearing among them a huge man's image, glancing with gold and silver. When the Bonders who were at the Thing saw it, they started up, and bowed themselves down before the ugly idol. Thereupon it was set down upon the Thing field; and on the one side of it sat the Bonders, and on the other the King and his people.
”Then Dale Gudbrand stood up and said, 'Where now, king, is thy G.o.d? I think he will now carry his head lower; and neither thou, nor the man with the horn, sitting beside thee there, whom thou callest Bishop, are so bold to-day as on the former days. For now our G.o.d, who rules over all, is come, and looks on you with an angry eye; and now I see well enough that you are terrified, and scarcely dare raise your eyes. Throw away now all your opposition, and believe in the G.o.d who has your fate wholly in his hands.'
”The king now whispers to Kolbein the Strong, without the Bonders perceiving it, 'If it come so in the course of my speech that the Bonders look another way than towards their idol, strike him as hard as thou canst with thy club.'
”The king then stood up and spoke. 'Much hast thou talked to us this morning, and greatly hast thou wondered that thou canst not see our G.o.d; but we expect that he will soon come to us. Thou wouldst frighten us with thy G.o.d, who is both blind and deaf, and cannot even move about without being carried; but now I expect it will be but a short time before he meets his fate: for turn your eyes towards the east,--behold our G.o.d advancing in great light.'
”The sun was rising, and all turned to look. At that moment Kolbein gave their G.o.d a stroke, so that he quite burst asunder; and there ran out of him mice as big almost as cats, and reptiles and adders. The Bonders were so terrified that some fled to their s.h.i.+ps; but when they sprang out upon them the s.h.i.+ps filled with water, and could not get away.
Others ran to their horses, but could not find them. The king then ordered the Bonders to be called together, saying he wanted to speak with them; on which the Bonders came back, and the Thing was again seated.
”The king rose up and said, 'I do not understand what your noise and running mean. You yourselves see what your G.o.d can do,--the idol you adorned with gold and silver, and brought meat and provisions to. You see now that the protecting powers, who used and got good of all that, were the mice and adders, the reptiles and lizards; and surely they do ill who trust to such, and will not abandon this folly. Take now your gold and ornaments that are lying strewed on the gra.s.s, and give them to your wives and daughters, but never hang them hereafter upon stocks and stones. Here are two conditions between us to choose upon: either accept Christianity, or fight this very day, and the victory be to them to whom the G.o.d we wors.h.i.+p gives it.'
”Then Dale Gudbrand stood up and said, 'We have sustained great damage upon our G.o.d; but since he will not help us, we will believe in the G.o.d whom thou believest in.'
”Then all received Christianity. The Bishop baptized Gudbrand and his son. King Olaf and Bishop Sigurd left behind them teachers; and they who met as enemies parted as friends. And afterwards Gudbrand built a church in the valley.” [13]
Olaf was by no means an unmerciful man,--much the reverse where he saw good cause. There was a wicked old King Raerik, for example, one of those five kinglets whom, with their bits of armaments, Olaf by stratagem had surrounded one night, and at once bagged and subjected when morning rose, all of them consenting; all of them except this Raerik, whom Olaf, as the readiest sure course, took home with him; blinded, and kept in his own house; finding there was no alternative but that or death to the obstinate old dog, who was a kind of distant cousin withal, and could not conscientiously be killed. Stone-blind old Raerik was not always in murderous humor. Indeed, for most part he wore a placid, conciliatory aspect, and said shrewd amusing things; but had thrice over tried, with amazing cunning of contrivance, though stone-blind, to thrust a dagger into Olaf and the last time had all but succeeded. So that, as Olaf still refused to have him killed, it had become a problem what was to be done with him. Olaf's good humor, as well as _his_ quiet, ready sense and practicality, are manifested in his final settlement of this Raerik problem. Olaf's laugh, I can perceive, was not so loud as Tryggveson's but equally hearty, coming from the bright mind of him!
Besides blind Raerik, Olaf had in his household one Thorarin, an Icelander; a remarkably ugly man, says Snorro, but a far-travelled, shrewdly observant, loyal-minded, and good-humored person, whom Olaf liked to talk with. ”Remarkably ugly,” says Snorro, ”especially in his hands and feet, which were large and ill-shaped to a degree.”
One morning Thorarin, who, with other trusted ones, slept in Olaf's apartment, was lazily dozing and yawning, and had stretched one of his feet out of the bed before the king awoke. The foot was still there when Olaf did open his bright eyes, which instantly lighted on this foot.
”Well, here is a foot,” says Olaf, gayly, ”which one seldom sees the match of; I durst venture there is not another so ugly in this city of Nidaros.”
”Hah, king!” said Thorarin, ”there are few things one cannot match if one seek long and take pains. I would bet, with thy permission, King, to find an uglier.”
”Done!” cried Olaf. Upon which Thorarin stretched out the other foot.
”A still uglier,” cried he; ”for it has lost the little toe.”
”Ho, ho!” said Olaf; ”but it is I who have gained the bet. The _less_ of an ugly thing the less ugly, not the more!”
Loyal Thorarin respectfully submitted.
”What is to be my penalty, then? The king it is that must decide.”
”To take me that wicked old Raerik to Leif Ericson in Greenland.”
Which the Icelander did; leaving two vacant seats henceforth at Olaf's table. Leif Ericson, son of Eric discoverer of America, quietly managed Raerik henceforth; sent him to Iceland,--I think to father Eric himself; certainly to some safe hand there, in whose house, or in some still quieter neighboring lodging, at his own choice, old Raerik spent the last three years of his life in a perfectly quiescent manner.