Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway

26. OTTA AND HAKON IN BATTLE.

The Emperor Otta assembled a great army from Saxland, Frakland, Frisland, and Vindland. King Burizleif followed him with a large army, and in it was his son-in-law, Olaf Trygvason. The emperor had a great body of horsemen, and still greater of foot people, and a great army from Holstein. Harald, the Danish king, sent Earl Hakon with the army of Northmen that followed him southwards to Danavirke, to defend his kingdom on that side. So it is told in the "Vellekla":—

     "Over the foaming salt sea spray
     The Norse sea-horses took their way,
     Racing across the ocean-plain
     Southwards to Denmark's green domain.
     The gallant chief of Hordaland
     Sat at the helm with steady hand,
     In casque and shield, his men to bring
     From Dovre to his friend the king.
     He steered his war-ships o'er the wave
     To help the Danish king to save
     Mordalf, who, with a gallant band
     Was hastening from the Jutes' wild land,
     Across the forest frontier rude,
     With toil and pain through the thick wood.
     Glad was the Danish king, I trow,
     When he saw Hakon's galley's prow.
     The monarch straightway gave command
     To Hakon, with a steel-clad band,
     To man the Dane-work's rampart stout,
     And keep the foreign foemen out."

The Emperor Otta came with his army from the south to Danavirke, but Earl Hakon defended the rampart with his men. The Dane-work (Danavirke) was constructed in this way:—Two fjords run into the land, one on each side; and in the farthest bight of these fjords the Danes had made a great wall of stone, turf, and timber, and dug a deep and broad ditch in front of it, and had also built a castle over each gate of it. There was a hard battle there, of which the "Vellekla" speaks:—

     "Thick the storm of arrows flew,
     Loud was the din, black was the view
     Of close array of shield and spear
     Of Vind, and Frank, and Saxon there.
     But little recked our gallant men;
     And loud the cry might be heard then
     Of Norway's brave sea-roving son—
     'On 'gainst the foe!  On!  Lead us on!"

Earl Hakon drew up his people in ranks upon all the gate-towers of the wall, but the greater part of them he kept marching along the wall to make a defence wheresoever an attack was threatened. Many of the emperor's people fell without making any impression on the fortification, so the emperor turned back without farther attempt at an assault on it. So it is said in the "Vellekla":—

     "They who the eagle's feast provide
     In ranked line fought side by side,
     'Gainst lines of war-men under shields\
     Close packed together on the fields,
     Earl Hakon drive by daring deeds
     The Saxons to their ocean-steeds;
     And the young hero saves from fall
     The Danavirke—the people's wall."

After this battle Earl Hakon went back to his ships, and intended to sail home to Norway; but he did not get a favourable wind, and lay for some time outside at Limafjord.