Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway

182. OF THORARIN LOFTUNGA.

There was a man by name Thorarin Loftunga, an Icelander by birth, and a great skald, who had been much with the kings and other great chiefs. He was now with King Canute the Great, and had composed a flock, or short poem, in his praise. When the king heard of this he was very angry, and ordered him to bring the next day a drapa, or long poem, by the time he went to table; and if he failed to do so, said the king, "he shall be hanged for his impudence in composing such a small poem about King Canute." Thorarin then composed a stave as a refrain, which he inserted in the poem, and also augmented it with several other strophes or verses. This was the refrain:—

     "Canute protects his realm, as Jove,
     Guardian of Greece, his realm above."

King Canute rewarded him for the poem with fifty marks of silver. The poem was called the "Headransom" ("Hofudlausn"). Thorarin composed another poem about King Canute, which was called the "Campaign Poem" ("Togdrapa"); and therein he tells King Canute's expedition when he sailed from Denmark to Norway; and the following are strophes from one of the parts of this poem:—

     "Canute with all his men is out,
     Under the heavens in war-ships stout,—
     'Out on the sea, from Limfjord's green,
     My good, my brave friend's fleet is seen.
     The men of Adger on the coast
     Tremble to see this mighty host:
     The guilty tremble as they spy
     The victor's fleet beneath the sky.

     "The sight surpasses far the tale,
     As glacing in the sun they sail;
     The king's ship glittering all with gold,
     And splendour there not to be told.
     Round Lister many a coal-black mast
     Of Canute's fleet is gliding past.
     And now through Eger sound they ride,
     Upon the gently heaving tide.

     "And all the sound is covered o'er
     With ships and sails, from shore to shore,
     A mighty king, a mighty host,
     Hiding the sea on Eger coast.
     And peaceful men in haste now hie
     Up Hiornagla-hill the fleet to spy,
     As round the ness where Stad now lies
     Each high-stemmed ship in splendour flies.

     "Nor seemed the voyage long, I trow,
     To warrior on the high-built bow,
     As o'er the ocean-mountains riding
     The land and hill seem past him gliding.
     With whistling breeze and flashing spray
     Past Stein the gay ships dashed away;
     In open sea, the southern gale
     Filled every wide out-bellying sail.

     "Still on they fly, still northward go,
     Till he who conquers every foe,
     The mighty Canute, came to land,
     Far in the north on Throndhjem's strand.
     There this great king of Jutland race,
     Whose deeds and gifts surpass in grace
     All other kings, bestowed the throne
     Of Norway on his sister's son.

     "To his own son he gave the crown
     (This I must add to his renown)
     Of Denmark—land of shadowy vales,
     In which the white swan trims her sails."

Here it is told that King Canute's expedition was grander than saga can tell; but Thorarin sang thus because he would pride himself upon being one of King Canute's retinue when he came to Norway.