Sunday, March 8, 2009

Day of Remembrance: Olver of Trondhjem

The king [Olaf] replies, "Say only what is true on what I ask thee, and I will take care that no evil befall thee."
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Then said Thoralde, "If I must say the truth, king, as it is, I must declare that in the interior of the Throndhjem land almost all the people are heathen in faith, although some of them are baptized. It is their custom to offer sacrifice in autumn for a good winter, a second at mid-winter, and a third in summer. In this the people of Eyna, Sparby, Veradal, and Skaun partake. There are twelve men who preside over these sacrifice-feasts; and in spring it is Olver who has to get the feast in order, and he is now busy transporting to Maerin everything needful for it."
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Now when the king had got to the truth with a certainty, he ordered the signal to be sounded for his men to assemble, and for the men-at-arms to go on board ship. He appointed men to steer the ships, and leaders for the people, and ordered how the people should be divided among the vessels. All was got ready in haste, and with five ships and 300 men he steered up the fjord. The wind was favourable, the ships sailed briskly before it, and nobody could have thought that the king would be so soon there.
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The king came in the night time to Maerin, and immediately surrounded the house with a ring of armed men. Olver was taken, and the king ordered him to be put to death, and many other men besides. Then the king took all the provision for the feast, and had it brought to his ships; and also all the goods, both furniture, clothes, and valuables, which the people had brought there, and divided the booty among his men. The king also let all the bondes he thought had the greatest part in the business be plundered by his men-at-arms. Some were taken prisoners and laid in irons, some ran away, and many were robbed of their goods.
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Thereafter the bondes were summoned to a Thing; but because he had taken many powerful men prisoners, and held them in his power, their friends and relations resolved to promise obedience to the king, so that there was no insurrection against the king on this occasion. He thus brought the whole people back to the right faith, gave them teachers, and built and consecrated churches. The king let Olver lie without fine paid for his bloodshed, and all that he possessed was adjudged to the king; and of the men he judged the most guilty, some he ordered to be executed, some he maimed, some he drove out of the country, and took fines from others."
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-from Heimskringla, 105, Snorri Sturlson

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Heil Morning Angel! Great post! Important stuff to remember for us Heathens. This is why I invert "St. Olaf"'s Day and curse his name on the Catholic feast. May he ever freeze in the depths of Nifelhel, and my Nidhogg feast upon his flesh for excruciating eternity!

Lol, on a lighter note, I wrote a blog on the Wights as suggested. It is preliminary, but should be a good jumping off point. I will be writing more about the "darker" wights such as Giants, Hags and Kobolds.

Frith,
Bjorn