for King Ragnfred, and took ground for his own men
in it. So it is told in the "Vellekla":--

"In the fierce battle Ragnfred then
Met the grim foe of Vindland men;
And many a hero of great name
Fell in the sharp sword's bloody game.
The wielder of fell Narve's weapon,
The conquering hero, valiant Hakon
Had laid his war-ships on the strand,
And ranged his warriors on the land."

There was a great battle; but Earl Hakon, having by far the most people,
gained the victory. It took place on the Thinganes, where Sogn and
Hordaland meet.

King Rangfred fled to his ships, after 300 of his men had fallen. So it
is said in the "Vellekla":--

"Sharp was the battle-strife, I ween,--
Deadly and close it must have been,
Before, upon the bloody plain,
Three hundred corpses of the slain
Were stretched for the black raven's prey;
And when the conquerors took their way
To the sea-shore, they had to tread
O'er piled-up heaps of foemen dead."

After this battle King Ragnfred fled from Norway; but Earl Hakon
restored peace to the country, and allowed the great army which had
followed him in summer to return home to the north country, and he
himself remained in the south that harvest and winter (A.D. 972).

19. EARL HAKON'S MARRIAGE.

Earl Hakon married a girl called Thora, a daughter of the powerful Skage
Skoptason, and very beautiful she was. They had two sons, Svein and
Heming, and a daughter called Bergljot who was afterwards married to
Einar Tambaskielfer. Earl Hakon was much addicted to women, and had many
children; among others a daughter Ragnhild, whom he married to Skopte
Skagason, a brother of Thora. The Earl loved Thora so much that he held
Thora's family in higher respect than any other people, and Skopte his
brother-in-law in particular; and he gave him many great fiefs in
More. Whenever they were on a cruise together, Skopte must lay his ship
nearest to the earl's, and no other ship was allowed to come in between.

20. DEATH OF SKOPTE.

One summer that Earl Hakon was on a cruise, there was a ship with him
of which Thorleif Spake (the Wise) was steersman. In it was also
Eirik, Earl Hakon's son, then about ten or eleven years old. Now in the
evenings, as they came into harbour, Eirik would not allow any ship but
his to lie nearest to the earl's. But when they came to the south, to
More, they met Skopte the earl's brother-in