the foemen feel
The blue edge of our king's good steel
Who can withstand our gallant king?
The Gautland men their flight must wing."
18. HRANE GAUZKE'S DEATH.
King Harald went far and wide through Gautland, and many were the
battles he fought there on both sides of the river, and in general he
was victorious. In one of these battles fell Hrane Gauzke; and then the
king took his whole land north of the river and west of the Veneren, and
also Vermaland. And after he turned back there-from, he set Duke Guthorm
as chief to defend the country, and left a great force with him. King
Harald himself went first to the Uplands, where he remained a while, and
then proceeded northwards over the Dovrefjeld to Throndhjem, where he
dwelt for a long time. Harald began to have children. By Asa he had four
sons. The eldest was Guthorm. Halfdan the Black and Halfdan the
White were twins. Sigfrod was the fourth. They were all brought up in
Throndhjem with all honour.
19. BATTLE IN HAFERSFJORD.
News came in from the south land that the people of Hordaland and
Rogaland, Agder and Thelemark, were gathering, and bringing together
ships and weapons, and a great body of men. The leaders of this were
Eirik king of Hordaland; Sulke king of Rogaland, and his brother Earl
Sote: Kjotve the Rich, king of Agder, and his son Thor Haklang; and from
Thelemark two brothers, Hroald Hryg and Had the Hard. Now when Harald
got certain news of this, he assembled his forces, set his ships on the
water, made himself ready with his men, and set out southwards along the
coast, gathering many people from every district. King Eirik heard of
this when he same south of Stad; and having assembled all the men he
could expect, he proceeded southwards to meet the force which he knew
was coming to his help from the east. The whole met together north of
Jadar, and went into Hafersfjord, where King Harald was waiting with his
forces. A great battle began, which was both hard and long; but at last
King Harald gained the day. There King Eirik fell, and King Sulke, with
his brother Earl Sote. Thor Haklang, who was a great berserk, had
laid his ship against King Harald's, and there was above all measure
a desperate attack, until Thor Haklang fell, and his whole ship was
cleared of men. Then King Kjotve fled to a little isle outside, on which
there was a good place of strength. Thereafter all his men fled, some to
their ships, some up to the land
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