g
together. Ragnvald Rettilbeine governed Hadaland, and allowed himself to
be instructed in the arts of witchcraft, and became an area warlock.
Now King Harald was a hater of all witchcraft. There was a warlock in
Hordaland called Vitgeir; and when the king sent a message to him that
he should give up his art of witchcraft, he replied in this verse:--

"The danger surely is not great
From wizards born of mean estate,
When Harald's son in Hadeland,
King Ragnvald, to the art lays hand."

But when King Harald heard this, King Eirik Blood-axe went by his orders
to the Uplands, and came to Hadeland and burned his brother Ragnvald in
a house, along with eighty other warlocks; which work was much praised.

37. DEATH OF GUDROD LJOME.

Gudrod Ljome was in winter on a friendly visit to his foster-father
Thjodolf in Hvin, and had a well-manned ship, with which he wanted to go
north to Rogaland. It was blowing a heavy storm at the time; but Gudrod
was bent on sailing, and would not consent to wait. Thjodolf sang
thus:--

"Wait, Gudrod, till the storm is past,--
Loose not thy long-ship while the blast
Howls over-head so furiously,--
Trust not thy long-ship to the sea,--
Loose not thy long-ship from the shore;
Hark to the ocean's angry roar!
See how the very stones are tost
By raging waves high on the coast!
Stay, Gudrod, till the tempest's o'er--
Deep runs the sea off the Jadar's shore."

Gudrod set off in spite of what Thjodolf could say: and when they came
off the Jadar the vessel sunk with them, and all on board were lost.

38. KING BJORN KAUPMAN'S DEATH.

King Harald's son, Bjorn, ruled over Vestfold at that time, and
generally lived at Tunsberg, and went but little on war expeditions.
Tunsberg at that time was much frequented by merchant vessels, both from
Viken and the north country, and also from the south, from Denmark, and
Saxland. King Bjorn had also merchant ships on voyages to other lands,
by which he procured for himself costly articles, and such things as
he thought needful; and therefore his brothers called him Farman
(the Seaman), and Kaupman (the Chapman). Bjorn was a man of sense and
understanding, and promised to become a good ruler. He made a good and
suitable marriage, and had a son by his wife, who was named Gudrod.
Eirik Blood-axe came from his Baltic cruise with ships of war, and
a great force, and required his bro