were about the same age, and were hopeful and clever.
Trygve, especially, was remarkable as a stout and strong man. Now when
the people of Viken heard that those of Hordaland had taken Eirik as
upper king, they did the same, and made Olaf the upper king in Viken,
which kingdom he retained. Eirik did not like this at all. Two years
after this, Halfdan the Black died suddenly at a feast in Throndhjem
and the general report was that Gunhild had bribed a witch to give him
a death-drink. Thereafter the Throndhjem people took Sigrod to be their
king.

45. KING HARALD'S DEATH.

King Harald lived three years after he gave Eirik the supreme authority
over his kingdom, and lived mostly on his great farms which he
possessed, some in Rogaland, and some in Hordaland. Eirik and Gunhild
had a son on whom King Harald poured water, and gave him his own name,
and the promise that he should be king after his father Eirik. King
Harald married most of his daughters within the country to his earls,
and from them many great families are descended. Harald died on a bed of
sickness in Hogaland (A.D. 933), and was buried under a mound at Haugar
in Karmtsund. In Haugesund is a church, now standing; and not far from
the churchyard, at the north-west side, is King Harald Harfager's mound;
but his grave-stone stands west of the church, and is thirteen feet and
a half high, and two ells broad. One stone was set at head and one at
the feet; on the top lay the slab, and below on both sides were laid
small stones. The grave, mound, and stone, are there to the present day.
Harald Harfager was, according to the report of men of knowledge, or
remarkably handsome appearance, great and strong, and very generous
and affable to his men. He was a great warrior in his youth; and people
think that this was foretold by his mother's dream before his birth,
as the lowest part of the tree she dreamt of was red as blood. The stem
again was green and beautiful, which betokened his flourishing kingdom;
and that the tree was white at the top showed that he should reach a
grey-haired old age. The branches and twigs showed forth his posterity,
spread over the whole land; for of his race, ever since. Norway has
always had kings.

46. THE DEATH OF OLAF AND OF SIGROD.

King Eirik took all the revenues (A.D. 934), which the king had in the
middle of the country, the next winter after King Harald's decease. But
Olaf took all the revenues eastward in Viken, and