Wherefore must I so many keep
Of such a set, who, one and all,
Right dearly love their souls to steep,
From mom till night, in the mead-howl?"
Then Thiodolf replies:—
A certain wealthy chief, I think,
Would gladly have had more to drink
With him, upon one bloody day,
When crowns were cracked in our sword-play."
Thiodolf then took off his hat, and the king recognised him, and gave him a friendly reception. Thiodolf then begged the king not to cast off his sons; "for they would with great pleasure have taken a better family descent upon the mother's side, if the king had given it to them." The king assented, and told him to take Gudrod with him as formerly; and he sent Halfdan and Sigurd to Ringerige, and Rognvald to Hadeland, and all was done as the king ordered. They grew up to be very clever men, very expert in all exercises. In these times King Harald sat in peace in the land, and the land enjoyed quietness and good crops.
Chapter XXVII.
Of Earl Turf-Einar's obtaining Orkney.
When Earl Rognvald in More heard of the death of his brother Earl Sigurd, and that the vikings were in possession of the country, he sent his son Hallad westward, who took the title of earl to begin with, and had many men-at-arms with him. When he arrived at the Orkney Islands, he established himself in the country; but both in harvest, winter, and spring, the vikings cruised about the isles, plundering the headlands, and committing depredations on the coast. Then Earl Hallad grew tired of the business, resigned his earldom, took up again his rights as an udaller[1], and afterwards returned eastward into Norway. When Earl
- ↑ This condition of holldr which Hallad resumed on resigning the earldom is explained, in the Landzleygu-balk of the Gulathing Law of King Magnus, to have been that of a holder of inherited udal-land, not purchased, hut received by hereditary right.
