king was in great anger, and seized a sword which lay beside him, and drew it, as if he was going to kill the child. Hank says, "Thou hast borne him on thy knee, and thou canst murder him if thou wilt; but thou wilt not make an end of all King Harald's sons by so doing," On that Hauk went out with all his men, and took the way direct to his ship, and put to sea, —for they were ready,—and came back to King Harald. The king was highly pleased with this; for it is the common observation of all people, that the man who fosters another's children is of less consideration than the other. From these transactions between the two kings, it appears that each wanted to be held greater than the other; but in truth there was no injury to the dignity of either, for each was the upper king in his own kingdom till his dying day.
Chapter XLIII.
Hakon, the foster-son of Athelstan, is baptized.
King Athelstan had Hakon baptized, and brought up in the right faith, and in good habits, and all sorts of exercises, and he loved Hakon above all his relations; and Hakon was beloved by all men. Athelstan was a man of understanding and eloquence, and also a good Christian. King Athelstan gave Hakon a sword, of which the hilt and handle were gold, and the blade still better; for with it Hakon cut down a mill-stone to the centre eye, and the sword thereafter was called the Quernbiter[1]. Better sword never came into Norway, and Hakon carried it to his dying day.
Chapter XLIV.
Eric is brought to the sovereignty.
When King Harald was eighty years of age he became very heavy, and unable to travel through the country, or do the business of a king. Then he brought his son Eric to his high seat, and gave him the power and command over the whole land. Now when King Haraid's other sons heard this, King Halfdan the Black also took a king's high seat, and took all Drontheim land, with the consent of all the
- ↑ Quern is still the name of the small hand mill-stones still found in use among the cottars in Orkney, Shetland, and the Hebrides.
