BOOKS.

THE SAGAS OF THE NORSE KINGS.*

THE first edition of this translation of the Heimskringla appeared more than forty years ago. The translator, a retired officer of the British Army and an Orkney landowner, devoted the latter years of his life to Scandinavian literature, in which, as a descendant of the Vikings, he felt a patriotic pride. Norse literature was at the time almost unexplored territory, and Mr. Laing, like most explorers, exaggerated the importance of his discoveries. Of this exaggeration the reader will find amusing instances in the opinionated, often irrelevant, but withal interesting introduction in which Mr. Laing treats those inferior beings, the Romans and the Saxons, with a contemptuous scorn worthy of his Norse forefathers ; while he lavishes praise on whatever is of Scandinavian origin. According to his translator, Snorre Sturlason, the author of the Heimskringla, merits a place in literature far above Joinville and Froissart, his true seat, " in the Talhal of European literature," being on the same bench with Shake- speare, Carlyle, and' Scott. The comparison, to those who take it seriously, will be misleading, and will excite false expectations. Snorre Sturlason is neither a poet nor a writer of great narrative powers, although he sometimes tells his story in a racy manner. The Heimskringla is simply a storehouse of mythology, folk-lore, and legendary history, chiefly interest- ing to us because it reflects the life of a period which is one of the backgrounds to English history. The only justification for connecting Sturlason's name with Shakespeare and Scott, is that he belongs to the class of old story-tellers to whom Shakespeare and Scott were often debtors.

Snorre Sturlason's Sagas, although often commonplace, contain some narratives which might claim comparison with " The Heimskringla; or, the Sagas of the Norse Kings. From the Icelandic of Snorre Stnrlason, by Samuel Laing. Second Edition, Revised, with Notes, by Rasmus B. Anderson, LL.D., United States' Minister to Denmark. 4 vols. London: John 0. Nimmo. 1889,

tales which have become famous. The following account of the escape of a disguised King after an unsuccessful sea-fight, but for its unmagnanimous close, is quite as good as the adventure of Alfred at Athelney :—

" Earl Hakon lay behind with his ships, while the King and the rest of the forces were pursuing the fugitives ; for the Earl's ships could not get forward on account of the ships which lay in the way before him. Then a man came rowing in a boat to the Earl's ship, and lay at the bulwarks. The man was stout, and had on a white hat. He hailed the ship. 'Where is the Earl ? ' said he. The Earl was in the forehold, stopping a man's blood. The- Earl cast a look at the man in the hat, and asked what his name was. He answered, 'Here is Vandrad (the Unlucky); speak to me, Earl.' The Earl leant over the ship's side to him. Then the man in the boat said, Earl, I will accept of my life from thee, if thou wilt give it.' Then the Earl raised himself up, called two men who were friends dear to him, and said to them, Go into the boat; bring Vandrad to the land; attend him to my friend's Karl the Boucle.' Thereupon they went into the boat, and took oars in hand, while Vandrad steered. Vandrad steered along the shore, and only set in towards the land when they had come past the crowd of ships. Then they went up to Karl the Bonde's farm, and it was then beginning to be light._ They went into the room where Karl had just put on his clothes. The Earl's men told their message, and Karl said they must first take some food; and he set a table before them, and gave them water to wash with. Then came the housewife into the room, and said, I wonder why we could get no peace or rest all night with the shouting and scream- ing ?'—Karl replies : 'Bost thou not know that the Kings were fighting all night ?' She asked which had the best of it. Karl answered, The Northmen gained.'—' Then,' said she, 'our King will have taken flight.'—' Nobody knows,' says Karl, 'whether he has fled or fallen.'—She says, What a useless sort of King we have ! He i9 both slow and frightened.'—Then said Vandrad,. Frightened he is not ; but he is not lucky.' Then Vandrad. washed his hands; but he took the towel and dried them right in the middle of the cloth. The housewife snatched the towel from. him, and said, Thou halt been taught little good ; it is wasteful to wet the whole cloth at one time.'—Vandrad replies, I may yet. come so far forward in the world as to be able to dry myself with the middle of the towel.' " The King afterwards rewarded Karl the Bonde for the hos- pitality he had shown to him when he was in danger, but, with a sad want of magnanimity, he revenged himself on the woman whose rough tongue had wounded his vanity. To, Karl he gave a farm in Seeland, but when Karl requested to be allowed to bring his wife with him, the King replied,—" I will not let thee do that ; but I will provide thee a far better,

and more sensible wife."

Olaf Tryggvesson. and Olaf the Saint have naturally a. large place in the Sagas of Snorre Sturlason. They are interesting to English readers from their connection with England. The former is repeatedly mentioned in the Saxon.

Annals. At the close of the tenth century, he ravaged the coasts of Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire ; he spent a winter in Southampton, and was at length bought-off by Ethelred II. with a large sum. Olaf the Saint also visited England in his youth, and as the ally of King.

Ethelred, sailed up the Thames and took part in a great battle against the Danes who had encamped themselves at Southwark. Ethelred afterwards entrusted him with the defence of all England against the Dane, and he sailed round. it in his ships-of-war. Olaf very nearly became an English King, for on the death of Ethelred, his sons made an agree- ment with Olaf that he should have Northumberland, if by. their combined efforts, they should free England from the

Danes. As the Danes proved the stronger, Olaf returned to Norway, where he united the whole land under his sway ; and he proved the chief obstacle to the design of Canute to, form a great Scandinavian Empire, as he steadily refused to

become Canute's man. Olaf is quite the most remarkable figure in Norwegian history. A strong ruler who put down• private war and wrong-doing with merciless severity, he had a deep mystical element in his character, and was guided in critical moments of his life by visions and dreams. The efforts of this Charlemagne of the North to abolish heathenism and to establish Christianity were unceasing, and were not mere dic- tates of policy. Even in sorest straits he would not accept the aid of an unbaptised man, and some curious details are given in the Sagas of his conversations with his converts. The Sagas also inform us that when he found that many would not renounce heathenism, he took the matter so zealously that he drove some out of the country, mutilated others of hands or feet, or stung their eyes out; but let none go unpunished who would not serve God. This strange warlike saint, who united. in his character the savage cruelty of a heathen Norseman with a deep mystical reverence for the Christian Faith, com- pletely took captive the imagination of his countrymen.

Expelled from his kingdom by the separatist party, which was also the party opposed to Christianity, Olaf took refuge in Russia, from which he returned to die on the field of Vaerladen. Before the battle, he had one of the numerous dreams of his life, which is thus recorded in the Saga:— "He leaned down, and laid his head upon Fin A rnason's 'knee. Then a slumber came upon him, and he slept a little while ; but at the same time the bondes' army was seen advancing with raised banners, and the multitude of these was very great. Then Fin awakened the King, and said that the bonde army advanced against them. The King awoke, and said, Why did you waken me, Fin, and did not allow me to enjoy my dream r—Pin : Thou must not be dreaming, but rather thou shouldst be awake, and pre- paring thyself against the host which is coming down upon us ; or dost thou not see that the whole bonde-crowd is coming ?'—The King replies : They are not yet so near to us, and it would have been better to have let me sleep.'—Then said Fin : What was the dream, Sire, of which the loss appears to thee so great that thou wonldst rather have been left to waken of thyself ?' Now the King told his dream,—' That he seemed to see a high ladder, upon which he went so high in the air that heaven was open ; for so high reached the ladder. And when you awoke me, I was come to the highest step towards heaven.' Fin replies : This dream does not appear to me so good as it does to thee. I think it means that thou art fey ; unless it be the mere want of sleep that has worked upon thee. "

From the hour of his death Olaf was regarded as a saint and

martyr. His dead body is said to have worked miracles on the battle-field, and it continued to be a centre of miraculous healings. Olaf appeared to his descendants in times of danger to comfort or encourage them ; and his manifestations concerned this world as well as the world to come,—as was fitting in one who was equally soldier and saint.

There is much that is interesting in the Saga, " Sigurd the Crusader, and his Brothers Eystein and Olaf." The three brothers, who were sons of Magnus Barefoot, divided Norway between them at the beginning of the twelfth century. Sigurd went to the East as a Crusader, and many other Norsemen went with him to the East, because they were told that those who entered military service at Constan- tinople, found excellent opportunities of collecting pro- perty. Sigurd and his companions collected property on their way to the East, ravaging the coasts of France and Spain. He paid a visit to Sicily, where he was enter- tained by Roger, Duke of Sicily, and Sigurd, in return, conferred upon the Duke the title of King. "He took the Duke by the hand, led him up to the high seat, and saluted him with the title of King ; and gave the right that there should be always a King over the dominions of Sicily, although before there had only been Earls and Dukes." Sigurd visited Jerusalem, was entertained by Bald- win, and carried back relics to lay on Olaf's tomb. He then sailed with his fleet to Constantinople, and the Saga relates that all the people turned out to see Sigurd and his ships sailing past. The Emperor admitted the uncanny strangers into his city, and adorned it in their honour. Sigurd, how- ever, ordered his men to ride in great state into the city, and not to regard all the new things they might see. It is not clear whether this was a counsel to preserve an attitude of dignified indifference towards unaccustomed splendour, or a command to refrain from collecting property in the city of their Imperial host.

The Heimskringla abounds in curious traits which illustrate Norse life. We must forbear quoting in full the quarrel

between Sigurd and his brother Eystein, when, like boys out of

humour, each boasted of his own powers and exploits, and disparaged those of his brother. After speaking of swimming, wrestling, and similar feats, Sigurd came to higher matters, and accused his brother of nnkingly breaches of promise

towards his subjects. Eystein's defence of himself is very curious This accusation is because, when people bring their cases before me, I wish first to give every man that satisfaction in his affair which he desires; but afterwards comes the opposite party, and then there is something to be given or taken away very often, in order to mediate between them, so that both may be satisfied. It often happens, too, that I promise whatever is desired of me, that all may be joyful about me. It would be an easy matter for me to do as you do,—to promise evil to all; and I never hear any complain of your not keeping this promise to them."

We cannot undertake to discuss Mr. Laing's spirited plea for a fuller recognition of Scandinavian influence upon England. It must have been considerable, as four Scandinavian Kings ruled over England as sole masters, and for several previous generations the Danes possessed a third-part of the country. But we must not forget that the Danish Kings fell back upon "Eadgar's Law," and they and their companions were probably more influenced by Englishmen, than Englishmen by them. Mr. Laing maintains that our English love of freedom, and even our Parliamentary institutions, are of Scandinavian rather than of Teutonic origin. But his arguments on the latter point will not commend themselves to those familiar with recent literature on the history of institutions.

Mr. Anderson has revised Mr. Laing's translation, with the help of Professor Unger's edition of the text, and of Munch's and of Hildebra.nd's translations. He has also added notes of his own. With great want of judgment, he has retained the absurd doggerel into which Mr. Laing misrendered the scaldic verses. As these were neither accurate nor poetical, they should have been omitted, and prose versions substituted which would have been useful to the student of Norse history.