ook to flight, and he fled himself, with
all his men. Many fell; and Ingemar Sveinson of Ask, a great chief and
lenderman, got there his death-wound, and nearly sixty of King Harald's
court-men also fell. Harald himself fled eastward to Viken to his ships,
and went out of the country to King Eirik Eimune in Denmark, and found
him in Seeland and sought aid from him. King Eirik received him well,
and principally because they had sworn to each other to be as brothers
(1); and gave him Halland as a fief to rule over, and gave him
seven long-ships, but without equipment. Thereafter King Harald went
northwards through Halland, and many Northmen came to meet him. After
this battle King Magnus subdued the whole country, giving life and
safety to all who were wounded, and had them taken care of equally with
his own men. He then called the whole country his own, and had a choice
of the best men who were in the country. When they held a council among
themselves afterwards, Sigurd Sigurdson, Thorer Ingeridson, and all the
men of most understanding, advised that they should keep their forces
together in Viken, and remain there, in case Harald should return from
the south; but King Magnus would take his own way, and went north to
Bergen. There he sat all winter (A.D. 1135), and allowed his men to
leave him; on which the lendermen returned home to their own houses.

ENDNOTES: (1) These brotherhoods, by which one man was bound by oath to
aid or avenge another, were common in the Middle Ages among
all ranks. "Sworn brothers" is still a common expression
with us.--L.

4. DEATH OF ASBJORN AND OF NEREID.

King Harald came to Konungahella with the men who had followed him from
Denmark. The lendermen and town's burgesses collected a force against
him, which they drew up in a thick array above the town. King Harald
landed from his ships, and sent a message to the bondes, desiring that
they would not deny him his land, as he wanted no more than what of
right belonged to him. Then mediators went between them; and it came
to this, that the bondes dismissed their troops, and submitted to him.
Thereupon he bestowed fiefs and property on the lendermen, that they
might stand by him, and paid the bondes who joined him the lawful
mulcts for what they had lost. A great body of men attached themselves,
therefore, to King Harald; and he proceeded westwards to Viken, where he
gave peace to all men, except to King Magnus's peop