s of the sea.

KING OLAF TRYGVASON'S SAGA.

PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

Hitherto the narrative has been more or less fragmentary. With Olaf
Trygvason's Saga reliable history begins, and the narration is full and
connected. The story of Hakon the earl is incorporated in this saga.

Accounts of Olaf Trygvason may be found in Od the Monk's legendary saga,
in parts of "Agrip", "Historia Norvegiae", and in Thjodrek. Icelandic
works on this epoch are:

"Egla", "Eyrbyggja", "Finboga", "Floamanna", "Faereyinga", "Hallfredar
Saga", "Havardar Saga", "Are's Islendinga-bok", "Kristni Saga",
"Laxdaela", "Ljosvetninga", "Njala", "Orkneyinga", "Viga Glums Saga",
and "Viga Styrs Saga".

The skalds quoted are: Glum Geirason, Eyvind Finson, Skaldaspiller,
Einar Skalaglam, Tind Halkelson, Eyjolf Dadaskald, Hallarstein,
Halfred Vandraedaskald, Haldor Ukristne, Skule Thorsteinson, and Thord
Kolbeinson.

1. OLAF TRYGVASON'S BIRTH.

King Trygve Olafson had married a wife who was called Astrid. She was a
daughter of Eirik Bjodaskalle, a great man, who dwelt at Oprustader. But
after Trygve's death (A.D. 963) Astrid fled, and privately took with her
all the loose property she could. Her foster-father, Thorolf Lusarskeg,
followed her, and never left her; and others of her faithful followers
spied about to discover her enemies, and where they were. Astrid was
pregnant with a child of King Trygve, and she went to a lake, and
concealed herself in a holm or small island in it with a few men. Here
her child was born, and it was a boy; and water was poured over it, and
it was called Olaf after the grandfather. Astrid remained all summer
here in concealment; but when the nights became dark, and the day began
to shorten and the weather to be cold, she was obliged to take to the
land, along with Thorolf and a few other men. They did not seek for
houses unless in the night-time, when they came to them secretly;
and they spoke to nobody. One evening, towards dark, they came to
Oprustader, where Astrid's father Eirik dwelt, and privately sent a man
to Eirik to tell him; and Eirik took them to an out-house, and spread a
table for them with the best of food. When Astrid had been here a short
time her travelling attendants left her, and none remained, behind with
her but two servant girls, her child Olaf, Thorolf Lusarskeg, and his
son Thorgils, who was six years old; and they remained all winter (A.D.
964).

2. OF GUNHILD S SONS.

A