Early　Kings　of　Norway
  by　Thomas　Carlyle
  The　Icelanders；　in　their　long　winter；　had　a　great　habit　of　writing；　and　were；　and　still　are；　excellent　in　penmanship；　says　Dahlmann。　　It　is　to　this　fact；　that　any　little　history　there　is　of　the　Norse　Kings　and　their　old　tragedies；　crimes　and　heroisms；　is　almost　all　due。　　The　Icelanders；　it　seems；　not　only　made　beautiful　letters　on　their　paper　or　parchment；　but　were　laudably　observant　and　desirous　of　accuracy；　and　have　left　us　such　a　collection　of　narratives　（_Sagas_；　literally　〃Says〃）　as；　for　quantity　and　quality；　is　unexampled　among　rude　nations。　　Snorro　Sturleson's　History　of　the　Norse　Kings　is　built　out　of　these　old　Sagas；　and　has　in　it　a　great　deal　of　poetic　fire；　not　a　little　faithful　sagacity　applied　in　sifting　and　adjusting　these　old　Sagas；　and；　in　a　word；　deserves；　were　it　once　well　edited；　furnished　with　accurate　maps；　chronological　summaries；　&c。；　to　be　reckoned　among　the　great　history…books　of　the　world。　　It　is　from　these　sources；　greatly　aided　by　accurate；　learned　and　unwearied　Dahlmann；＇1＇　the　German　Professor；　that　the　following　rough　notes　of　the　early　Norway　Kings　are　hastily　thrown　together。　　In　Histories　of　England　（Rapin's　excepted）　next　to　nothing　has　been　shown　of　the　many　and　strong　threads　of　connection　between　English　affairs　and　Norse。
  CHAPTER　I。
  HARALD　HAARFAGR。
  Till　about　the　Year　of　Grace　860　there　were　no　kings　in　Norway；　nothing　but　numerous　jarls；essentially　kinglets；　each　presiding　over　a　kind　of　republican　or　parliamentary　little　territory；　generally　striving　each　to　be　on　some　terms　of　human　neighborhood　with　those　about　him；　but；in　spite　of　〃_Fylke　Things_〃　（Folk　Things；　little　parish　parliaments）；　and　small　combinations　of　these；　which　had　gradually　formed　themselves；often　reduced　to　the　unhappy　state　of　quarrel　with　them。　　Harald　Haarfagr　was　the　first　to　put　an　end　to　this　state　of　things；　and　become　memorable　and　profitable　to　his　country　by　uniting　it　under　one　head　and　making　a　kingdom　of　it；　which　it　has　continued　to　be　ever　since。　　His　father；　Halfdan　the　Black；　had　already　begun　this　rough　but　salutary　process；inspired　by　the　cupidities　and　instincts；　by　the　faculties　and　opportunities；　which　the　good　genius　of　this　world；　beneficent　often　enough　under　savage　forms；　and　diligent　at　all　times　to　diminish　anarchy　as　the　world's　worst　savagery；　usually　appoints　in　such　cases；conquest；　hard　fighting；　followed　by　wise　guidance　of　the　conquered；but　it　was　Harald　the　Fairhaired；　his　son；　who　conspicuously　carried　it　on　and　completed　it。　　Harald's　birth…year；　death…year；　and　chronology　in　general；　are　known　only　by　inference　and　computation；　but；　by　the　latest　reckoning；　he　died　about　the　year　933　of　our　era；　a　man　of　eighty…three。
  The　business　of　conquest　lasted　Harald　about　twelve　years　（A。D。　860…872？）；　in　which　he　subdued　also　the　vikings　of　the　out…islands；　Orkneys；　Shetlands；　Hebrides；　and　Man。　　Sixty　more　years　were　given　him　to　consolidate　and　regulate　what　he　had　conquered；　which　he　did　with　great　judgment；　industry　and　success。　　His　reign　altogether　is　counted　to　have　been　of　over　seventy　years。
  The　beginning　of　his　great　adventure　was　of　a　romantic　character。youthful　love　for　the　beautiful　Gyda；　a　then　glorious　and　famous　young　lady　of　those　regions；　whom　the　young　Harald　aspired　to　marry。　　Gyda　answered　his　embassy　and　prayer　in　a　distant；　lofty　manner：　　〃Her　it　would　not　beseem　to　wed　any　Jarl　or　poor　creature　of　that　kind；　let　him　do　as　Gorm　of　Denmark；　Eric　of　Sweden；　Egbert　of　England；　and　others　had　done；subdue　into　peace　and　regulation　the　confused；　contentious　bits　of　jarls　round　him；　and　become　a　king；　then；　perhaps；　she　might　think　of　his　proposal：　　till　then；　not。〃　Harald　was　struck　with　this　proud　answer；　which　rendered　Gyda　tenfold　more　desirable　to　him。　　He　vowed　to　let　his　hair　grow；　never　to　cut　or　even　to　comb　it　till　this　feat　were　done；　and　the　peerless　Gyda　his　own。　　He　proceeded　accordingly　to　conquer；　in　fierce　battle；　a　Jarl　or　two　every　year；　and；　at　the　end　of　twelve　years；　had　his　unkempt　（and　almost　unimaginable）　head　of　hair　clipt　off；Jarl　Rognwald　（_Reginald_）　of　More；　the　most　valued　and　valuable　of　all　his　subject…jarls；　being　promoted　to　this　sublime　barber　function；after　which　King　Harald；　with　head　thoroughly　cleaned；　and　hair　grown；　or　growing　again　to　the　luxuriant　beauty　that　had　no　equal　in　his　day；　brought　home　his　Gyda；　and　made　her　the　brightest　queen　in　all　the　north。　　He　had　after　her；　in　succession；　or　perhaps　even　simultaneously　in　some　cases；　at　least　six　other　wives；　and　by　Gyda　herself　one　daughter　and　four　sons。
  Harald　was　not　to　be　considered　a　strict…living　man；　and　he　had　a　great　deal　of　trouble；　as　we　shall　see；　with　the　tumultuous　ambition　of　his　sons；　but　he　managed　his　government；　aided　by　Jarl　Rognwald　and　others；　in　a　large；　quietly　potent；　and　successful　manner；　and　it　lasted　in　this　royal　form　till　his　death；　after　sixty　years　of　it。
  These　were　the　times　of　Norse　colonization；　proud　Norsemen　flying　into　other　lands；　to　freer　scenes；to　Iceland；　to　the　Faroe　Islands；　which　were　hitherto　quite　vacant　（tenanted　only　by　some　mournful　hermit；　Irish　Christian　_fakir_；　or　so）；　still　more　copiously　to　the　Orkney　and　Shetland　Isles；　the　Hebrides　and　other　countries　where　Norse　squatters　and　settlers　already　were。　　Settlement　of　Iceland；　we　say；　settlement　of　the　Faroe　Islands；　and；　by　far　the　notablest　of　all；　settlement　of　Normandy　by　Rolf　the　Ganger　（A。D。　876？）。＇2＇
  Rolf；　son　of　Rognwald；＇3＇　was　lord　of　three　little　islets　far　north；　near　the　Fjord　of　Folden；　called　the　Three　Vigten　Islands；　but　his　chief　means　of　living　was　that　of　sea　robbery；　which；　or　at　least　Rolf's　conduct　in　which；　Harald　did　not　approve　of。　　In　the　Court　of　Harald；　sea…robbery　was　strictly　forbidden　as　between　Harald's　own　countries；　but　as　against　foreign　countries　it　continued　to　be　the　one　profession　for　a　gentleman；　thus；　I　read；　Harald's　own　chief　son；　King　Eric　that　afterwards　was；　had　been　at　sea　in　such　employments　ever　since　his　twelfth　year。　　Rolf's　crime；　however；　was　that　in　coming　home　from　one　of　these　expeditions；　his　crew　having　fallen　short　of　victual；　Rolf　landed　with　them　on　the　shore　of　Norway；　and　in　his　strait；　drove　in　some　cattle　there　（a　crime　by　law）　and　proceeded　to　kill　and　eat；　which；　in　a　little　while；　he　heard　that　King　Harald　was　on　foot　to　inquire　into　and　punish；　whereupon　Rolf　the　Ganger　speedily　got　into　his　ships　again；　got　to　the　coast　of　France　with　his　sea…　robbers；　got　infeftment　by　the　poor　King　of　France　in　the　fruitful；　shaggy　desert　which　is　since　called　Normandy；　land　of　the　Northmen；　and　there；　gradually　felling　the　forests；　banking　the　rivers；　tilling　the　fields；　became；　during　the　next　two　centuries；　Wilhelmus　Conquaestor；　the　man　famous　to　England；　and　momentous　at　this　day；　not　to　England　alone；　but　to　all　speakers　of　the　English　tongue；　now　spread　from　side　to　side　of　the　world　in　a　wonderful　degree。　　Tancred　of　Hauteville　and　his　Italian　Normans；　though　important　too；　in　Italy；　are　not　worth　naming　in　comparison。　　This　is　a　feracious　earth；　and　the　grain　of　mustard…seed　will　grow　to　miraculous　extent　in　some　cases。
  Harald's　chief　helper；　counsellor；　and　lieutenant　was　the　above…mentioned　Jarl　Rognwald　of　More；　who　had　the　honor　to　cut　Harald's　dreadful　head　of　hair。　　This　Rognwald　was　father　of　Turf…Einar；　who　first　invented　peat　in　the　Orkneys；　finding　the　wood　all　gone　there；　and　is　remembered　to　this　day。　　Einar；　being　come　to　these　islands　by　King　Harald's　permission；　to　see　what　he　could　do　in　them；islands　inhabited　by　what　miscellany　of　Picts；　Scots；　Norse　squatters　we　do　not　know；found　the　indispensable　fuel　all　wasted。　Turf…Einar　too　may　be　regarded　as　a　benefactor　to　his　kind。　　He　was；　it　appears；　a　bastard；　and　got　no　coddling　from　his　father；　who　disliked　him；　partly　perhaps；　because　〃he　was　ugly　and　blind　of　an　eye；〃got　no　flattering　even　on　his　conquest　of　the　Orkneys　and　invention　of　peat。　　Here　is　the　parting　speech　his　father　made　to　him　on　fitting　him　out　with　a　〃long…ship〃　（ship　of　war；　〃dragon…ship；〃　ancient　seventy…four）；　and　sending　him　forth　to　make　a　living　for　himself　in　the　world：　　〃It　were　best　if　thou　never　camest　back；　for　I　have　small　hope　that　thy　people　will　have　honor　by　thee；　thy　mother's　kin　throughout　is　slavish。〃
  Harald　Haarfagr　had　a　good　many　sons　and　daughters；　the　daughters　he　married　mostly　to　jarls　of　due　merit　who　were　loyal　to　him；　with　the　sons；　as　remarked　above；　he　had　a　great　deal　of　trouble。　　They　were　ambitious；　stirring　fellows；　and　grudged　at　their　finding　so　little　promotion　from　a　father　so　kind　to　his　jarls；　sea…robbery　by　no　means　an　adequate　career　for　the　sons　of　a　great　king；　two　of　them；　Halfdan　Haaleg　（Long…leg）；　and　Gudrod　Ljome　（Gleam）；　jealous　of　the　favors　won　by　the　great　Jarl　Rognwald。　　surrounded　him　in　his　house　one　night；　and　burnt　him　and　sixty　men　to　death　there。　　That　was　the　end　of　Rognwald；　the　invaluable　jarl；　always　true　to　Haarfagr；　and　distinguished　in　world　history　by　producing　Rolf　the　Ganger；　author　of　the　Norman　Conquest　of　England；　and　Turf…Einar；　who　invented　peat　in　the　Orkneys。　　Whether　Rolf　had　left　Norway　at　this　time　there　is　no　chronol