Page:The Early Kings of Norway.djvu/143

 KEIGN OF KING OLAF THE SAINT. 133 Ulf and Kis connections being of importance in the history of Denmark and of England also. Ulf's wife was Astrid, sister of Knut, and their only child was Svein, styled afterwards * Svein Estrithson ' {*Astrid- son') when he became noted in the world, — at this time a beardless youth, who, on the back of this tragedy, fled hastily to Sweden, where were friends of Ulf. After some ten years' eclipse there, Knut and both his sons being now dead, Svein reappeared in Denmark under a new and eminent figure, *Jarl of Denmark,' highest Liegeman to the then sovereign there. Broke his oath to said sovereign, declared himself, Svein Estrithson, to be real King of Den- mark; and, after much preliminary trouble, and many beatings and disastrous flights to and fro, became in efiect such, — to the wonder of mankind ; for he had not had one victory to cheer him on, or any good luck or merit that one sees, except that of surviving longer than some others. Nevertheless he came to be the Restorer, so-called, of Danish inde- pendence ; sole remaining representative of Knut (or. Knut's sister), of Fork-beard, Blue-tooth, and Old Gorm ; and ancestor of all the subsequent kings of