Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 1.djvu/364

 widely abroad; and when King Harald came to hear of it, he laid a charge against Eyvind affecting his life; but friends made up the quarrel, on the condi¬ tion that Eyvind should in future be Harald's scald, as he had formerly been King Hakon's. There was also some relationship between them, as Gunhild, Eyvind's mother, was a daughter of Earl Halfdan, and her mother was a daughter of Harald Haarfager. Thereafter Eyvind made a song about King Harald: —

Gunhild's sons resided mostly in the middle of the country, for they did not think it safe for them to dwell among the people of Drontheim or of Yiken, where King Hakon's best friends lived; and also in both places there were many powerful men. Pro¬ posals of agreement then passed between Gunhild's sons and Earl Sigurd, for they got no scatt from the Drontheim country; and at last an agreement was concluded between the kings and the earl, and con¬ firmed by oath. Earl Sigurd was to get the same power in the Drontheim land which he had possessed under King Hakon, and on that they considered themselves at peace. All Gunhild's sons had the character of being penurious; and it was said they hid their money in the ground. Eyvind Skaldaspiller made a song about this: —

Main-mast of battle! Harald bold!

In Hakon's days the scald wore gold

Upon his falcon's seat ; he wore

Rolf Krake's seed, the yellow ore,