Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/369

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 361 Could have been found, had Magnus been saga. viii. The son himself of the good queen. With help of Christ, she hoped to bring Magnus to be the land's sole king, As Harald was, who in his day Obtained o'er all the upper sway. ie And glad are we so well she sped, — The people's friend is now their head; And good King Magnus always shows How much he to Queen Astrid owes. Such stepmothers as this good queen In truth are very rarely seen ; And to this noble woman's praise The scald with joy his song will raise." Thiodolf the scald also says in his song of Mag- nus : — " When thy brave ship left the land, The bending yard could scarce withstand The fury of the whistling gale, That split thy many-coloured sail; And many a stout ship, tempest-tost, Was in that howling storm lost That brought thee safe to Sigtun's shore, Far from the sound of ocean's roar." King Magnus set out on his journey from Sigtun Chapter with a great force, which he had gathered in Sweden. Magnus's They proceeded through Sweden on foot to Helsingia- ^ x P£ dlt,OD land. So says Arnor, the earl's scald : — Sweden. ' ' And many a dark-red Swedish shield Marched with thee from the Swedish field. The country people crowded in, To help Saint Olaf's son to win; And chosen men by thee were led, Men who have stained the wolf's tongue red. Each milk-white shield and polished spear Came to a splendid gathering there." Magnus Olafsson went from the East through Jemteland over the keel-ridge* of the country, and to the chain of hills that divides the waters of the peninsula falling to the east from those which fall to the west and north, and is taken from the figure of a boat turned upside down ; the keel representing the dividing ridge of the country so truly, that the figure of speech has been used in all ages.
 * The Kiol, or keel-ridge of the country, is now, as formerly, applied