Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/48

 40 CHRONICLE OF THE saga vii. heard that his father Thord was with the king, he went to him, and staid awhile with him. Sigvat was a good scald at an early age. He made a lay in honour of King Olaf, and asked the king to listen to it. The king said he did not want poems composed about him, and said he did not understand the scald's craft. Then Sigvat sang: — " Rider of dark-blue ocean's steeds ! Allow one scald to sing thy deeds; And listen to the song of one Who can sing well, if any can. For should the king despise all others, And show no favour to my brothers, Yet I may all men's favour claim, Who sing still of our great king's fame." King Olaf gave Sigvat as a reward for his verse * a gold ring that weighed half a mark, and Sigvat was made one of King Olaf 's court-men. Then Sigvat sang : — " I willingly receive this sword — By land or sea, on shore, on board, I trust that I shall ever be Worthy the sword received from thee. A faithful follower thou hast bound — A generous master I have found; Master and servant both have made Just what best suits them by this trade." Earl Swend had, according to custom, taken one half of the harbour-dues from the Iceland ship-traders about autumn ; for the earls Eric and Hakon had always taken one half of these and all other revenues in the Drontheim country. Now when King Olaf came there, he sent his men to demand that half of the tax from the Iceland traders ; and they went up to the king's house, and asked Sigvat to help them. He went to the king, and sang : — who, according to the Edda, was one of the Asa gods, and presided over poetry. Our English word brag seems derived from this origin, the meaning corresponding to the character of Braga.
 * The reward of a scald was called Bragar-laun — the pay of Braga;