Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/265

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 253 After King Harald Gille's death, Queen Ingerid saga xiv. married Ottar Birting, who was a lenderman and a Chapter great chief, and of a Drontheim family, who strength- Mu^deT ened Kins: Ino:e's srovernment much while he was in of ottar ■r. . . Birting. his childhood. King Sigurd was not very friendly to Ottar; because, as he thought, Ottar always took King Inge's side. Ottar Birting was killed north in the merchant town (Mdaros), in an assault upon him in the twilight as he was going to the evening song. When he heard the whistling of the blow he held up his cloak with his hands against it ; thinking, no doubt, it was a snowball thrown at him, as young boys do in the streets. Ottar fell by the stroke ; but his son, Alf Rode, who just at the same moment was coming into the church-yard, saw his father's fall, and saw that the man who had killed him ran east about the church. Alf ran after him, and killed him at the corner of the choir ; and people said that he had good luck in avenging his father, and afterwards was much more respected than he had been before. King Eystein Haraldsson was in the interior of the Chapter Drontheim district when he heard of Ottar's murder. Beginning and summoned to him the bonder-army, with which o^^'^^s he proceeded to the town ; and he had many men. Haraids- Ottar's relations and other friends accused King Sigurd, who was in the town, of having instigated this deed ; and the bonders were much enraged against him. But the king offered to clear himself by the ordeal of iron, and thereby to establish the truth of his denial ; and accordingly a peace was made. King Sigurd went to the south end of the country, and the ordeal was never afterwards heard of. Queen Ingerid had a son to Ivar Snees, and he Chapter was called Orm, and got the surname of King-brother. Beginning He was a handsome man in appearance, and became a Ki^.^-'brl'^" great chief, as shall be told hereafter. Ingerid after- ther. wards married Arne of Stodreim, who was from this