Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/64

 52 CHRONICLE OF THE SAGA IX. Chapter LVIIL Miracle of King Olaf in Den- mark. gained the victory. Then he arranged his men, placed them in battle-order against the great force, prepared for battle, and gave the assault. By the help of God, and the holy Saint Olaf, Guttorm won the battle. King Margad fell, and every man, old and young, who followed him ; and after that great victory, Gut- torm and all his people returned home joyfully with all the booty they had gained by the battle. Every tenth penny of the booty they had made was taken, according to the vow, to King Olaf the Saint's shrine ; and there was so much silver that Guttorm had an image made of it, with rays round the head, which was the size of his OAvn, or of his forecastle-man's head ; and the image was seven feet high. The image thus produced was given by Guttorm to King Olaf the Saint's temple, where it has since remained as a memorial of Guttorm' s victory and King Olaf the Saint's miracle. There was a wicked, evil-minded count in Denmark, who had a Norwegian servant-girl whose family be- longed to Drontheim district. She worshipped King Olaf the Saint, and believed firmly in his sanctity. But the above-mentioned count doubted of all that was told of the holy man's miracles, insisted that it was nothing but nonsense and idle talk, and made a joke and scorn of the esteem and honour which all the country people showed the good king. Now when his holy day came, on which the mild monarch ended his life, and which all Northmen kept sacred, this unreasonable count would not observe it, but ordered his servant-girl to bake and put fire in the oven that day. She knew well the count's mad passion, and that he would revenge himself severely on her if she refused doing as he ordered. She went, therefore, of necessity, and baked in the oven, but wept much at her work ; and she threatened King Olaf that she never would believe in him, if he did not avenge this