Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 3.djvu/93

 KINGS OF NORWAY. 81 Earl Teste sailed in spring west to Flanders, to saga ix. meet the people who had left England with him, and others besides who had gathered to him both out of England and Flanders. Kin2^ Harald's fleet assembled in Solundir.* When Chapter T XXTir King Harald was ready to leave Nidaros he went to Gyrder's King Olaf 's shrine, unlocked it, clipped his hair and '^^^^"'• nails, and locked the shrine again, and threw the keys into the Nid. Some say he threw them overboard outside of Agdaness ; and since then the shrine ,of Saint Olaf the king has never been opened. Thirty- five years had passed since he was slain ; and he lived thirty-five years here on earth. King Harald sailed with the ships he had about him to the south to meet his people, and a great fleet was collected ; so that, ac- cording to the people's reckoning. King Harald had nearly 200 ships, besides provision- ships and small craft. While they lay in Solundir a man called Gyrder, on board the king's ship, had a dream. He thought he was standing in the king's ship, and saw a great witch-wife standing on the island, with a fork in one hand and a trough in the other. He thought also that he saw over all the fleet, and that a fowl was sitting upon every ship's stern, and that these fowls were all ravens or ernes; and the witch-wife sang this song: — " From the east I'll 'tice the king, To the west the king 1 11 bring; Many a noble bone will be In battle left for me. Ravens o'er Ginke's* ship are flitting, Eyeing the prey they think most fitting. Upon the stem I'll sail with them ! Upon the stem I'll sail with them!" •j" Ginke, a celebrated viking. Here Ginke's ship means Harald's, the leader of the army. VOL. HI. G
 * Solundir, the Sulen Isles, at the mouth of Sogne fiord.