Chapter 59 - King Eric slays his brothers.
Harold Fairhair set his sons to rule in Norway when he began to grow old: Eric he made king above all
his other sons. It was when Harold had been king for seventy years that he gave over the kingdom into
the hands of his son Eric. At that time Gunnhilda bare a son, whom Harold the king sprinkled with
water, giving him his own name; and he added this that he should be king after his father if he lived
long enough. King Harold then settled down in retirement, being mostly in Rogaland or Hordaland.
But three years later king Harold died in Rogaland, and a mound was raised to his memory by
Haugasound.

After the death of the king there was great strife between his sons, for the men of Vik took Olaf for
their king, but the Thronds Sigurd. But these two, his brothers, Eric slew at Tunsberg, one year after
king Harold’s death. All these things happened in one and the same summer, to wit, king Eric’s going
with his army eastwards to Vik to fight with his brothers, and (before that) the strife of Egil and
Bergonund at the Gula-thing, with the other events that have just been related.

Bergonund remained at home on his estate when the king went to the war, for he thought it unsafe for
him to leave home while Egil was still in the land. Hadd, his brother, was now there with him. There
was a man named Frodi, a kinsman of king Eric, very handsome, young in years, but a man grown.
King Eric left him behind to protect Bergonund. Frodi was staying at Alrekstead, a royal farm, and had
some men there. A son of Eric and Gunnhilda there was named Rognvald, who was then ten or eleven
years old, and had the makings of a very handsome man. He was with Frodi when these things
happened. But before king Eric rowed forth to this war, he made Egil an outlaw through all Norway,
and free for any man to slay. Arinbjorn was with the king in the war; but before he left home Egil took
his ship to sea, and made for the outlying fishing station called Vitar, over against Aldi. It is on the
high road of the seas: fishermen were there, and ’twas a good place for hearing tidings. Then he heard
that the king had made him an outlaw. Whereupon Egil sang a stave:

’Law-breaker, land-demon,

Long voyage lays on me;

He bane of his brothers,

Beguiled by his bride.

Gunnhilda the guilt bears

(Grim queen) of my exile:

Fain am I full swiftly

Her frauds to repay.’