#konungar

Konungar: War Of Crowns #3 (of 3)

The uneasy alliance between the two brothers against the Centaurs has quickly disintegrated. Rildrig’s berserkers are out of control and Sigvald is learning that things with the Centaurs are not as they first appeared…

KONUNGAR #3 Writer: Sylvain Runberg Artist: Juzhen Publisher: Titan Comics Imprint: Statix Press FC, 56pp, $5.99, On sale: August 8, 2018

Konungar: War of Crowns TP

Konungar: War Of Crowns #1 (Of 3)

Konungar: War of Crowns #1 (of 2)

Viking Age Kings -- King Harald Fair-hair of Norway.

Haraldr hét maðr -- There once was a man named Harald, who at just ten winters old, inherited his father’s kingdom of Vestfold. It was not long, however, before young Harald faced opposition from other noblemen. At this time, King Harald was being advised by his maternal uncle, Guthorm, who also commanded troops on his behalf. A man named Haki Gandalfsson prepared an army to attack Vestfold, while his father, King Gandalf, prepared to cross into Vestfold as well. Upon learning of this ploy, Guthorm and King Harald went to battle agains them and came out victorious, but only after many fierce battles. After finally defeating King Gandalf, King Harald secured his rule over the realm.

King Harald’s next goal was to find a wife, and so he sought out the beautiful woman named Gyda, who was the daughter of King Eirik of Hordaland. Yet, strong and proud as she was, she turned down his offer because his realm was too small. She wanted a king who ruled over Norway as King Gorm now ruled over Denmark. Upon hearing her refusal, King Harald grew determined to conquer all of Norway. He told his messengers that she should be thanked for her haughty words, not condemned for them, for she had pushed him to recognize even greater ambitions. And so he vowed that his hair shall never be cut nor combed until all of Norway came under his rule.

So began King Harald’s swift conquest of Norway. He took possession of all property within his growing realm, established his rule and law, and made everyone pay him land dues. He faced a great deal of opposition from local lords, but gradually he claimed victory over them, one by one. These men were the last ones to oppose him: King Eirik of Hordaland, King Sulki of Rogaland and his brother Jarl Soti, King Kjotvi the Wealthy of Agdir, and his son Thorir Long-chin (a berserk). There were also two brothers from Thelamork, Hroald Sad and Hadd the Harsh. After defeating them, King Harald met no more resistance in Norway; he had now become the sole ruler of the entire realm.

His conquest caused many prominent men to flee from Norway, many of whom went to the Faeroes and Iceland, as well as to various parts of the British Isles to raid.(1) Having obtained his victory over the land, he could once again combs and cut his hair, thus gaining the nickname of hárfagri, Fair-haired. Furthermore, King Harald won the heart of the beautiful Gyda, but he also had many other wives and children. Eirik Blood-axe, who would take over after King Harald for a short time, was the son of Ragnhild, the daughter of King Eirik of Jutland. another of his sons, who took over after Eirik, was named Hakon the Good. All of his children were raised in their maternal homes, with their mother’s kin.

King Harald lived a long life. He frequently travelled west to raid in England, but also fought to keep his kingdom secure from any returning threats. When he was eighty years old, he gave his son Eirik Blood-axe the high seat of Norway. He lived another three years after that, but died of sickness in Rogaland. According to Snorri, he was buried in a mound at Haugar near Karmtsund. His legacy as the first man to bring all of Norway under a single lordship remains. His ambitious consolidation of power in Norway marked great change for Viking Age Norway, which is characterized by the Icelander’s alleged flight to a new land, where the old ways of authority could live on and continue to evolve.

So ends this tale of King Harald Fair-hair of Norway.

ENDNOTES:

SOURCE: This post is a retold, summarized version of Haralds saga ins hárfagra, from Snorri Sturluson’s Heimskringla.

1. This claim historically contested. Many Icelandic sources (especially the Sagas of Icelanders), point to King Harald as the reason for Iceland being settled. There is other evidence, however, that shows Iceland being settled before King Harald’s reign. It is likely that many men did come to Iceland due to the centralization of power in Norway, but there is definitely more to it than that alone.