{"product_id":"2940012472373","title":"THE EARLY KINGS OF NORWAY","description":"• Table of contents with working links to chapters is included\u003cbr\u003e• The book has been corrected for spelling and grammatical errors\u003cbr\u003e• New and improved version\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Icelanders, in their long winter, had a great habit of writing; and were, and still are, excellent in penmanship, says Dahlmann. It is to this fact, that any little history there is of the Norse Kings and their old tragedies, crimes and heroisms, is almost all due. The Icelanders, it seems, not only made beautiful letters on their paper or parchment, but were laudably observant and desirous of accuracy; and have left us such a collection of narratives (Sagas, literally \"Says\") as, for quantity and quality, is unexampled among rude nations. Snorro Sturleson's History of the Norse Kings is built out of these old Sagas; and has in it a great deal of poetic fire, not a little faithful sagacity applied in sifting and adjusting these old Sagas; and, in a word, deserves, were it once well edited, furnished with accurate maps, chronological summaries, \u0026amp;c., to be reckoned among the great history-books of the world. It is from these sources, greatly aided by accurate, learned and unwearied Dahlmann, 1 the German Professor, that the following rough notes of the early Norway Kings are hastily thrown together. In Histories of England (Rapin's excepted) next to nothing has been shown of the many and strong threads of connection between English affairs and Norse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContents\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER I.\u003cbr\u003eHARALD HAARFAGR.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER II.\u003cbr\u003eERIC BLOOD-AXE AND BROTHERS.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER III.\u003cbr\u003eHAKON THE GOOD.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER IV.\u003cbr\u003eHARALD GREYFELL AND BROTHERS.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER V.\u003cbr\u003eHAKON JARL.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER VI.\u003cbr\u003eOLAF TRYGGVESON.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER VII.\u003cbr\u003eREIGN OF OLAF TRYGGVESON.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER VIII.\u003cbr\u003eJARLS ERIC AND SVEIN.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER IX.\u003cbr\u003eKING OLAF THE THICK-SET'S VIKING DAYS.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER X.\u003cbr\u003eREIGN OF KING OLAF THE SAINT.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER XI.\u003cbr\u003eMAGNUS THE GOOD AND OTHERS.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER XII.\u003cbr\u003eOLAF THE TRANQUIL, MAGNUS BAREFOOT, AND SIGURD THE CRUSADER.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER XIII.    \u003cbr\u003eMAGNUS THE BLIND, HARALD GYLLE, AND MUTUAL EXTINCTION OF THE HAARFAGRS.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER XIV.\u003cbr\u003eSVERRIR AND DESCENDANTS, TO HAKON THE OLD.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER XV.\u003cbr\u003eHAKON THE OLD AT LARGS.\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER XVI.\u003cbr\u003eEPILOGUE.\u003cbr\u003eFOOTNOTES:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER I. HARALD HAARFAGR.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTill about the Year of Grace 860 there were no kings in Norway, nothing but numerous jarls,—essentially kinglets, each presiding over a kind of republican or parliamentary little territory; generally striving each to be on some terms of human neighborhood with those about him, but,—in spite of \"Fylke Things\" (Folk Things, little parish parliaments), and small combinations of these, which had gradually formed themselves,—often reduced to the unhappy state of quarrel with them. Harald Haarfagr was the first to put an end to this state of things, and become memorable and profitable to his country by uniting it under one head and making a kingdom of it; which it has continued to be ever since. His father, Halfdan the Black, had already begun this rough but salutary process,—inspired by the cupidities and instincts, by the faculties and opportunities, which the good genius of this world, beneficent often enough under savage forms, and diligent at all times to diminish anarchy as the world's worst savagery, usually appoints in such cases,—conquest, hard fighting, followed by wise guidance of the conquered;—but it was Harald the Fairhaired, his son, who conspicuously carried it on and completed it. Harald's birth-year, death-year, and chronology in general, are known only by inference and computation; but, by the latest reckoning, he died about the year 933 of our era, a man of eighty-three.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe business of conquest lasted Harald about twelve years (A.D. 860-872?), in which he subdued also the vikings of the out-islands, Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides, and Man. Sixty more years were given him to consolidate and regulate what he had conquered, which he did with great judgment, industry and success. His reign altogether is counted to have been of over seventy years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe beginning of his great adventure was of a romantic character.—youthful love for the beautiful Gyda, a then glorious and famous young lady of those regions, whom the young Harald aspired to marry. Gyda answered his embassy and prayer in a distant, lofty manner: \"Her it would not beseem to wed any Jarl or poor creature of that kind; let him do as Gorm of Denmark, Eric of Sweden, Egbert of England, and others had done,—subdue into peace and regulation the confused, contentious bits of jarls round him, and become a king; then, perhaps, she might think of his proposal: till then, not.\" Harald was struck with this proud answer...","brand":"Unforgotten Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47162979483888,"sku":"2940012472373","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940012472373_p0.jpg?v=1763569053","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940012472373","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}