Battle of Svolder

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Battle of Svolder 1

Battle of Svolder

Battle of Svolder

The Battle of Svolder, by Otto Sinding

Date September 999 or 1000Location In Oresund or near Rgen

Result Allied victoryPartitioning of NorwayBacklash against Christianity

Belligerents

Norway Denmark,Sweden,Jarls of Lade

Commanders and leadersOlaf TryggvasonEinar Tambarskjelve

Eirik HkonarsonOlaf the SwedeSvein Forkbeard

Strength

11 warships 70+ warships

Casualties and losses

All ships captured Reportedly heavy

There are no detailed contemporary sources. Information such as the number of ships cannot be regarded as reliable history.

The Battle of Svolder (Svold, Swold)[1] was a naval battle fought in September 999 or 1000 in the western BalticSea between King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway and an alliance of his enemies. The backdrop of the battle was the

unification of Norway into a single state, long-standing Danish efforts to gain control of the country, and the spread

of Christianity in Scandinavia.

King Olaf was sailing home after an expedition to Wendland (Pomerania), when he was ambushed by an alliance of

Svein Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Olof Sktkonung (also known as Olaf Eirksson), King of Sweden, and Eirik

Hkonarson, Jarl of Lade. Olaf had only 11 warships in the battle against a fleet of at least 70.[2] His ships were

captured one by one, last of all the Ormen Lange, which Jarl Eirik captured as Olaf threw himself into the sea. After

the battle, Norway was ruled by the Jarls of Lade as a fief of Denmark and Sweden.

The most detailed sources on the battle, the kings' sagas, were written approximately two centuries after it tookplace. Historically unreliable, they offer an extended literary account describing the battle and the events leading up
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to it in vivid detail. The sagas ascribe the causes of the battle to Olaf Tryggvason's ill-fated marriage proposal to

Sigrid the Haughty and his problematic marriage to Thyri, sister of Svein Forkbeard. As the battle starts Olaf is

shown dismissing the Danish and Swedish fleets with ethnic insults and bravado while admitting that Eirik

Hkonarson and his men are dangerous because "they are Norwegians like us". The best known episode in the battle

is the breaking of Einarr ambarskelfir's bow, which heralds Olaf's defeat.

In later centuries, the saga descriptions of the battle, especially that in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, have inspireda number of ballads and other works of literature.

Context

In earliest recorded history, Norway was divided into a number of small and sometimes warring petty kingdoms with

weak central authority. In traditional historiography the rise of Harald Fairhair in the 9th century started the process

of unification of the country and the consolidation of royal power.[3] Harald's descendants, and other claimants to the

throne, had to contend with strong regional leaders such as the Jarls of Lade in the north and the rulers of

Vingulmark in the east, while the kings of Denmark claimed regions in the south and were eager to acquire

Norwegian vassals to increase their influence. The spread of Christianity also became an increasingly important

political issue in the late 10th century.[4]

Hailed as king in 995, Olaf Tryggvason quickly

proceeded to convert Norway to Christianity,using all means at his disposal.

In the 970s, Haakon Sigurdsson, Jarl of Lade, became the most

powerful man in Norway, at first supported by Harald Bluetooth of

Denmark and paying tribute to himthough the two later fell out over

religious matters. Harald had converted to Christianity and was eager

to Christianise Norway, while Haakon remained a staunch pagan. In

995 Haakon was deposed and the young Christian leader Olaf

Tryggvason came to the throne.

While rejecting Danish authority, Olaf made it his mission to convert

Norway and the Norse colonies in the west as quickly and ascompletely as possible. Proceeding with threats, torture and executions,

Olaf broke down pagan resistance and within a few years Norway was,

at least nominally, a Christian country. But King Olaf had acquired several enemies during his meteoric rise to

power. The most prominent were Eirik Jarl, son of Haakon Jarl, and Svein Forkbeard, king of Denmark, both of

whom felt that Olaf had deprived them of their share of Norway.[5]

The same interests which clashed in the Battle of Svolder were to divide Norway for decades to come, leading to

further major engagements, including the Battle of Nesjar and the Battle of Stiklestad. The resolution came in 1035

with the accession of the Norwegian Magnus the Good to the throne of an independent and Christian Norway. [6]
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Sources

While the battle is described in a number of

medieval sources, the narrative in Snorri

Sturluson'sHeimskringla is the best known and

the one which has most influenced modern

historical and literary works.

The Battle of Svolder is mentioned in a number of historical sources.

The earliest written work is by Adam of Bremen (ca. 1080), who wrote

from a Danish point of view as his source was King Svein II of

Denmark. The later Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus made use of

and expanded Adam of Bremen's account in his Gesta Danorum (ca.1200).

In Norway the three synoptic histories,Historia de Antiquitate Regum

Norwagiensium, Historia Norwegie and grip af

Nregskonungasgum (ca. 1190), all give a short account of the battle.

The Icelandic kings' sagas offer a much more extensive treatment,

starting with Oddr Snorrason's Saga of Olaf Tryggvason (ca. 1190).

Working from skaldic poetry, oral history, learned European examples

and an uninhibited imagination, Oddr constructed an elaborate account

of the battle.

[7]

This was taken up by the later Icelandic sagas,Fagrskinna andHeimskringla (ca. 1220), both of which add quotations

of skaldic verse. Three Icelandic poems from around 1200 also have

some historical interest:Nregs konungatal,Rekstefja and lfs drpa

Tryggvasonar. The immense lfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta (ca.

1300) combines several of the above sources to form the last, longest

and least reliable saga account.

Contemporary skaldic poetry which refers to the battle includes a work by Hallfrer the Troublesome Poet, who was

in Olaf Tryggvason's service. Hallfrer was not present at the battle but gathered information about it afterwards for

a eulogy on Olaf. On Jarl Eirik's side, a number of stanzas are preserved by Halldrr the Unchristian, who speaks of

the battle as happening "last year" and dwells on the scene of Eirik capturing theLong Serpent. Some verses on the

battle are also preserved in rr Kolbeinsson's elegy on Eirik, probably composed around 1015. Finally, Skli

rsteinsson fought with Eirik in the battle and spoke of it in verse in his old age. [8]

While historians value contemporary skaldic poetry highly as the most accurate source available, it must be

remembered that the poems are not preserved independently but as quotations in the kings' sagas. After two centuries

of oral preservation, there is often doubt that a verse was accurately remembered and correctly attributed.

Furthermore, skaldic poetry did not primarily aim at giving information but at artistically rendering facts already

known to the hearers.[9] Historians frequently fall back on the less reliable but more detailed accounts of the sagas.
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Events leading up to the battle

Olaf Tryggvason proposes marriage to Sigrid the

Haughty, on condition she convert to Christianity.

When Sigrid rejects this, Olaf strikes her with a

glove. She warns him that might lead to his

death.[10]

Nothing can be gleaned from the contemporary skaldic poems on the

causes of the battle. Adam of Bremen states that Olaf Tryggvason's

Danish wife, Thyri, egged him on to make war against Denmark.

When Olaf heard that Svein Forkbeard and Olaf the Swede had formed

an alliance, he was angered and decided the time had come for anattack.[11]grip and Historia Norwegie have a similar account. Thyri

was the sister of Svein Forkbeard, and when Olaf Tryggvason married

her, Svein refused to pay her promised dowry. Angered, Olaf launched

an expedition to attack Denmark, but he was too impatient to wait for a

fleet to assemble from all of Norway, and he set sail for the south with

only 11 ships, expecting the rest to follow. When that hope was not

realized, he set out for Wendland (Pomerania) to seek allies and on the

way was ambushed by Svein and his allies.[12] These accounts are

contradicted by a contemporary verse of Halldrr the Unchristian

which states that Olaf Tryggvason was travelling from the south when

he came to the battle.[13]

Olaf offers Queen Tyra a stalk of

angelica. She weeps and scolds him

for not daring to face up to Svein

Forkbeard and retrieve her

dowry.[14]

Oddr Snorrason has an elaborate account of the problems arising from Thyri's

marriages. He tells us that she was betrothed and married to the Wendish king

Burislav, who received a large dowry for her; but she did not want to be his wife

and starved herself after their wedding, so Burislav sent her back to Denmark.

She then arranged to have herself married to Olaf Tryggvason, to the displeasure

of her brother Svein. Svein's queen, Sigrid the Haughty, a staunch opponent of

Olaf, egged Svein to make war on him. Svein then conspired with Jarl Sigvaldi

and King Olaf of Sweden to lure Olaf Tryggvason into a trap. Olaf Tryggvasontravelled to Wendland to collect Thyri's dowry from King Burislav and while

there heard rumours of a planned ambush; but Sigvaldi arrived to tell him these

rumours were false. Believing Sigvaldi, Olaf sent most of his fleet home, as his

men were impatient. He therefore had only a small fleet left when he was

ambushed near Svolder.[15]

Fagrskinna and Heimskringla largely follow Oddr's account but simplify it and

diverge from it in some respects. According to Heimskringla, Sigvaldi sailed

from Wendland with Olaf and a fleet of Wendish ships and led him into the ambush.

Whether the above details are accurate or not, it is clear that Svein, Olaf the Swede and Eirik had ample reason tooppose Olaf Tryggvason. Olaf had taken control of Viken in south Norway, an area long under Danish overlordship.

Olaf and Svein had been in England together, but Olaf had made peace while Svein kept campaigning. Svein was on

friendly terms with Olaf the Swede and connected to him by marriage, so the two were natural allies. [16] Finally, Jarl

Eirik had been driven from his patrimony by Olaf Tryggvason, as arguably had his father, Jarl Hakon, whom he may

have wished to avenge.

From the conflicting accounts of the sources, historians have tried to reconstruct the most likely sequence of events

leading up to the battle. It is probable that Olaf Tryggvason was indeed sailing from Wendland to Norway when he

was ambushed, though the kings' sagas probably play up the importance of Thyri and her marriages. While it is

possible that Olaf was collecting dowry, it seems more probable that he was expecting war and seeking allies in

Wendland, but met with little success. The character of Sigvaldi remains enigmatic, though there is evidence fromskaldic poetry that he did indeed betray Olaf.[17]
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Time and location

The late Viking Age DR 66

runestone from Aarhus

commemorates a man who "met

death when kings fought". The event

referred to may be the Battle of

Svolder.

All sources which date the battle agree that it took place in 1000. The oldest

source to date it is the meticulous slendingabk, written around 1128, which

specifies that it took place in the summer. Oddr Snorrason says further that the

battle is "memorialized for the fallen men on the Third or Fourth Ides of

September",[18] (10 or 11 September). Mesta states that the battle occurred on 9September, and other sources agree with either date. Since some medieval

writers reckoned the end of the year in September, it is possible that the year

referred to is in fact the one we know as 999. [19]

The location of the battle cannot be identified with any certainty. According to

Adam of Bremen, it took place in Oresund.[20]grip andHistoria Norwegie also

place it off Zealand.[12] Theodoricus says it took place "beside the island which

is called Svldr; and it lies near Slavia".[21]Fagrskinna speaks of "an island off

the coast of Vinland... [t]his island is called Svlr."[22] Oddr Snorrason and

Heimskringla agree on the island's name but do not specify its location.

[23]

Astanza by Skli rsteinsson speaks of "the mouth of Svolder", suggesting that

Svolder was originally the name of a river which Norse unfamiliarity with

Wendish geography turned into an island.[24] The Danish Annales Ryenses are

unique in placing the battle in the Schlei.[25] Modern historians are divided, some

locating the confrontation near the German island of Rgen while others prefer

Oresund.

Composition of the fleets

The Norse sources agree that Olaf Tryggvason fought against overwhelming odds in the battle. Fagrskinna, forexample, says that he had "only a small force", and that the sea around him was "carpeted with warships" [26] The

sources which specify the number of warships all agree that Olaf Tryggvason had 11 vessels but they give various

numbers for the allied fleets.

Number of ships according to various sources

Source Olaf Tryggvason Olaf the Swede Eirik Svein Allied total Ref.

Oddr Snorrason 11 60 19 60 139 [27]

grip 11 30 22 30 82 [28]

Historia Norwegie 11 30 11 30 71 [29]

Theodoricus monachus 11 - - - 70 [30]

Rekstefja 11 15 5 60 80 [31]

Though the sagas agree that Olaf Tryggvason had only 11 ships in the battle, some of them quote a verse by Halldrr

the Unchristian saying that Olaf had 71 ships when he sailed from the south. The sagas explain the discrepancy by

saying that some of the 71 ships belonged to Jarl Sigvaldi, who deserted Olaf, and that others sailed past the trap at

Svolder before it was sprung.

The sagas describe three of the ships in Olaf Tryggvason's fleet. According to Heimskringla, the Crane was a largeswift-sailing warship with thirty rowers' benches, high in stem and stern.[32] It was commissioned by King Olaf and
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Battle of Svolder 6

used as his flagship for some time.

Olaf confiscated the second of his great ships from a pagan he had tortured to death for refusing to convert to

Christianity. King Olaf "steered it himself, because it was a much larger and finer ship than the Crane. Its stem had a

dragon's head on it, and on its stern, a crook shaped like a tail; and both sides of the neck and all the stern were

gilded. That ship the king called the Serpent, because when the sail was hoisted it was to look like the wing of a

dragon. That was the finest ship in all Norway."[33]

TheLong Serpentwas "the best ship ever built in

Norway, and the most costly".

Olaf's third flagship, the Long Serpent, was a legendary vessel

mentioned in several anecdotes in the sagas.

It was constructed as a dragon ship, on the model of the Serpent

which the king had taken along from Hlogaland; only it was

much larger and more carefully wrought in all respects. He

called it the Long Serpentand the other one, the Short Serpent.

The Long Serpenthad thirty-four compartments. The head and

the tail were all gilt. And the gunwales were as high as those on

a seagoing ship. This was the best ship ever built in Norway, and

the most costly.[34]

The only allied ship described is Jarl Eirik'sIron Ram. According toFagrskinna it was "the biggest of all ships".[35]

Heimskringla gives more detail:

Earl Eirk owned a mighty big ship which he was accustomed to take on his viking expeditions. It had a beak

[or ram] on the upper part of the prow, fore and aft, and below that heavy iron plates as broad as the beak

itself, which went down to the waterline.[36]

The leaders assess their opponents

It is unlikely that the saga writers had accurate information on details of the battle beyond the sparse accounts in the

surviving poems. Nevertheless, starting with Oddr Snorrason, they present an elaborate literary account, depicting

the main participants through their words and deeds.

Olaf Tryggvason's ships pass the anchorage of his allied enemies in a long column without order, as no attack is

expected. Conveniently placed to observe the fleet, Jarl Eirik and the two kings remark upon the passing vessels.

Svein and Olaf are eager to join battle, but Eirik is portrayed as more cautious and familiar with the Norwegian

forces.

Standing on the isle of Svolder, the allied leaders

survey Olaf Tryggvason's passing fleet.

As progressively larger vessels appear, the Danes and Swedes think

each one is the Long Serpent and want to attack straight away, but

Eirik holds them off with informed comments:[37]

It is not King Olaf on this ship. I know this ship because I have

seen it often. It is owned by Erlingr Skjlgsson from Jaarr, and

it is better to attack this ship from the stern. It is manned with

such fellows that, should we encounter King Olaf Tryggvason,

we will quickly learn that it would be better for us to find a gap

in his fleet than to do battle with this longship. [38]

As Eirik finally consents to attack, King Svein boasts that he will command theLong Serpent"before the sun sets".

Eirik makes a remark "so that few men heard him" saying that "with only the Danish army at his disposal, King

Sveinn would never command this ship".

[38]

As the allies set out to attack Olaf Tryggvason, the point of view shiftsto the Norwegian fleet.
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Battle of Svolder 7

After spotting the enemy, Olaf might have used sail and oar to outrun the ambush and escape, but he refuses to flee

and turns to give battle with the eleven ships immediately about him. Seeing the Danish fleet arrayed against him, he

comments: "The forest goats will not overcome us, for the Danes have the courage of goats. We will not fear that

force because the Danes have never carried off the victory if they fought on ships."[39] Similarly, Olaf writes off the

Swedes with a reference to their pagan customs:

The Swedes will have an easier and more pleasant time licking out their sacrificial bowls than boarding theLong Serpentin the face of our weapons and succeeding in clearing our ships. I expect that we will not need to

fear the horse eaters.[40]

It is only when Olaf Tryggvason sights Eirik Hkonarson's contingent that he realises he is in for a hard battle,

because "they are Norwegians like us".[41] The sagas' emphasis of Eirik's contribution stands in marked contrast to

the Danish accounts of Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, who portray the battle as a Danish victory over

Norwegians, with no mention of Jarl Eirik or his men.

The battle is joined

The chaotic nature of a sea battle is shown in

Peter Nicolai Arbo's Svolder painting.

The disposition adopted in the battle was one which recurs in manysea-fights of the Middle Ages where a fleet had to fight on the

defensive.[42] Olaf lashed his ships side to side, with his own, the Long

Serpent, in the middle of the line, where her bows projected beyond the

others. The advantages of this arrangement were that it left all hands

free to fight, that a barrier could be formed with the oars and yards, and

that it limited the enemy's ability to make its superior numbers count.

TheLong Serpentwas the longest ship and so also the tallestanother

advantage to the defenders, who could rain down arrows, javelins and

other missiles while the enemy would have to shoot upwards. Olaf, in

effect, turned his eleven ships into a floating fort.

The sagas give all the credit to the Norwegians, praising Eirik Hkonarson for any intelligence and for most of the

valour shown by Olaf Tryggvason's opponents. The Danes and Swedes rush at the front of Olaf's line and are

repulsed, suffering heavy casualties and loss of ships. Jarl Eirik attacks the flank and forces his vessel, theIron Ram,

up against the last ship of Olaf's line, which he clears with a fierce attack and then proceeds onto the next ship. In

this way, Olaf's ships were cleared one by one, till the Long Serpentalone was left.[43]

Einarr ambarskelfir

Einarr ambarskelfir tries the king's bow and

finds it too weak.

One of the best known episodes from the battle involves Einarr

ambarskelfir, an archer in King Olaf's fleet who later became a

cunning politician. Heimskringla describes his attempt at killing Jarl

Eirik and saving the day for Olaf:

Einar shot an arrow at Earl Eirik, which hit the tiller end just

above the earl's head so hard that it entered the wood up to the

arrow-shaft. The earl looked that way, and asked if they knew

who had shot; and at the same moment another arrow flew

between his hand and his side, and into the stuffing of the chief's

stool, so that the barb stood far out on the other side. Then said

the earl to a man called Fin, -- but some say he was of Fin (Laplander) race, and was a superior archer, --
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sami_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Einarr_%C3%9Eambarskelfirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Einarr_%C3%9Eambarskelfirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ATambar.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Einarr_%C3%9Eambarskelfirhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Medieval_warfare%23Naval_warfarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3APeter-nicolai-arbo-svolder.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Nicolai_Arbo


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Battle of Svolder 8

"Shoot that tall man by the mast." Fin shot; and the arrow hit the middle of Einar's bow just at the moment that

Einar was drawing it, and the bow was split in two parts.

"What is that", cried King Olaf, "that broke with such a noise?"

"Norway, king, from thy hands," cried Einar.

"No! not quite so much as that," says the king; "take my bow, and shoot," flinging the bow to him.

Einar took the bow, and drew it over the head of the arrow. "Too weak, too weak," said he, "for the bow of a

mighty king!" and, throwing the bow aside, he took sword and shield, and fought valiantly. [44]

The same story is found in Gesta Danorum, though there Einarr is aiming at Svein, rather than Eirik. [45]

King Olaf's death

In the final stage of the battle, Eirik and his men

board theLong Serpent.

At last, the Long Serpent is overpowered and Olaf Tryggvason

defeated. The Danish sources report that when all was lost he

committed suicide by throwing himself into the sea, "the end befitting

his life", according to Adam of Bremen.[46] Saxo Grammaticus says

that Olaf preferred suicide to death at the hands of the enemy and

jumped overboard in full armour rather than see his foes victorious.[47]

The Norwegian and Icelandic accounts are more complex and more

favourable to Olaf. Hallfrer's memorial poem for his lord had already

alluded to rumours that Olaf escaped death at Svolder. The sagas offer

a variety of possibilities.grip reports:

"But of the fall of King lfr nothing was known. It was seen that as the fighting lessened he stood, still alive,

on the high-deck astern on theLong Serpent, which had thirty-two rowing places. But when Eirkr went to the

stern of the ship in search of the king, a light flashed before him as though it were lightning, and when the

light disappeared, the king himself was gone."[48]

Other sagas suggest that one way or another Olaf made his way to the shore; perhaps by swimming, perhaps with the

help of angels, most likely rescued by one of the Wendish ships present.[49] After his escape, Olaf supposedly sought

salvation for his soul abroad, perhaps joining a monastery.Mesta describes a series of "sightings" of him in the Holy

Land, the last in the 1040s.[50]

King Olaf, like Charlemagne, Frederick Barbarossa and Sebastian of Portugal, is one of those legendary heroic

figures whose return was looked for by the people, their deaths never completely accepted. (See King in the

mountain.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King_in_the_mountainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King_in_the_mountainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sebastian_I_of_Portugalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frederick_Barbarossahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charlemagnehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hallfre%C3%B0r_%C3%93ttarssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AEirikrs_men_board_the_long_serpent.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Long_Serpent


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Battle of Svolder 9

Aftermath

Division of Norway after the Battle of Svolder according to the

Heimskringla. Area ruled by Eirik Hkonarson, as a fief from Svein

Forkbeard. Area ruled by Sveinn Hkonarson, half-brother of Eirik, as a fief from

Olof SktkonungOlaf the Swede. Area under direct control of Svein Forkbeard.

After the Battle of Svolder, the victorious

leaders split Norway into areas of control.

Heimskringla gives the most detailed

account of the division, describing it as

threefold. Olaf the Swede received fourdistricts in Trondheim as well as Mre,

Romsdal and Ranrike. He gave these to Jarl

Svein Hkonarson, his son in law, to hold as

a vassal. Svein Forkbeard gained possession

of the Viken district, where Danish

influence had long been strong. The rest of

Norway was ruled by Eirik Hkonarson as

Svein's vassal.[51]Fagrskinna, in contrast,

says that the Swedish part consisted of

Oppland and a part of Trondheim.[52] Other

sources are less specific.

The Jarls Eirik and Svein proved strong,

competent rulers, and their reign was

prosperous. Most sources say that they

adopted Christianity but allowed the people

religious freedom, leading to a backlash

against Christianity which undid much of

Olaf Tryggvason's missionary work.[53]

Legacy

Several factors combined to make the Battle of Svolder one of the most famous battles of the Viking Age. In

Norwegian-Icelandic historiography, King Olaf Tryggvason was held in high regard as the man who brought

Christianity to the North. His colourful end in a battle against overwhelming odds therefore makes a fitting narrative.

Jarl Eirik's court poets also ensured their lord a fair share of the glory. Mesta says:

The battle is acknowledged to have been for many reasons the most famous that was ever fought in Northern

lands. For, first there was the noble defence made by King Olaf and his men on board the Long Serpent. No

instance is known where men have defended themselves so long and so valiantly against such overwhelming

numbers of foes as they had to encounter. Then there was the fierce attack made by Earl Eric and his men,

which has been held in wide renown. ... The battle was very famous too, on account of the great slaughter, and

the Earl's success in clearing a ship that up to that time was the largest built and the fairest in Norway; of

which shipmen said that it would never, while floating on the sea, be won with arms in the face of such heroes

as manned it.[54]
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Viking_Agehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Opplandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Viken%2C_Norwayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Svein_H%C3%A1konarsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ranrikehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romsdalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M%C3%B8re_og_Romsdalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trondheimhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3ANorway_1000_AD-en.svg


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Battle of Svolder 10

Faroese stamp showing a scene from the Battle of

Svolder, inspired by Jens Christian Djurhuus'

poem, Ormurin langi.

In Iceland, where the kings' sagas continued to be copied and studied,

the battle exercised the imagination of several poets. A 15th century

rmur cycle, Svldrar rmur, chronicles the battle in verse, largely

following the account of Oddr Snorrason.[55] Two more rmurcycles

on the same topic were composed in the 18th century, one of which is

preserved.[56]

In the 19th century, the popular poet Sigurur Breifjrcomposed yet another rmurcycle on the battle, based on the account

inMesta.[57]

With the 19th century rise of nationalism and romanticism and the

growing number of translations of the sagas, interest in the battle of

Svolder increased outside of Iceland. Around 1830, the Faroese poet Jens Christian Djurhuus composed a ballad on

the battle titled Ormurin langi, following Snorri's account.[58] The ballad was well received and remains among the

most popular and well-known Faroese ballads. In 2002, a heavy metal version by the band Tr gained some

following abroad.

In Norway, Johan Nordahl Brun's rousing patriotic play Einar Tambarskjelve, written in 1772, is considered a

milestone in Norwegian literature.[59] Later Bjrnstjerne Bjrnson wrote a well-known short poem, Olav Trygvason,

on the fall of the king.[60] Bjrnson also collaborated with Edvard Grieg on an opera about Olaf Tryggvason, but the

two fell out before the work was finished. Ragnar Sderlind has now completed the opera, which premiered in

September 2000, 1000 years after the Battle of Svolder. Sderlind introduced fate motifs from Wagner, Beethoven

and Liszt in the battle scene.[61]

The battle has also inspired art outside of Scandinavia, including a manga volume by the Japanese artist Ry

Azumi.[62] The best known English-language work is probably Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's cycle "The Saga of

King Olaf" (from his 1863 collection of poems Tales of a Wayside Inn), much of which is dedicated to the Battle of

Svolder, and which includes the verse:[63]

Louder the war-horns growl and snarl,

Sharper the dragons bite and sting!

Eric the son of Hakon Jarl

A death-drink salt as the sea

Pledges to thee,

Olaf the King!

References

[1] Old Norse Svld, Svldr, Svl or Svlr.

[2] Jones, Vikings, pp. 137-138

[3][3] More recently it has been argued that Harald Fairhair should be regarded primarily as a mythic character. See Sverrir Jakobsson 2002:230.

[4][4] Midgaard 1963:23.

[5] Midgaard 1963:256.

[6] Sawyer 1993:548.

[7][7] Bjarni Aalbjarnarson 1941:xiv, cxxxvi.

[8] The standard edition of the corpus of skaldic poetry remains Finnur Jnsson:19121915. For the careers of Hallfrer, Halldrr, rr and

Skli see Finnur Jnsson:1923:54464.

[9][9] Campbell 1998:66.

[10] Snorri Sturluson 1991:2001.

[11] Tschan 2002:812.

[12][12] Driscoll 1995:33; Ekrem 2003:97.

[13][13] Bjarni Aalbjarnarson 1941:cxxvi.[14][14] Snorri Sturluson 1991:226.

[15][15] Bjarni Aalbjarnarson 1941:cxxxviii-cxxix.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Finnur_J%C3%B3nsson_%28philologist%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Norse_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tales_of_a_Wayside_Innhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Saga_of_King_Olafhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Saga_of_King_Olafhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ry%C5%8D_Azumihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ry%C5%8D_Azumihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mangahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ragnar_S%C3%B8derlindhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edvard_Grieghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bj%C3%B8rnstjerne_Bj%C3%B8rnsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Norwegian_literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johan_Nordahl_Brunhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T%C3%BDr_%28band%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ormurin_langihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jens_Christian_Djurhuushttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sigur%C3%B0ur_Brei%C3%B0fj%C3%B6r%C3%B0http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=R%C3%ADmurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File%3AFaroese_stamp_562_Ormurin_langi.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ormurin_langihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jens_Christian_Djurhuus


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[16] Olaf the Swede may also have been Svein's vassal. "Olof's subordination is reflcted in his nickname Scotkonungr(Mod.Swedish

Sktkonung). This was first recorded in the thirteenth century but it was probably given at an early date and meant, according to Snorri

Snurluson, "tributary king", and was equated by him withjarl." Peter Sawyer, in The New Cambridge Medieval History IV, p 295.

[17][17] Bjarni Aalbjarnarson 1941:cxxxiii-iv.

[18][18] Oddr Snorrason 2003:134.

[19][19] lafa Einarsdttir 1967.

[20][20] Tschan 2002:82.

[21][21] Theodoricus monachus 1998:18.[22][22] Finlay 2004:116.

[23][23] Oddr Snorrason 2003:115; Snorri Sturluson 1991:230.

[24][24] Bjarni Aalbjarnarson 1941:cxxxv, lafur Halldrsson 2006:cxliii.

[25][25] Baetke 1951:60.

[26][26] Finlay 2004:121.

[27] Oddr Snorrason 2003:11727.

[28][28] Driscoll 1995:33.

[29] Ekrem 2003:989.

[30][30] Theodoricus monachus:1998:18.

[31] Rekstefja verses 15, 16, 18 and 21.

[32][32] Snorri Sturluson 1991:209.

[33][33] Snorri Sturluson 1991:214.[34][34] Snorri Sturluson 1991:221.

[35][35] Finlay 2004:123.


[37] Oddr modelled his narrative on an episode from Gesta Caroli Magni by Monachus Sangallensis where Desiderius of the Lombards surveys

the approaching armies of Charlemagne. Bjarni Aalbjarnarson 1941:cxxx.

[38][38] Oddr Snorrason 2003:119.

[39][39] Oddr Snorrason 2003:123.

[40] Oddr Snorrason 2003:1234.

[41][41] Oddr Snorrason 2003:126.

[42][42] Nicholson 2003:155.

[43] This section incorporates text from the Encyclopdia BritannicaEleventh Edition.

[44] Snorri Sturluson, 1907; see: Heimskringla. The Online Medieval & Classical Library. (http://omacl.org/Heimskringla/trygvason3.html)

Retrieved 30 January 2007.

[45] Gesta Danorum 10.12.4.

[46][46] Adam of Bremen 2002:82.

[47] Gesta Danorum 10.12.5.

[48][48] Driscoll 1995:35.

[49][49] Ekrem 2003:99; Oddr Snorrason 2003:134; Theodoricus monachus 1998:18.

[50] Saganet: The Saga of King Olaf Tryggvason, p. 467. (http://sagnanet.is/saganet/?MIval=/SinglePage&Manuscript=100234&

Page=503&language=english) Retrieved 30 January 2007.


[52][52] Finlay 2004:130.

[53] This is according toHeimskringla andFagrskinna, see Snorri Sturluson 1991:244 and Finlay 2004:130. According toHistoria Norwegie

andgrip, the Jarls actively worked to uproot Christianity in Norway, see Driscoll 1995:35 and Ekrem 2003:101.

[54] Sephton 1895:434 (http:/

/

sagnanet.

is/

saganet/

?MIval=/

SinglePage&

Manuscript=100234&

Page=470&

language=english).[55] Printed in Finnur Jnsson (1912).Rmnasafn.

[56] Finnur Sigmundsson 1966:45960.

[57] First printed 1833, republished numerous times. See: Rithfundavefur: bokasafn. (http://www.bokasafn.is/rithofundavefur/

sigurdur_breidfjord_ljodogrimur.htm) Retrieved 30 January 2007.

[58] See: Heimskringla: Ormurin Lang (http://www.heimskringla.no/faeroysk/folkekvad/ormurinlangi.php) for an online version of the

1925 edition. Retrieved 30 January 2007.

[59][59] Naess 1993:77.

[60] English translation at Gutenberg Olaf Trygvason (http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/psong10. txt). Retrieved 30 January 2007.

[61][61] Levin 2002.

[62] See Ebookjapan (http://www.ebookjapan.jp/shop/title.asp?titleid=4460) and Biglobe: Manga art of the battle. (http://www5d.biglobe.

ne.jp/~azumi/sample.html/sisi-no-gotoku-1.htm) Retrieved 30 January 2007.

[63] See Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: The Saga of King Olaf. (http://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=2040. ) Retrieved 30

January 2007.
http://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=2040.http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~azumi/sample.html/sisi-no-gotoku-1.htmhttp://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~azumi/sample.html/sisi-no-gotoku-1.htmhttp://www.ebookjapan.jp/shop/title.asp?titleid=4460http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/psong10.txthttp://www.heimskringla.no/faeroysk/folkekvad/ormurinlangi.phphttp://www.bokasafn.is/rithofundavefur/sigurdur_breidfjord_ljodogrimur.htmhttp://www.bokasafn.is/rithofundavefur/sigurdur_breidfjord_ljodogrimur.htmhttp://sagnanet.is/saganet/?MIval=/SinglePage&Manuscript=100234&Page=470&language=englishhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%C3%81grip_af_N%C3%B3regskonungas%C3%B6gumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Historia_Norwegiehttp://sagnanet.is/saganet/?MIval=/SinglePage&Manuscript=100234&Page=503&language=englishhttp://sagnanet.is/saganet/?MIval=/SinglePage&Manuscript=100234&Page=503&language=englishhttp://omacl.org/Heimskringla/trygvason3.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charlemagnehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Desideriushttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monachus_Sangallensis


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Further reading

Adam of Bremen (translated by Francis Joseph Tschan and Timothy Reuter) (2002).History of the Archbishops

of Hamburg-Bremen (http://books.google.com/books?id=4XfoxDEcIcgC&pg=PP1&dq=History+of+the+

Archbishops+of+Hamburg-Bremen'#v=onepage&q=&f=false). Columbia University Press. ISBN

0-231-12575-5

Baetke, Walter. Christliches Lehngut in der Sagareligion, Das Svoldr-Problem: Zwei Beitrge zur Sagakritik.Berichte ber die Verhandlungen der Schsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig.

Philologisch-historische Klasse 98.6. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag. 1951.

Bjarni Aalbjarnarson (editor) (1941).slenzk fornrit XXVI : Heimskringla I. Reykjavk: Hi slenzka

fornritaflag.

Campbell, Alistair (editor and translator) and Simon Keynes (supplementary introduction) (1998).Encomium

Emmae Reginae. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62655-2

Driscoll, M. J. (editor) (1995).grip af Nregskonungasgum. Viking Society for Northern Research. ISBN

0-903521-27-X

Ekrem, Inger (editor), Lars Boje Mortensen (editor) and Peter Fisher (translator) (2003).Historia Norwegie.

Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 87-7289-813-5 Finnur Jnsson (191215).Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. Kbenhavn: Den arnamagnanske kommission.

Finnur Jnsson (1923).Den oldnorske og oldislandske litteraturs historie. Kbenhavn: G.E.C Gads forlag.

Finnur Sigmundsson (1966).Rmnatal I. Reykjavk: Rmnaflagi.

Finlay, Alison (editor and translator) (2004).Fagrskinna, a Catalogue of the Kings of Norway. Brill Academic

Publishers. ISBN 90-04-13172-8

Kouri, E. I., Torkel Jansson and Knut Helle (2003). The Cambridge History of Scandinavia. Cambridge

University Press. ISBN 0-521-47299-7

Levin, Mona (translated by Virginia Siger) (2002). Saga King Becomes Opera - at Last! Music Information

Centre Norway. (http://www.mic. no/mic.nsf/doc/art2002092014173851392996) Retrieved 30 January 2007.

Midgaard, John (1963).A Brief History of Norway. Oslo. Naess, Harald S. (1993).A History of Norwegian Literature. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-3317-5

Nicholson, Helen (2003).Medieval Warfare: Theory and Practice of War in Europe, 3001500. Palgrave

Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-76331-9

Oddr Snorrason (translated by Theodore M. Andersson) (2003). The Saga of Olaf Tryggvason. Cornell University

Press. ISBN 0-8014-4149-8

lafa Einarsdttir (translated by Helga Kress) (1967). "ri 1000" in Skrnir.

lafur Halldrsson (editor) (2006).slenzk fornrit XXV : Freyinga saga, lafs saga Tryggvasonar eptir Odd

munk Snorrason. Reykjavk: Hi slenzka fornritaflag. ISBN 9979-893-25-7

Sawyer, Peter (2005). "Scandinavia in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries." In The New Cambridge Medieval

History IV. David Luscombe and Jonathan Riley-Smith (eds). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-41411-3.

Sawyer, Birgit; Sawyer, Peter H. (1993).Medieval Scandinavia: from Conversion to Reformation, Circa

8001500 (http://books.google.com/?id=jGJrXOjYvQgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false).

University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-1739-2.

Saxo Grammaticus (edited by J. Olrik and H. Rder) (1931). Saxonis Gesta Danorum. Hauni: Munksgaard.

Sephton, J. (translator) (1895). The Saga of King Olaf Tryggwason. London: David Nutt.

Snorri Sturluson (translated by Lee M. Hollander). (1991).Heimskringla : History of the Kings of Norway (http://

books.google.com/books?id=qHpwje7-wNkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Heimskringla:+History+of+the+

Kings+of+Norway&lr=#v=onepage&q=&f=false). University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-73061-6

Snorri Sturluson (translated by Samuel Laing and Rasmus Bjrn Anderson) (1907).Heimskringla: A History of

the Norse Kings (http://omacl.org/Heimskringla/). London: Norroena Society.
http://omacl.org/Heimskringla/http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rasmus_Bj%C3%B6rn_Andersonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samuel_Laing_%28travel_writer%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=University_of_Texas_Presshttp://books.google.com/books?id=qHpwje7-wNkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Heimskringla:+History+of+the+Kings+of+Norway&lr=#v=onepage&q=&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=qHpwje7-wNkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Heimskringla:+History+of+the+Kings+of+Norway&lr=#v=onepage&q=&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=qHpwje7-wNkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Heimskringla:+History+of+the+Kings+of+Norway&lr=#v=onepage&q=&f=falsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Snorri_Sturlusonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saxo_Grammaticushttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:BookSources/0-8166-1739-2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Standard_Book_Numberhttp://books.google.com/?id=jGJrXOjYvQgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Hayes_Sawyerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jonathan_Riley-Smithhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Hayes_Sawyerhttp://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2002092014173851392996http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Finnur_J%C3%B3nssonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Walter_Baetkehttp://books.google.com/books?id=4XfoxDEcIcgC&pg=PP1&dq=History+of+the+Archbishops+of+Hamburg-Bremen%27#v=onepage&q=&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=4XfoxDEcIcgC&pg=PP1&dq=History+of+the+Archbishops+of+Hamburg-Bremen%27#v=onepage&q=&f=falsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adam_of_Bremen


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Sverrir Jakobsson (2002). "Erindringen om en mgtig personlighed : den norsk-islandske historiske tradisjon om

Harald Hrfagre i et kildekristisk perspektiv" inHistorisk tidsskrift2002, vol. 81, pp. 21330. ISSN: 0018-263X

Theodoricus monachus (translated and annotated by David and Ian McDougall with an introduction by Peter

Foote) (1998). The Ancient History of the Norwegian Kings. Viking Society for Northern Research. ISBN

0-903521-40-7

Jones, Gwyn (1984).A History of the Vikings (2nd ed.). Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.

ISBN 0-19-285139-X.

External links

Heimskringla account (http://omacl.org/Heimskringla/trygvason3.html) (Starting from 108. Conspiracy

Against King Olaf)

Mesta account (http://sagnanet.is/saganet/?MIval=/SinglePage&Manuscript=100234&Page=439&

language=english)
http://sagnanet.is/saganet/?MIval=/SinglePage&Manuscript=100234&Page=439&language=englishhttp://sagnanet.is/saganet/?MIval=/SinglePage&Manuscript=100234&Page=439&language=englishhttp://omacl.org/Heimskringla/trygvason3.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:BookSources/0-19-285139-Xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Standard_Book_Numberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Footehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Footehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodoric_the_Monk


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Article Sources and Contributors 14

Article Sources and ContributorsBattle of Svolder Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=556636974 Contributors: 171046, Adam Bishop, Alphasinus, Andres, Angusmclellan, Auntof6, B-Machine, BabelStone,Bender235, Blu3d, Brendandh, Briangotts, Brighterorange, Bryan Derksen, CWenger, ChrisCork, Circeus, Clementina, CommonsDelinker, Dabomb87, Deanlaw, Delusion23, Dimadick,Duncan7670, Ecelan, Edinborgarstefan, Egil, Favonian, Fdewaele, Fetchcomms, Fornadan, Fsotrain09, Fuhghettaboutit, Gaius Cornelius, Gdr, Glenn, Haukurth, HelloAnnyong, HoJii, Inge,Intelligentsium, January2007, John, Jokestress, Juliancolton, Kirill Lokshin, Kjetil r, Kozuch, Leandrod, Magnode, MaliNorway, Manxruler, Mav, Midnightdreary, Neddyseagoon, Nidator,Nudve, Opes, P. S. Burton, Pajfarmor, Petri Krohn, Philip Trueman, Pieter Kuiper, Pluemaster, Qcctest, Qp10qp, R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine), Raul654, RedWolf, Rif Winfield, Rjwilmsi,Rmky87, Saddhiyama, Saxbryn, Screensaver, Semperf, Sillyfolkboy, SpookyMulder, StAnselm, Staxticr, Steinmb, Szopen, Tbhotch, Template namespace initialisation script, The Emperor's New

Spy, Thecheesykid, Tim!, Tommy2010, Tpbradbury, Udufruduhu, Ulflarsen, Valentinian, Vrenator, Wereon, Wiglaf, WikieWikieWikie, Xxgzpimp, Yngvadottir, Yossyrian, 52 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsImage:Svolder, by Otto Sinding.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Svolder,_by_Otto_Sinding.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Otto Sinding (1842-1909)

Image:Mjollnir.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mjollnir.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Achird, Alno, AnonMoos, Bloodofox, Butko, Dcastor, Fred J,Holt, Lokal Profil, Porsche997SBS, Sahsnotas, Tuohirulla, Zejo, 1 anonymous edits

Image:Peter nicolai arbo, olaf tryggvasson king.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Peter_nicolai_arbo,_olaf_tryggvasson_king.jpg License: Public DomainContributors: Bukk, Fingalo, Holt, Jorunn, Tokle

Image:A page of Heimskringla.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:A_page_of_Heimskringla.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Alx, Jorunn, Mahlum, Tiina357

Image:Sigrid and olaf.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sigrid_and_olaf.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Anne-Sophie Ofrim, Ephraim33, Haukurth, 1anonymous edits

Image:Olaf offers thyri angelica.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Olaf_offers_thyri_angelica.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Haukurth, Mhmrodrigues

Image:Aarhus mask stone.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Aarhus_mask_stone.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors: Lars

ZwemmerImage:Olav Trygvasons saga - Ormen lange - Halfdan Egedius.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Olav_Trygvasons_saga_-_Ormen_lange_-_Halfdan_Egedius.jpgLicense: Public Domain Contributors: Halfdan Egedius (Norway 1877-1899)

Image:Olav Tryggvasons saga - Olavs skip seiler forbi - H. Egedius.jpg Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Olav_Tryggvasons_saga_-_Olavs_skip_seiler_forbi_-_H._Egedius.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Halfdan Egedius (Norway1877-1899)

Image:Peter-nicolai-arbo-svolder.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Peter-nicolai-arbo-svolder.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Gunnernett, Jorunn

Image:Tambar.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Tambar.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Original uploader was Fornadan at en.wikipedia

Image:Eirikrs men board the long serpent.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Eirikrs_men_board_the_long_serpent.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors:Gunnernett, Haukurth, Jorunn

File:Norway 1000 AD-en.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Norway_1000_AD-en.svg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Contributors:Norway_1000_AD.png: user:Tokle File:Scandinavia_location_map.svg: user:NordNordWest derivative work: Ecelan (talk)

Image:Faroese stamp 562 Ormurin langi.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Faroese_stamp_562_Ormurin_langi.jpg License: Faroe stamps Contributors: Arne List,Ephraim33, Haukurth, Kjetil r, 1 anonymous edits

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