HKB
who he was. Rather would I that he should be my slayer than I his.' Then said King Harald Sigurdson: 'A little man was he, but firm in his stirrups.'
It is said that King Harald chanted this verse:
'Forward go we in folk array Without our mail Under blue blades; The helmets shine, No mail have I; On the ships yonder Our garb doth lie.'
|| Now the mail-shirt to Harald was hight 'Emma,' and it was so long that it reached down even unto the midst of his foot, and so strong that no weapon had ever lodged fast in it. Then said King Harald Sigurdson: 'That was ill wrought; I must make another, a better verse in its place,' and then he chanted this:
'Ne'er do we in battle Creep behind our shields, The clash of weapons fearing (E'en so the word-fast woman bade me). Of yore the necklet-wearer bade me Carry high my head in battle, Where sword and shield do meet.'
And Thiodolf likewise sang thus:
'Never, if e'en the prince himself to earth should fall, (As God wills so goeth it) Will I flee from the heirs of the chief. The sun shines not better on these than these twain shine. Avengers of Harald are resourceful hawks full grown.'
|| And now they fall to battle, and the English ride onward toward the Norwegians, but the resistance is stubborn, and because of the shots it is not easy for the English to ride against the Norwegians, and so they ride round about them in a ring. At first the battle is altogether even, that is so long as the Norwegians hold their array, but the English charge them & then if they have done no hurt ride aback, and when the Norwegians see this, namely that the English seem to ride on them without spirit, set they themselves upon them and would have pursued them, but behold no sooner is the wall of shields broken than the English ride towards them from all directions bringing spears and shots to bear on them. And King Harald Sigurdson seeing this goeth forth into the brunt of the battle, even there where the hardest struggle is taking place, and many men falling from both hosts.
King Harald Sigurdson waxeth so fierce that he runneth forward right out from the array, & heweth with both hands, & hath neither helme, nor shield holden before him.
All those who are nighest to him draw aback, and far are the English from fleeing. Thus saith Arnor Earl's-skald:
'In battle swift the chief's heart ne'er did quake, And the strong King the greatest courage showed 'mid the helmes' thunder, There, where in the hersirs' chief the hosts saw this, That by his bloody sword the men to death were wounded.'
|| Now it happened that King Harald Sigurdson was wounded by an arrow in the throat, and this was his death-wound. He fell with the whole of that company which was advancing with him, save those that drew back; and these held stoutly to the banner.
Yet a conflict full as hard was foughten after Tosti the Earl had taken his place under the King's banner. Then both the hosts fell to arraying themselves for the second time, and an exceeding long truce was there in the battle. Thereof sang Thiodolf:
'Mishap hath fallen on us, (in peril is now the host); In vain hath Harald brought us This journey from the east. The chieftain shrewd's life-passage So hath ended that we now (the King bepraised his life lost) Row in peril of our lives.'
|| But ere the combatants again joined issue offered Harald Godwinson his brother Tosti grace, and he likewise offered grace to the other men surviving from the Norwegian host; but the Norwegians shouted out that they would rather fall one above the other, than accept quarter from the English. And thereon shouted they their war-cry, & then the battle began for the second time.
Thus saith Arnor Earl's-skald: