THE HEIMSKRINGLA; OR, CHRONICLE OF THE KINGS OF NORWAY. IV. HAKON THE GOOD'S SAGA. INTRODUCTORY. OF Eirik Blook-axe's five years' reign Snorre has no separate saga. He appears not to have been beloved by the people. His queen Gunhild seems to have had a bad influence on him. Other accounts of Hakon may be found in Fagrskinna (chaps. 25-34), Agrip, Historia Norvegia, and in Thjodrek (chap. 4). The reader is also referred to Saxo, Egla, Laxdæla, Kormaks Saga, Gisle Surssons Saga, Halfred's Saga, Floamanna Saga, Viga Glums Saga, and to Landnamabok. Skalds mentioned in this Saga are:- Glum Geirason, Guthorm Sindre, Kormak Ogmundson, and Eyvind Skaldaspiller. In the Egla are found many poems belonging to this epoch by Egil Skallagrimson. In Fagrskinna is found a poem (not given by Snorre) which Gunhild (his wife) had made on King Eirik after his death, telling how Odin welcomed him to Valhal. The author or skald who composed it is not known, but it is considered to be one of the gems of old Norse poetry, and we here quote it in Vigfusson's translation in his Corpus Poeticum, vol. i. pp. 260, 261. Gudbrand Vigfusson has filled up a few gaps VOL. II. A |