The Complete

Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda

Legendary Sagas of the Northland

in English Translation

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Af  Upplendinga Konungum Of The Kings of the Uplands
from the
Hauksbók
Translated by Gavin Chappell
© 2005
  1: Concerning King Olaf the Tree-Feller

1. Frá Óláfi konungi trételgju Óláfr, sonr Ingjalds konungs illráða af Svíaríki, ruddi Vermaland. Hann var kallaðr Óláfr trételgja. Hann var fæddr í Vestra-Gautlandi með þeim manni, er Bófi hét. Saxi hét sonr Bófa, er kallaðr var flettir. Móðir Óláfs var Gauthildr, dóttir Algauta konungs, en hann var sonr Gautreks konungs ins milda, sonar Gauts, er Gautland er við kennt. Álöf var móðir Gauthildar, dóttir Óláfs konungs skyggna, konungs af Næríki.  

En þá er Ívarr víðfaðmi hafði lagt undir sik allt Danaveldi ok Svíaríki, þá flýði Óláfr ok mikill fjöldi þeira manna, er útlaga urðu fyrir Ívari konungi. Þeir fara norðr um Væni ok ruddu þar markir ok byggðu þar stór heruð ok kölluðu þat Vermaland, ok kölluðu Svíar því Óláf trételgju, ok var hann þar konungr til elli. Kona hans hét Sölva. Hún var systir Sölva ins gamla, er fyrstr ruddi Sóleyjar.
       Óláfr ok Sölva áttu tvá syni, hét annarr Ingjaldr, en annarr Hálfdan. Ingjaldr var konungr í Vermalandi eptir föður sinn, en Hálfdan var fæddr upp í Sóleyjum með Sölva, móðurbróður sínum. Hann var kallaðr Hálfdan hvítbein. Hann var konungr í Sóleyjum eptir Sölva konung. Hann fékk Ásu, dóttur Eysteins konungs illráða af Heið. Sá Eysteinn lagði undir sik Eynafylki í Þrándheimi ok fekk þeim til konungs þar hund sinn, er Sórr hét; við hann er kenndr Sórshaugr. Þau Hálfdan ok Ása áttu tvá syni, Eystein ok Guðröð. Hálfdan hvítbein eignaðist Raumaríki ok mikit af Heiðmörk. Hann varð sóttdauðr á Þótni, ok var hann fluttr á Heiðmörk ok heygðr þar.

      Olaf, the son of Ingjald the Ill-Advised, king in Sweden, cleared Vermaland. He was called Olaf the Tree-Feller. He was fostered in West Gautland by a man named Bofi. Bofi's son was named Saxi, who was called the Plunderer. Olaf's mother was Gauthild, the daughter of King Algaut, who was the son of King Gautrek the Mild, son of Gaut, after whom Gautland is named. Alof was the mother of Gauthild, daughter of King Olaf the Clear-Sighted, king in Naeriki.
       At that time, Ivar Widegrasp had conquered all Denmark and Sweden, and so Olaf and a great multitude of his folk fled, and were proclaimed outlaws by King Ivar. They went north to Vaeni, and cleared the forests and settled in a large area that they called Vermaland, and the Swedes elected Olaf the Tree-Feller, and he was their king until old age. His wife was named Solva. She was the sister of Solvi the Old, who first cleared the Soley Isles.
       Olaf and Solva had two sons, one named Ingjald, and the other Halfdan. Ingjald was king in Vermaland after his father, but Halfdan was fostered in the Soley Isles by Solva, his uncle. He was called Halfdan Whitebone. He was king in the Soleys after King Solvi. He married Asa, daughter of Eystein the Ill-advised, king in Heid. This Eystein conquered the Eynafylki in Trondheim, and gave them his hound for king, who was named Sorr; Sorshaug is named after him. Halfdan and Asa had two sons, Eystein and Gudrod. Halfdan Whitebone took Raumariki and much of Heidmark. He died in Thotni, and was taken to Heidmark and buried there.

 

2. Frá niðjum Hálfdanar hvítbeins 2: Concerning Halfdan Whitebone's Descendants

Guðröðr, sonr Hálfdanar, var konungr á Heiðmörk eptir föður sinn. Hans sonr var Helgi, faðir Ingjalds, föður Óláfs hvíta, er átti Unni ina djúpúðgu, dóttur Ketils flatnefs. Þeira sonr var Þorsteinn rauðr, er jarl var í Skotlandi ok fell þar.

Eysteinn, sonr Hálfdanar hvítbeins, var konungr á Raumaríki. Hann átti dóttur Eiríks Agnarssonar, er konungr var á Vestfold. Eiríkr átti engan son. Agnarr, faðir Eiríks, var sonr Sigtryggs konungs af Vindli. Eysteinn konungr fell fyrir borð, ok sló hann beitiáss í sundi einu mjóvu.

Hálfdan hét sonr hans, er konungdóm tók eptir hann. Gerðist hann ríkr maðr ok hermaðr mikill. Hann gaf gull í mála hirð sinni svá mikit sem aðrir menn gáfu silfr, en hann tímdi eigi at gefa mönnum sínum mat. Því var hann kallaðr Hálfdan inn mildi ok inn matarilli. Hann átti Lifu, dóttur Dags konungs af Vestmörum. Hann var sóttdauðr á Vestfold, ok er hann þar heygðr.

Guðröðr hét sonr þeira, er konungdóm tók eptir föður sinn. Hann var kallaðr Guðrödr inn göfugláti. Hann átti Ásu, dóttur Haralds konungs granrauða, er konungr var á Ögðum. Þau áttu tvá sonu. Hét annarr Hálfdan, en annarr Óláfr. Guðröðr inn göfugláti var drepinn á Geirstöðum á Vestfold, svá at hann var lagðr með kesju, er hann gekk af skipi sínu í Stíflusundi seint um kveldit. Hafði Ása, kona hans, eggjat mann til at drepa hann, því at Guðröðr konungr hafði áðr drepa látit Harald konung, föður hennar, ok Gyrð, son hans. Guðröðr konungr hafði fyrr átt dóttur Alfarins af Álfheimum ok hafði heiman með henni hálfa Vingulmörk. Þeira sonr var Óláfr. Hann var þá fulltíða, er faðir hans fell, ok tók hann þá konungdóm eptir föður sinn. Hann var allra manna mestr ok sterkastr ok fríðastr sýnum. Hann var kallaðr Óláfr Geirstaðaálfr.

Ása in stórráða fór norðr á Agðir með Hálfdan, son sinn, hann var þá vetrgamall, ok helt hún þá því ríki, er faðir hennar hafði átt. Hálfdan óx upp með Ásu, móður sinni, ok var hann brátt mikill maðr ok sterkr ok svartr á hár, ok því var hann kallaðr Hálfdan svarti.

Eptir fall Guðröðar konungs tók Álfgeirr konungr undir sik Vingulmörk ok setti þar yfir son sinn, er kallaðr var Gandálfr. Þeir feðgar eignuðust ok mestan hluta Raumaríkis. En Eysteinn konungr, sonr Högna Eysteinssonar ins ríka ok ins illráða, lagði þá undir sik alla Heiðmörk ok Sóleyjar, en Óláfr Geirstaðaálfr hafði Grenland ok Vestfold. Hann Óláfr andaðist af fótarverk á Geirstöðum ok er þar heygðr. Sonr hans var Rögnvaldr, er kallaðr var heiðum-hæri. Hann var konungr á Grenlandi eptir föður sinn. Um hann orti Þjóðólfr hvinverski Ynglingatal, ok segir þar frá þeim konungum, er komnir váru frá Yngvi-Frey í Svíþjóð, ok af hans nafni eru Ynglingar kallaðir.

      Gudrod, Halfdan's son, was king in Heidmark after his father. His son was Helgi, father of Ingjald, father of Olaf the White, who married Unn the Deep-Minded, daughter of Ketil Faltnose. Their son was Thorsteinn the Red, who was an earl in Scotland and fell there.
       Eystein, son of Halfdan Whitebone, was king in Raumariki. He married the daughter of Eirik Agnarsson, who was king in Vestfold. Eirik had no son. Agnarr, Eirik's father, was son of King Sigtrygg of Vindli. King Eystein fell overboard, and drowned in the boatyard in the sound.
       His son was named Halfdan, and he took the kingdom after him. He surrounded himself with powerful men and great warriors, giving out gold to his henchmen as other men gave silver, but he was hesitant to provide his men with food. He was called Halfdan the Mild but Miserly with Meat. He married Lifa, daughter of Dag, king of Vestmar. He died in Vestfold, and was buried there.
      

Their son was named Gudrod, and he took the kingdom after his father. He was called Gudrod the Generous. He married Asa, daughter of King Harald Redbeard, who was king of Agder. They had two sons. One was named Halfdan, the other Olaf. Gudrod the Generous was killed at Geirstad in Vestfold, where was killed with a halberd, and he died on his ship in Stiflusund, in the evening. Asa, his wife, had egged on a man to kill him, because King Gudrod had killed King Harald, her father, and Gyrd, his son. King Gudrod had also married the daughter of Alfarin of Alfheim and had received half Vingulmark with her, as a dowry. Their son was Olaf. He was full-grown when his father fell, and he took the kingdom after his father. He was the best of all men, and strongest and most handsome to be seen. He was called Olaf, the Elf of Geirstad.
       Asa the Ambitious went north to Agdir with Halfdan, her son, who was a winter old, and she held the kingdom that her father had owned. Halfdan grew up with Asa, his mother, and he was soon a big man, strong and black-haired, and so he was called Halfdan the Black.
       After King Gudrod's fall, King Alfgeirr took under him Vingulmark and put his son over it, who was called Gandalf. Father and son took to themselves the greater part of Raumariki. Then King Eysteinn, son of Hogni Eysteinsson the Powerful but Ill-Advised, conquered all Heidmark and the Soleys, then Olaf the Elf of Geirstad had Grenland and Vestfold. Olaf died of a sickness of the foot (gout?) at Geirstad and was buried there. His son was Rognvald, who was called Mountain-High. He was king in Grenland after his father. Thjodolf of Hvina composed the Ynglingatal about him, and said that his kindred descended from Yngvi-Frey in Sweden, from whose name they are known as Ynglings.

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SCHOLARSHIP & COMMENTARY
Simek/Pálsson, Lexikon der altnordischen Literatur:  "Af Upplendinga konungum is a short piece from the Hauksbók, in which a genealogy is given reckoned from Olaf Tree-feller back to Olaf Geirstaðaalf."

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