OLAF TRYGGVESON 89 died, and vanished from them. This, and one other fact now to be mentioned, is all the wedded history we have of Thyri. The other fact is, that Thyri had, by inheritance or covenant, not depending on her marriage with old Burislav, considerable properties in Wendland, which she often reflected might be not a little behooveful to her here in Norway, where her civil-list was probably but straitened. She spoke of this to her husband ; but her husband would take no hold, merely made her gifts, and said, " Pooh, pooh, can't we live without old Burislav and his Wendland properties ? " So that the lady sank into ever deeper anxiety and eagerness about this Wendland object ; took to weeping ; sat weeping whole days ; and when Olaf asked, " What ails thee, then ? " would answer, or did answer once, " What a different man my father Harald Gormson was" (vulgarly called Blue-tooth), " compared with some that are now kings! For no King Svein in the world would Harald Gormson have given up his own or his wife's just rights ! " Whereupon Tryggveson started up, exclaiming, in some heat, " Of thy brother Svein I never was afraid ; if Svein and I meet in contest, it will not be Svein, I believe, that conquers ; " and went off in a towering fume. Consented, however, at last, had to consent, to get his fine fleet equipped and armed, and decide to sail with it to Wendland to have speech and settlement with King Burislav. Tryggveson had already ships and navies that were the wonder of the North. Especially in building war-ships the Crane, the Serpent, last of all the Long Serpent he had, for size, for outward beauty, and inward perfection of equip- ment, transcended all example. This new sea expedition became an object of attention to all neighbors ; especially Queen Sigrid the Proud and Svein Forkbeard, her now king, were attentive to it. " This insolent Tryggveson, "Queen Sigrid would often say, and had long been saying, to her Svein, " to marry thy sister without leave had or asked of thee ; and now flaunting forth his war navies, as if he, king only of paltry Norway, were the big hero of the North ! Why do you suffer it, you kings really great ?" By such persuasions, and reiterations, King Svein of Denmark, King Olaf of Sweden, and Jarl Eric,* now a great man there, grown rich by prosperous sea- robbery and other good management, were brought to take the matter up, and combine strenuously for destruction of King Olaf Tryggveson on this grand Wendland expedition of his. Fleets and forces were with best diligence got ready; and, withal, a certain Jarl Sigwald of Jomsburg, chieftain of the Jomsvik- mgs, a powerful, plausible, and cunning man, was appointed to find means of join- ing himself to Tryggveson's grand voyage ; of getting into Tryggveson's confi- dence, and keeping Svein Forkbeard, Eric, and the Swedish king aware of all his movements. King Olaf Tryggveson, unacquainted with all this, sailed away in summer, with his splendid fleet ; went through the Belts with prosperous winds, under bright skies, to the admiration of both shores. Such a fleet, with its shining
- Eric, son of King Hakon.
