Viking Magazine - May 2022 - 14

historians doubt Harald even existed as
an actual historical person, although most
generally tend to agree that he was real and
that the stories about him have simply been
exaggerated into the realm of fantasy. In
any case, the sagas state that Harald steadily
spread his infl uence and power across the
land.
Aft er making his famous vow to subdue
all of Norway, one of the fi rst milestones that
Harald achieved was the deal that he brokered
with Håkon Grjotgardsson, the ruler of the
Trøndelag (the area around Trondheim).
According to the old stories, this deal allowed
Håkon to maintain some autonomy in
exchange for acknowledging Harald as his
sovereign.
To seal the deal, Harald married Håkon's
daughter (all of his supposed aff ection for
Gyda didn't stop Harald from taking 20
diff erent wives over the course of his long
life). Harald and Håkon formed a strong
alliance together and presented a unifi ed front
against the petty kings of Vestland, an area
corresponding to modern Norway's western
fj ords region that encompasses Hordaland
as well as additional historic territories and
that has given its name to the present-day
Norwegian county of Vestland.
BATTLE AT SEA
(Right): The Kringla
leaf (Kringlublaðið) is
kept in the National and
University Library of
Iceland in Reykjavík. It's
the only surviving page
from " Heimskringla. "
(Below): An illustration of
Harald Fairhair from the
14th-century Flateyjarbók.
Harald's subsequent confrontation with
the Vestlanders (who were led by Gyda's
father) became one of the most signifi cant
and famous battles of the entire Viking Age.
Traditionally dated to the year 872 (but now
thought to have likely occurred a decade or
two later), the battle took place at Hafrsfj ord,
within the municipal boundaries of modernday
Stavanger in southwestern Norway.
An epic sea battle fought aboard ships
between Harald's forces and the last remnants
of the Vestland that opposed him, the Battle
of Hafrsfj ord is generally considered to have
been the culminating achievement in Harald's
quest to become king over all of Norway.
Harald's forces emerged victorious, and the
site of the battle is now commemorated with
one of Norway's most unique and aweinspiring
monuments-Sverd i fj ell (Swords
in Rock).
Comprised of three massive sculptural
swords that loom over the shore of Hafrsfj ord
just south of Stavanger's city center, Sverd
i fj ell was designed by Norwegian artist
Fritz Røed, and unveiled by King Olav in
1983. Standing 10 meters (32 feet) tall, the
swords represent peace, unity and freedom.
The swords themselves are modeled on the
remains of historical ones discovered in
Norway and the monument itself has become
iconic among Viking Age history buff s.
SETTLING AT AVALDSNES
Following his victory at Hafrsfj ord, the
residual unruliness of Vestland prompted
14
May
2022
sonsofnorway.com
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Viking Magazine - May 2022

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