Читать книгу Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway - Snorri Sturluson - Страница 146

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The Emperor Otta assembled a great army from Saxland, Frakland, Frisland, and Vindland. King Burizleif followed him with a large army, and in it was his son-in-law, Olaf Trygvason. The emperor had a great body of horsemen, and still greater of foot people, and a great army from Holstein. Harald, the Danish king, sent Earl Hakon with the army of Northmen that followed him southwards to Danavirke, to defend his kingdom on that side. So it is told in the "Vellekla":—

"Over the foaming salt sea spray

The Norse sea-horses took their way,

Racing across the ocean-plain

Southwards to Denmark's green domain.

The gallant chief of Hordaland

Sat at the helm with steady hand,

In casque and shield, his men to bring

From Dovre to his friend the king.

He steered his war-ships o'er the wave

To help the Danish king to save

Mordalf, who, with a gallant band

Was hastening from the Jutes' wild land,

Across the forest frontier rude,

With toil and pain through the thick wood.

Glad was the Danish king, I trow,

When he saw Hakon's galley's prow.

The monarch straightway gave command

To Hakon, with a steel-clad band,

To man the Dane-work's rampart stout,

And keep the foreign foemen out."

The Emperor Otta came with his army from the south to Danavirke, but Earl Hakon defended the rampart with his men. The Dane-work (Danavirke) was constructed in this way:—Two fjords run into the land, one on each side; and in the farthest bight of these fjords the Danes had made a great wall of stone, turf, and timber, and dug a deep and broad ditch in front of it, and had also built a castle over each gate of it. There was a hard battle there, of which the "Vellekla" speaks:—