The Icelandic sagas have very little to say concerning Olaf
Triggvison's unsuccessful invasion of England, and for this part
of the story I have gone for my facts to the English chronicles
of the time, wherein frequent allusion to him is made under such
names as Anlaf, Olave, and Olaff. The original treaty of peace
drawn up between King Ethelred the Second and Olaf still exists to
fix the date of the invasion, while the famous battle of Maldon,
in which the Norse adventurer gained a victory over the East
Anglians, is described at length by a nameless contemporary poet,
whose "Death of Brihtnoth" remains as one of the finest of early
English narrative poems, full of noble patriotism and primitive
simplicity.

I have given no dates throughout these pages, but for the convenience
of readers who may wish for greater exactness it may be as well
to state here that Olaf was born A.D. 963, that he started on his
wanderings as a viking in the year 981, that the sea fight between
the vikings of Jomsburg and the Norwegians took place in 986, and
the battle of Maldon in the year 991. Olaf reigned only five years
as King of Norway, being crowned in 995, and ending his reign with
his death in the glorious defeat at Svold in the year 1000.

ROBERT LEIGHTON.



CHAPTER I: THE FINDING OF OLAF