God's Hammer

Chapter 5

When King Harald was nearly seventy years old, he had a son by a woman called Thora Mosterstang, who came from a family at Moster and had good relations; . . . She was a beautiful and fine woman and was called the servant-maid of the king, for at that time many were obliged to become the king"s servants, both men and women, although they were of good lineage. It was the custom with children of great men, that they should be careful in the choice of men to sprinkle water over them or to give them names, and as the time arrived when Thora was expecting to give birth to the child, she wished to go to King Harald, for he was then north at Seim, whilst she was at Moster. She then went north in Sigurd the Jarl"s ship. During the night they stayed ashore and there Thora brought forth a child at Hella near the quay wall; it was a boy. Sigurd the Jarl sprinkled water over the boy and called him Hakon after his own father Hakon the Jarl of Lade. The boy soon became handsome and well grown and very much like his father. King Harald let the boy remain with the mother and they stayed on the king"s estates whilst the boy was little.

Athelstan was the name of the king in Engla-lond who had lately taken the kingdom; he was called the Victorious and the Faithful… One summer, King Harald sent a ship west to Engla-lond. . .

Heimskringla