The situation in 1019 in the northern waters was one of widespread chaos and gloomy forecast. With news from England that Cnut was preparing an expedition to Denmark, the Danish Vikings gathered to pillage in the Baltic as an alternative to incursions across the North Sea.
Domestic bliss could not quell my anxieties and mood swings; therefore, at Michaelmas, I decided to leave Trøndelag until a more secure future might be created for my family. Unclear as to my part in helping to assure this prospect I acted, as ever, in the belief that my destiny was inextricably bound to that of Norway. My overriding ambition was to foster stability in the region.
To what do I attribute moodiness? A state of mental confusion, I suppose. Acutely aware of being different from my fellow men, I had to refl
