Halfdan the Black – Future dreams

As Snorri’s Heimskringla proceeds, so does the saga of the House of Yngling. One of the most powerful kings were Halfdan the Black. He was tall and muscular, and he also had a long, black mane, hence the nickname. Halfdan was born about 810 A.D, and eventually ruled most of the south of Norway, the mightiest king to date.

He took Ragnhild as his queen, a wise and beautiful woman. She had the ability of foresight through dreams. One morning she told her husband about a strange dream the previous night. In her vision, she’d been standing in her garden. She discovered a thorn in the dress. She took it out, but as she held it, it started to grow into a branch. It kept growing, and transformed into a giant trunk. The tree became so tall that she could hardly make out the top. At the root, it was blood red, while the rest was lush and green. However, at the very top, the branches were white as snow. There were many branches, and the tree spread throughout all of Norway.

Halfdan interpreted Ragnhild’s dream so that their kin would be powerful and reign over Norway for many generations. The king envied his wife’s dreams, and went to a wise man for counsel. He encouraged the king to sleep in the pig-shed, to be sure of success. Halfdan followed his advise, and lay down between the pigs for a good night’s sleep. In his dream, his hair started growing, in all colours. Some of his locks even reached the ground, while others barely made it to his chest. One of his strains was extra dense and golden.

When he woke up, he seeked out the wise man in order to shed some light on his peculiar dream. Halfdan was told that it meant that his blood would rule lands and powerful kingdoms for generations. Some would die young, others would die old. Some were to be small chiefs, while others would become mighty kings. The golden lock indicated a special and important king in Halfdan’s bloodline.

Ragnhild gave birth to a son, which they named Harald. Halfdan’s warriors taught Harald all the skills a royal son had to master. Arrows, navigation, horseback and spearfight, as well as wielding the blade. He also had to train rhetoric and poem in order to impress other people. It wasn’t easy for Halfdan, getting a son inside the house, given his ill-mannered temper and stubbornness. He was used to get his way. As a result, father and son often quarreled. And truth be told, Ragnhild probably loved the boy more.

The winter Harald celebrated his tenth birthday, he joined his father for a yule visit to Hadeland. But as the guests were being seated for dinner, king Halfdan realized that all the food and mead had vanished. The guests had to leave for bed both thirsty and hungry. Halfdan was furious and sent along the hird to find the thief. They returned with a samii, which they believed to be a shaman. Halfdan let his warriors torture the man, but he denied any knowledge of the theft. Harald pleaded with his father to spare the samii’s life, but Halfdan was immovable.

But Harald didn’t take no for an answer, and let the samii escape while the king was busy. Together, Harald and the samii skied into the forest. After several miles they reached a farm. The farm hosted a large gathering of guests, and they welcomed the strangers arrival. Harald and the freed prisoner stayed the entire winter at the farm.

Halfdan certainly didn’t mourn the disappearance of his son. He was soon on his way back to Vestfold. It was a beautiful and cold day, the sun shone over the icy landscape. The king was situated in a sled, pulled along by a horse. The congregation rode to the Rand Fjord, were the ice still covered the water. They neared Røykensviken, were farmers had carved holes in the ice for their cattle to drink. The animal droppings warmed the ice quickly, helped by the sunshine. The king’s speeding sled broke through the ice, and the men fell in, fighting for their lives in the icy water. All drowned.

The chiefs of the surrounding villages started arguing over the king’s burial site. They all thought the dead king would bring good fortune and crops. They finally decided on splitting his corpse in four parts for each burial mount.

The farmer who provided Harald with shelter was a powerful shaman, and he told Harald that he himself had stolen Halfdan’s food. He added that the king had died, so that Harald could claim the throne and it’s possessions. The Farmer also told Harald that, in time, he would unite the entire country.