Saturday April 9, 2011 – Day of Remembrance for Jarl Haakon Sigurdsson of Norway

Saturday April 9, 2011

Day of Remembrance for Jarl Haakon Sigurdsson of Norway

 As ruler of the western part of the realm (Norway), Haakon Sigurdsson (Haakon the Great), one of the Jarls of Hladhir, restored the worship of the Old Gods. In the process, the common folk regained political liberties which were erased under Christian rule. It may be that Hakon’s defense of our ancestral ways helped encourage the survival of our traditions in Iceland, where they eventually became the seeds of modern-day Asatru. On this day, Asatruar reflect an how the actions of the individual can impact world events and Orlog.

Haakon was the son of Sigurd Haakonsson, Jarl of Lade and ruler of Trøndelag and Hålogaland. His mother was Bergljot Toresdatter, daughter of Tore Ragnvaldsson, Earl of Møre. Adam of Bremen wrote that he was “of the stock of Ivar (possibly Ivar the Boneless) and descended from a race of giants”.^[2] In the sagas, Haakon claimed descent from the divine linage of Sæming, son of Odin. The Hakon Jarl Runestones in Sweden may refer to him.

Below from Wikipedia

Battle between Jarl Haakon and brothers of Harald Greyhide
Christian Krogh (1899)

Jarl Haakon commands the clergymen to return ashore
Christian Krogh (1899)

Haakon became earl after his father was killed by King Harald Greyhide’s men in 961. He warred with King Harald for some time, until he was forced to flee to Denmark and Harald Bluetooth. In Denmark he conspired with Harald Bluetooth against Harald Greyhide.

Jarl Haakon arranged the death of Harald Greyhide around 971 with the connivance of Harald Bluetooth, who had invited his foster-son to Denmark to be invested with new Danish fiefs. Civil war broke out between Jarl Haakon and the surviving brothers of Harald Greyhide, but Haakon proved victorious.^[3] After this, Haakon Jarl ruled Norway as a vassal of Harald Bluetooth, but he was in reality an independent ruler. For Harald, he attacked Götaland and killed its ruler Jarl Ottar. When Haakon was in Denmark, Harald Bluetooth forced him to accept baptism and assigned him clergymen to take to Norway to spread Christianity. When a favourable wind came for Haakon to leave, he commanded the clergymen to return ashore.^[4]

Around 973-974, he went to Denmark to help Harald Bluetooth of Denmark in his defense against the Holy Roman Emperor Otto II. Otto’s forces successfully opposed an attempt by Harald to throw off the German yoke. After that Haakon paid no taxes to Denmark.

Haakon was a strong believer in the old Norse gods, and when Harald Bluetooth attempted to force Christianity upon him around 975, Haakon broke his allegiance to Denmark. In 977 Vladimir I of Kiev fled to him, collecting as many of the Viking warriors as he could to assist him to recover Novgorod, and on his return the next year marched against Yaropolk I of Kiev. In 986, a Danish invasion fleet led by the fabled Jomsvikings was defeated at the Battle of Hjörungavágr.

In 995, a quarrel broke out between Haakon and the Trønders just as Olaf Tryggvason, a descendant of Harald Fairhair arrived. Haakon quickly lost all support, and was killed by his own slave and friend, Tormod Kark, while hiding in the pig sty in the farm Rimul in Melhus. Jarlshola is the location in Melhus thought to have been the hiding place of Haakon Jarl and Tormod Kark on their last night before the infamous murder at Rimul. After his death, Haakon Jarl’s two sons Eirik Håkonson and Sveinn Hákonarson, fled for protection to the king of Sweden, Olof Skötkonung.

Source basis for Jarl Haakon are considerable. He was given coverage in several sagas, including by Snorri Sturluson in Heimskringla, Ágrip af Nóregskonungasögum and more. According to Hallfreðar saga the poet Hallfreðr composed a drápa on the earl. Several disjoint stanzas by Hallfreðr in Skáldskaparmál are often thought to belong to this otherwise lost poem. Jarl Haakon’s life also received literary treatment by Danish poet Adam Oehlenschläger.