Arnor Thordarson by nickname Skald Yarlov- Icelandic skald, born c. 1012 “ Hrunhenda” - one of the songs of praise of the skald Arnor, dedicated to Magnus the Good. Composed in 1046
“DRAPE ABOUT MAGNUS (HRUNHENDA)”
(1046), 4th and 9th stanzas
Thus it is said in Hrynhend that Magnus Olavsson led his ships from the east from Gardariki, first to the Eastern Sea and so to Svitjod; it says this: “You took the warships from the slipways and led them into the Eastern Sea; Skjöldung, you stepped onto a ship sheathed in clinker with flexible boards and with guard rigging; you did not hesitate, but the masts trembled; the gunwale came off and began to sink into the water; the bow of the ship rushed forward; and the waves, mixed with frost, shook the decorated head and tail of the dragon.”
Now it must be said that King Magnus led his ship and army from the north from Throndheim one summer; he first went south along the coast, as Arnor Skald Yarlov said: “Then it happened that the king led a large fleet south along the coast; then the ship got the opportunity to sail further; Visind fled from the north; he ordered people in French helmets to sit at all the oar holes; the oak ship seemed magnificent because of the Gardian weapons; people were afraid of armed warriors.”
(From “The Saga of Magnus the Good” based on “Hulda”.
Translation
T.N. Jackson by Fms. VI. 23, 47)
Date of publication: 03/13/2019
COMMENTS
Skj. A. I. 333, 335.
East Sea (Eystrasalt) - Baltic Sea. Visa provides the first recording of this hydronym in the monuments of Old Scandinavian writing. However, even in the continuation of the “Frankish Royal Annals” (30-40s of the 9th century), Einhard notes that the Danes call the Baltic Sea (“eastern sea bay”) Ostarsalt. This once again confirms the conclusion that skaldic verses of the 9th-12th centuries. preserved the earliest ethno-, topo- and hydronymy (see: Jackson 1989. pp. 130-135).
Skjoldung - the skald's address to Magnus, who was also the Danish king (1042-1047). Skjold is the legendary Danish king, son of Odin.
Gardskaya, i.e. Russian equipment of the ship.
The head and tail of the dragon are symbolic decorations on Viking ships called “drakars”.
The value of the remark about “Gardian (i.e. Russian) weapons” lies in the fact that the conclusion about the appearance in the first half of the 11th century. on the world markets of products of Russian gunsmiths was made on the basis of a very small number of archaeological finds. Only judging by the inscription on the blade of the sword from Foshchevataya (no later than the first half of the 11th century), researchers conclude that “there was a specialized weapons workshop in Rus' long before written sources reported this” (Ancient Rus' 1985. P. 300- 303). The Icelandic skald's visa, composed in 1046, records the existence of Russian weapons at that time, its fame and the fact of its use by the warriors of the Norwegian king.
Fire Saga
Sudden lightning from the storm
Our daring longship surfaced*1.
Like waves hitting the city walls,
Our truvar*2 came ashore.
But they were waiting for us. Enemies are huge
City Gate Squad
They sent us towards us, as if
There is a human whirlpool in the swords.
Our formation did not waver, but there are few of us -
Can't hold out until the morning
It is not the sword that will finish us off, but fatigue
In a heavy swing of the ax.
Our jarl*3 may be young, but he is skilled,
And hard in battle, like basalt.
Well, we will all die, but we will not be afraid.
But then our old skald*4 began to sing!
He composed kennings*5 and saga*6
Merged into such a perky anthem,
What is courage in every Viking
Born with a hundredfold strength.
One*7 himself listened to this song,
The Valkyries*8 echoed the skald's chorus,
Brought us victorious news
Swords bloody conversation.
And the old skald fought and twisted
The song that led us to victory.
We won! But suddenly I dug in
A black arrow in the back of the head.
We returned with generous spoils
To the native rocky shores,
But the young jarl stands slouched,
And fun doesn’t come to us.
Only the skalda hears the word,
When in the language of the gods
He starts a leisurely song,
To preserve in the depths of centuries
Deeds worthy of husbands
And the proud feat of faithful wives,
Lovers' first meeting,
And the law given by the ancestors...
Great jarls are only buried,
Burning ships at sea,
And as in the divine palm
Farewell lights are burning.
Our wise skald is worthy of it -
He saved everyone from death with his saga.
After all, a skald is a poet, prophet and warrior.
And the jarl gave such an order.
And to the highest honor of a hero
Through the quietly frozen trouvar,
Shaking his gray head,
The widow boards the drakkar*9.
The torch in her hand did not waver,
The gait is firm, the chest is breathing...
The ropes were cut with a sword,
Two on fire are on their way to Valhalla*10.
Here he is lost in space,
But young and old will not forget,
Like a stormy foamy sea
The flaming drakkar left.
And the new skald, for now - a boy,
From bitter thoughts lightly,
He will sing brightly and loudly
My story is in sunny verse.
Moscow, 06.28.06
(from the series “Life”) ®
*1 Drakkar is a seaworthy Viking boat.
*2 Truvar is a Viking squad.
*3 Jarl - a prince who maintained his own squad, was subordinate to the konung (king), elected by the Thing (meeting of jarls).
*4 Skald - poet, bard, philosopher, prophet, warrior - all rolled into one. Scandinavian tradition considered skalds to be the favorites of the gods. It was believed that the gods understood only poetic speech and spoke only in the language of poetry. And only the skald could tell the supreme god Odin about the exploits of the Vikings and even the great jarls themselves, so that Odin would consider them worthy of taking a place in Valhalla.
*5 Kenning is a special poetic metaphor characteristic of Scandinavian sagas. They can be multi-level and complex for an unprepared listener. For example: a bird of the sea - a drakkar, a chick of a bird of the sea - a Viking, a beak of a chick of a bird of the sea - a sword, a mirror of the beak of a chick of a bird of the sea - a shield, etc.
*6 Saga is a Scandinavian poetic legend, sometimes set to music.
*7 Odin is the supreme god of the Scandinavians. But not the creator of this world. He belongs to a later generation of higher gods (aces). The gods were divided into higher (aces), lower (Vanir - gods of fertility, crafts, etc.) and alves - the most mysterious creatures in all of Scandinavian mythology, considered teachers and mentors of the aces themselves.
8* Valkyries - inhabitants of Valhalla, the most beautiful warrior maidens. They were the ones who decided the fate of every Viking in battle.
*9 Self-immolation of widows was not a tradition, but the sagas have brought to us many examples of this. They became Valkyries in the halls of Odin himself. Only in this way could a faithful and loving wife remain with a husband worthy of Valhalla FOREVER.
*10 Valhalla is a paradise for the elite. There was also a “public paradise” - Brazil. Only Vikings who distinguished themselves in battle and died with weapons in their hands ended up in Valhalla. The most worthy of them were included in the truvar of Odin himself. Traditionally, old men who sensed death was approaching would ask their sons to place a sword or battle ax in their hands and kill them with the sword. Dying in one's bed was considered a disgrace for a Viking. Mostly artisans and a few peasants ended up in Brazil (the Scandinavian countries are rocky and infertile, which gave rise to the Vikings, who traded in sea and land robbery; a Viking literally means an oar twirler; that is, a warrior who became a rower on a longship in the absence of wind and in unknown narrow rivers) . Viking raids kept all of Europe in fear for three centuries from the 9th to the 12th centuries. Only Paris (the largest city in Europe at that time) was stormed and plundered by the Vikings 7 times! The second largest city of Cologne experienced this to an even greater extent.
A necessary comment, I think: the author himself is 50% Viking (Danish and a little Swedish blood). The surname Andreyanov comes from the Scandinavian name Andrien. And not from the Italian Adriano (Celentano), as, for some reason, many people think. Take a closer look: there is no “n” in Adriano!
GUIDE TO SKALDS
A
ARNOR THORDARSSON SKALD YARLOV (XI century)- Icelandic skald, son of the skald Thord Kolbeinsson. Arnor was the author of songs of praise about the Orkney jarls Rognvald and Thorfinn (where his nickname comes from), the Norwegian kings Magnus the Good and Harald the Severe, the Danish king Knut and some noble Icelanders. "Hrunhenda" (from hrynhent - the name of its size) is one of Arnor's drapes about Magnus the Good. 18 verses of this very lush song of praise have been preserved. Some of his other songs of praise have also been preserved (not completely).
B
BOLVERK ARNORSSON
BRAGI BODDASON OLD (apparently, 1st half of the 9th century)- Norwegian skald. The poems survive only in the Icelandic tradition and are the oldest surviving skaldic poems. Bragi is mentioned in Old Icelandic sources as the ancestor of a number of Icelanders who lived in the 9th-10th centuries. His "Drape about Ragnar" is famous. The “List of Skalds” says that Bragi was the author of songs of praise about the Swedish kings Eystein Beli and Bjorn from Kurgan, but these songs have not survived.
BJORN ARNGEIRSON THE BOGATYR OF THE HIT RIVER (approximately 989-1024)- the hero of the "Saga of Bjorn", one of the "ancestral sagas". The main motive of the saga is the quarrel between Bjorn and Thord Kolbein's son, initially because of Oddnu, the girl who goes to Thord as his wife, but then the cause of mutual bitterness is the obnoxious poems (i.e. nidd) that Bjorn and Thord write about each other . The clashes between them eventually lead to Thord killing Bjorn. "Gray Belly" is a nid directed against Tord.
G
GISLI SON OF THORBJORN THE SOUR (late 10th century)- the hero of the "Saga of Gisli", the most dramatic of the "ancestral sagas". There are many individual vises in the saga attributed to Gisli. But the authenticity of many of these vises is questioned by researchers.
BALD MAKE-UP, or SKALLAGRIM- Icelandic pioneer, son of Kveldulf and father of Egil. Two of his vises are known.
GUDMUND SON OF ASBJORN (unknown)– 1235 or 1237)– Icelander known for"The Saga of the Sturlungs." It says that he composed a visa about another Icelander (Toralv, son of Bjorn, died in 1240), with whom he was at enmity.
GUNNLAUG ILLUGASON SERPENT'S TONGUE (ca. 984-1009 or 987-1012)- Icelandic skald, hero of the "Saga of Gunnlaug", one of the "ancestral sagas". The main motive of the saga is the rivalry between two skalds, Gunnlaug and Hrafn, over Helga the Beauty, a girl who marries not the one she loves, that is, not Gunnlaug, but Hrafn. In the end, the rivals kill each other in a duel. The saga contains a number of individual vises of Gunnlaug. It is debatable whether all these vises were actually composed by Gunnlaug. However, there is quite reliable evidence that there were skalds Gunnlaug and Hrafn, who composed songs of praise in honor of a number of foreign rulers. Only fragments of the songs of praise composed by Gunnlaug have survived. Only fragments have survived from the “Drape about Adalrad,” apparently composed around 1002, and the “Drape about Sigtrygg Silkbeard.”
E
YOKUL SON OF THE BARD- Icelander, warrior of Hakon Eiriksson, the Norwegian jarl. By order of the Norwegian king Olaf, the Saint was to be beheaded, but since Jokul pulled his head back when he heard the whistling of an ax above his head, he was only severely wounded in the head. The king saw that the wound was fatal and ordered him to be left alone. Yokul told the vis, which has survived to this day, and then died.
TO
KVELDULF SON OF BJALVI- Norwegian hersir (leader), father of Grim the Bald, grandfather of Egil. His name was Ulv, which means “wolf,” but since every time it got dark, he avoided people and became angry, they said that he was a werewolf and they called him Kveldulv, which means “evening wolf.” There is a well-known verse that he composed when, after the death of his son Thorolf (he was killed by Harald Fairhair), he went to bed from grief, and his other son, Grim the Bald, told him that he must avenge Thorolf.
CORMAC SON OF EGMUND (~930-970)- Icelandic skald, known from the "Saga of Cormac", one of the "ancestral sagas". Killed in battle in Scotland. In his saga there are many individual vises attributed to Cormac. But there is no consensus on which of them are genuine. Several hangings from Cormac's drapery in honor of the Hladir earl Sigurd have also survived. In this drape, each quatrain ends with a short phrase of mythological content.
L
LAKENIR BERSERK (unknown)– OK. 983)- a berserker, known from the Saga of the People from the Sandy Coast. His verse is known, said when he saw a woman named Asdis, promised to another berserker.
ABOUT
OTTAR BLACK (XI century)- Icelandic skald. Having been imprisoned by King Olaf the Saint for composing poems about the daughter of the Swedish king, who later became the wife of Olaf the Saint, Ottar followed the advice of his uncle, the skald Sighvat, and composed a drapery about Olaf over the course of three nights, thereby “ransoming his head." Two other drapes by Ottar have also been preserved (also not completely) - about the Danish king Knut and the Swedish king Olav. The latter was composed around 1018.
R
RÖGNVALD KALI, or KALI SON OF KOLYA (mid-12th century)- Earl of Orkney. Much is said about him in the Orkney Saga. In this saga a number of his individual vises are given. But it is not clear whether he was really the author of all these hangings. His poems reveal the influence of the poetry of the troubadours (in 1151-1153 he made a trip to Palestine and stopped for a long time in southern France along the way). Together with the Icelandic skald Harlem Thorarinsson, Rögnvald Kali composed "The Key of Measures", a poem consisting of examples of skaldic meters and strophic forms used by skalds. The “Key of Dimensions” served as the prototype for the “List of Dimensions” by Snorri Sturluson (a poetic part of the Prose Edda).
REV GESTSSON SKALD REV, or HOVGARDA-REV (XI century)- Icelandic skald, son of Steinunn the Skald Woman. Nothing is known about his life. But his poems are quoted several times in the Prose Edda. Fragments of poems have been preserved about a shield given to him by someone, about the skald Gitsura the Golden Eyelashes, about some Thorstein and about some trip across the sea.
WITH
SIGHWAT THORDARSON (ca. 995-1045)- Icelandic skald. From the age of eighteen he was a skald of the Norwegian king Olav the Saint, and after his death - Magnus the Good. His poetic legacy is very large: “Viking Vis” (a series of vises about the youthful campaigns of St. Olaf), “Vises about the Battle of Nesjar” (a vis series about this battle), “Vises about a trip to the East” (a vis cycle about Sighvat’s trip to Sweden ), "Vises about a trip to the West" (a series of vises about his trip to Normandy and England), "Flock about Erling Skjalgsson", "Drapa about Knut", "Frank vises" (a series of vises in which Sighvat tells King Magnus about the political situation in the country), "Funeral Drape of Saint Olaf" (Sighvat's last work), 32 separate vises and several fragments of other works.
STEINUNN SKALD WOMAN (turn of the 10th-11th centuries)- Icelandic female skald, mother of Skald Rev. Around 1000, as told in Njal's Saga, she opposed Thangbrand, a missionary who came to preach Christianity in Iceland. There are two famous vises of hers.
T
TIND HALLKELSSON- Icelandic skald. In 987, he wrote a poem praising Earl Hakon, which tells of the struggle of the Norwegians, led by Hakon, against the Vikings from Jomsborg.
TORARIN SLAVOSLOV (XI century)- Icelandic skald. His song of praise in honor of the Danish king Knut the Mighty - "Tögdrapa" - is well known. It was composed after Cnut conquered Norway in 1028. The drape got its name from its size - teglag. Apparently Thorarin was the first to use this size. 8 hangings of this drapery have survived.
THORBJORN SON OF BRUNI– a separate visa is known.
THORBJORN HORNKLOVI (IX century)- Norwegian skald of the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair. Two of his major works have not been completely preserved - “The Raven’s Speech”, or “The Song of Harald”, and “Glumdrapa”. Both are songs of praise in honor of Harald Fairhair, but the first is an Eddic song of praise, and the second is an ordinary skaldic drape. Hornklovi is the heyti (nickname) of the raven and at the same time the skald of Thorbjorn, which he received, presumably, because he was the author of the Raven's Speeches.
TORGILS FISHERMAN– individual hangs are known.
TORD KOLBEINSON (ca. 974-1024)- Icelandic skald. In the "Saga of Bjorn" a number of individual attacks by Thord are given, directed against the skald Bjorn the Bogatyr from the Hit River. Thord was also the author of two drapes about the Norwegian Jarl Eirik and a drapa about Gunnlaug the Serpent's Tongue. Fragments of these drapes have been preserved.
TORD SJAREKSSON (XI century)- Icelandic skald. Several fragments of his songs of praise have survived.
TORIR GLACIER (unknown)– 1238)- Icelandic skald. His verse is known, which he said before being executed after the Battle of Erlugsstadir (it took place on August 21, 1238).
TORLEIV RAUDFELDARSON (i.e., son of Red Skin) YARL SKALD (X century)- Icelandic skald. The author of the work "Yarlov Nid", which he composed against Earl Hakon the Mighty. Only a fragment has survived.
TORLEIK THE BEAUTIFUL (beginning of the 11th century)
TORMOD BERSASON SKALD OF BLACK EYEBROWS (unknown.– 1030)- one of the two heroes of the “Saga of Brothers”, one of the “ancestral sagas”. In Norway, Thormod became the skald of Olaf the Saint and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Stiklastadir. Then he uttered a visa, which has survived to this day.
TORMOD SON OF TREVILLE
TORHALL THE HUNTER- participant in one of the trips of Icelanders from Greenland to North America. He is described in the Saga of Eirik the Red. Some of his vises are known.
TJORVI THE MOCKER (mid-10th century)- Icelander, author of a separate visa. Tjörvi is described in the “Book of the Settlement of the Country”.
TJODOLV ARNORSSON (XI century)- Icelandic skald first of Magnus the Good, and then of Harald the Severe. Many vises from his songs of praise have survived (for example, "Drapes about Harald Severo", composed around 1065), as well as his individual vises.
THIODOLV OF KHVINIR (II half of the 9th century)- Norwegian skald. In a number of Old Icelandic sources, he is called the skald of the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair. Two of his large works have been preserved almost entirely - the shield drapery “Haustlöng” and “List of Ynglings”. It is known about Thjodolf himself that he acted as a protector of the sons of Harald (including Gudröd Shine) from the Finnish Snefrid, who bewitched him and whose spell was broken only after her death.
X
HALLY SHUTTLE (XI century)- Icelandic skald Harald the Severe. Hallie received his nickname, apparently, because his resourcefulness was compared to the speed with which a weaver's shuttle scurries. Halley's poems form components of the anecdotes that are told about him. Food plays a big role in his poems - the topic is apparently purely low and comic. His name was also Halli Kasha.
HALL TORARINSSON- Icelandic skald. Together with Earl Rognvald, he composed a work called “The Old Key of Dimensions.” It has 82 hangs and 42 sizes. Much of the verse in Snorri Sturluson's "List of Dimensions" is borrowed from the "Key of Dimensions."
HALLFRED OTTARSSON THE DIFFICULT SKALD- the hero of a saga based on his individual hangs. The main content of Hallfred's Saga is Hallfred's love story. The saga also tells that Hallfred was a skald of the Norwegian king Olav Tryggvason, from whom he received his nickname. Hallfred threatened to return to paganism if the king did not listen to the drape that Hallfred made up about him. Then the king agreed to listen to her, but called Hallfred a “difficult skald.” After the death of Olav Tryggvason, Hallfred folded a memorial drapery for him. Hallfred also composed songs of praise about Earl Hakon the Mighty and the Swedish king Olav Eriksson.
HRAFN SON OF ONUNDA– individual hangs are known.
E
EGIL, SON OF GRIM THE BALD (~ 910-990)- the most famous Norwegian skald. Much is said about him in the "Saga of Egil", one of the best Icelandic "ancestral sagas". Egil, as his image emerges from the saga, was not only an inspired poet, but also a warlike Viking, merciless towards his enemies and greedy for spoils. The saga describes his appearance as follows: “Egil had a large face, a wide forehead, thick eyebrows, a nose not long, but very thick, the lower part of his face was wide and long, his chin and cheekbones were wide. He had a thick neck and powerful shoulders. He "he stood out among other people with his stern appearance and was scary when angry. He was stately and very tall. His hair was the color of a wolf, but he began to go bald early." Three large works by Egil have been preserved - "The Ransom of the Head", "The Loss of Sons" and "The Song of Arinbjorn", as well as fragments of the "Drape of Adalstein" and two shield drapes and 46 separate hangings.
EYVIND FINNSSON THE DESTROYER OF SKALDS (X century)- the last Norwegian skald about whom there is information in the Icelandic tradition. He came from a noble Northern Norwegian family and was a relative of Harald Fairhair. Known mainly as the skald of the Norwegian king Hakon the Good, son of Harald Fairhair. But individual vises of Eyvind have also been preserved, in which his negative attitude towards Hakon’s successor, Harald Grayskin, son of Eirik Bloodaxe, was expressed. It is said that Eyvind once composed a drape about all the Icelanders (it has not survived), which was so popular in Iceland that each Icelander gave silver money and a buckle was made from this silver and sent to Eyvind, who ordered it to be cut into pieces and spent the silver on purchase of livestock (it was a hungry year then). Eyvind received his nickname, as is usually assumed, because he borrowed a lot from his predecessors. However, all skalds borrow from their predecessors, and Eyvind’s works are by no means less original than the works of other skalds (rather, on the contrary!). It is therefore quite possible that Eyvind was called the Slayer of Skalds in the sense that he eclipsed his predecessors. He is the author of the Eddic hymn "Hakon's Speech". Apparently, already in his old age, Eyvind composed the “List of Haleigs,” a genealogical paean in honor of the Hladir earl Hakon the Mighty, who ruled Norway. In addition, its individual hangs are known.
EINAR SKULASON (XII century)- Icelandic skald. He spent most of his life in Norway and composed a number of songs of praise about Norwegian rulers. Einar was a priest, and his most significant work (it is called “The Ray”) is a drapery about Saint Olaf and the miracles that happened after his death; this is one of the very few drapes that have been completely preserved (it has 71 vises). The versification and phraseology in this drape are traditionally skaldic, and only in its composition is the influence of church hymn poetry visible. Fragments of other songs of praise to Einar and a number of individual verses have survived.
EINAR HELGASON THE RINGING OF THE SCALES (unknown - ca. 995)- Icelandic skald of Jarl Hakon the Mighty. He came from a noble West Icelandic family. The Saga of Egil tells that in his youth Einar often talked with Egil at the Althing, learning from him the art of skald. According to this saga, Earl Hakon at first did not want to listen to the drape that Einar composed about him, and agreed only when he threatened that he would go over to another earl, Hakon's enemy. As a reward for the drapery, the earl gave Einar a shield with images of scenes from ancient legends, and Einar then gave this shield to Egil, and he had to compose a shield drapery. But the Jomsviking Saga tells that when Einar threatened to go over to another jarl, Earl Hakon gave him precious scales with gold and silver weights that could make a prophetic ringing. Hence Einar's nickname. 37 verses of Einar's drapes about Earl Hakon, called "Lack of Gold", have survived. The title seems to be an allusion to the fact that Einar was in distress when he composed this drape.
EINDRID EINARSON- Icelandic skald, son of the powerful tycoon Einar Bellyshaker. His visa-assurance given by Eindridi to the father of the woman with whom he spent the night on the same island is known.
The jarl's palace is huge; it is the only building in the entire city with two floors. The guard at the entrance glanced indifferently, the door creaked and Fred almost stepped on a man furiously scrubbing the floor.
“Be careful,” he shouted. - Watch where you're going, big guy!
- Who are you? Jarl? – asked the warrior, hovering over.
He measured the width of the newcomer’s shoulders and the sword sticking out above his shoulder, and fearfully raised his hand with a rag.
- No, I’m just washing the floors here...
- Well, go away! Fredis barked. The forged boot crashed into the servant’s skinny butt and he flew head over heels to the side, his slipper flying off his foot.
I looked after him sympathetically, it must have hurt the poor guy. How did he... Like a cat that had misbehaved.
“You know how to make friends,” I whispered into his armored back. And the raven walked towards a high chair with a back upholstered in greenery. The same unpleasant old man who shouted at the legionnaire sits imposingly on it. There is actually a different hoop on the head, with a blue stone. Next to the throne is a stern, short-haired warrior. He reprimands something to the jarl, but he waves his hand menacingly and points his finger at him.
The warrior looked at us and stepped closer to the throne. His wide shield is very close, his palm is on the blade of an ax.
-What do you want, warrior? - he asked. – Do you want to join our army?
- No, he’s not ready to join the army yet. Have you heard that the jarl has something to do for a free man?
The old man on the throne rubbed his chin and asked, with a hint of mockery in his voice:
- Look, what are you... I may have things to do, but I just don’t know you, so take it out and put it away.
- Yeah. Then, it's OK. Be there, Jarl,” Fred muttered and turned over his shoulder.
- Hey, you! “Where did you go,” the warrior standing near the throne shouted angrily. - Well, stop!
Where did you go? Well, stop!
“Stop it,” he said, the northerner’s formula for challenging a northerner to a fight.
Then I realized that now they would start killing each other. And just the way men usually do it. Word by word, with a stick on the table...
I slipped between them:
- Great Earl! Maybe we can still help some of your subjects with something? Then perhaps you would like to order us to do something?
The jarl was ready to spit out some evil order. It's not hard to guess which one, but his eyebrows straightened, he rubbed his lip, and just as Fred put his hand on the door handle, he said:
- Here, learn diplomacy from your girl. Yes, child, walk around the hall. Maybe someone has something to do with it.
I grabbed Fred's hand and whispered hotly:
- Fredis, please, let’s go around and ask around. Stay for me, otherwise I’m scared here!
- Let's get out of here, since it's scary.
“Then it’s even worse, I won’t be able to sleep.” He looked at your back like he was about to throw an ax. Why did you insult them?
“Nonsense,” the raven muttered coldly. - They are nothing to me. Well, let's walk around if you want.
The servant, who seemed to be the only one in the entire castle for the earl, slipped into an inconspicuous door at the entrance, a second later appeared with a pile of firewood, a brazier in the corner of the hall showered sparks, taking everything in, it immediately became light - a high fire scattered heavy shadows in the corners. The central hall, where the jarl's throne stands tall, chandeliers on chains hang from the roof. The bowls in which the candles burn are wide, apparently so as not to drip wax onto heads and long carpets. Near the walls there are figured stairs leading to the second floor and balconies with railings. On the right of such a balcony there are impressive barrels, and on the left you can see that the light is flickering brighter than in the entire hall.
In Skyrim, similar to counties. The jarls of Skyrim have great independence, although they swear allegiance to the High King. Each jarl has a personal Steward and Housecarl, and some have one or more thanes in their service. Mages of the Circle can be in their service, acting as merchants of magical utensils in the city.
At the start of the game, Skyrim is ruled by nine jarls, each of whom supports either the Stormcloaks or the Imperial Legion. Any jarl other than Elisif the Fair can be replaced by someone who supports the other side in the Civil War. This depends on what actions the player takes during the quest and which side he decides to join. Jarls change as a result of the capture of a city that the faction does not control or negotiations during the "Endless Time". Newly elected jarls will receive the title "Jarl" before their name and will move into the residence of the Jarl of the domain.
The overthrown Imperial government will take refuge in the Blue Palace in Solitude, while the deposed Stormcloak government will travel to Palace of the Kings which is located in Windhelm. Only the jarl, along with his steward and housecarl, will be evicted from the palace, and they will subsequently be unfriendly to the player.
Jarls of Skyrim
- Idgrod the Black- Earl of Morthala (Empire)
- Balgruuf the Elder - Earl of Whiterun (Imperial Legion)
- Elisif the Fair - Jarl of Solitude (Empire, later Stormcloaks)
- Siddgeir- jarl