The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1906-06-02

brought Denmark, Norway and Sweden
under one rule, formed a great nnlot
of ali the northern countries. The III
tie son OF the present king and queen
the NorweEians have requested should
be called Olaf, a true Viking name.
Haakon VI and Maragretha had a lit
tie son Olaf, who died when but Eve
years old. referred 10 by a Certala
writer as ",he least and last OF the
kings of Norway"
King Haakon and Queen Mara
grethat How far away these names
seem from the twentieth century, this
modern machine age They suggest
old days AMI deeds, when Morse kings
were giants indeed and royal women
were other than mere iicureheads. Let
us travel back through the centuries
and try to catch some glimpse of that
mysterious romantic past
First let MS speak of Norway uc =
great mother country, not big enough
To keep all her sons ard daugh K = at
home, but sending them forth to help
people other lands, To Iceland. and
Normandy. and Greenland, to Scotland
and Ireland Let us pause to conter-
plate Harald Fairhair, he who united
his country under one head and made
a Kingdom OF 1t. which 1t has since
continued. In his youth IIarald
aspired to marry the beautiful Gyda, 4
proud princess, who declared shs
would not StOop to Il mere Jarl: II ha
would have her let him do as CORN OF
Denmark. Eric of Sweden, EgbeTt of
England, subdue the contentious Jarls
about him and become Il great king.
Then Harald Swore a mighty oath that
he would not cut his hair till he had
accomplished the subsection OF tha
other kings, until Gyda was his own.
Twelve years passed ere IlaraldS {
name was Shorn, Gyda came to hi5
home; - years II took to subdue tho
Jarl5 and conquer TIE Vikings OF the,
as Carlyle calls them, out-islauds
Then Iiarald spent about 60 gears IN
organizing a government for his con-
quests Harald Fairhar had a retgu
long as his renowned name. After him
came his SON Eric blood Axe. wh2 VAS
unpopular in Norway and was sue
cceded by the first Haakon lIaahon
the Good
iaakon the Good had cen brought
mp at an English court, aud when h.
began bis rule over Norway tried to
teach the people something of Chris
tianity, ana practiced as we'll as
preached, did not. like his father. forre
the boys to go TO sen. did not 'HEe
from them IN greed King Haakon
spoke to the people assembled at 1.
Thing ca 4ort Of parliamenD OF tho
Great White Christ, and at the next
meeting at Yule refused 10 drink TO tho
god Thor This mpdc a great hubhuh
bur the people had faith in FIaakon the
Good and began . believe a little Ia
lhr Christ, though they forced some oS
their hcathen Obseryances on the king.
Tho laws Of EIaakOn made at Thin.
.t Gula were good laws, and ever loved
dearly by the Morse folk When Ia9-
kon dind he was Iananted by 10th
friends and enemies; they said lhtt
never again would Norway see such
kim. II IS tGid that the year HauG0n
was CHOSEN klhE tnC D4Fus bailL iE'F
nests twice, and the trees had wo
crops of apples,
There follow after Ilaalon the GOOD
flarald Fray Fell; llaakon Jarl Olaf
Tryggveson; Jarls Eric and Syeia
lquasi soyeroignsD, Olaf the ThiekseJ.
true viking, In later years become
Olaf the Saint, Magnus the Good; oar
the Tranquil. Magnus Barefoot; Sigurd
the Crusader; Magnus The Bliud; Har-
aid Gylle, and now the "Fairhair3
rage among themselves and become OK
tinct We have the rise of STerri. who
led the wretched Birchlegs in many
victories and became King OF Norway;
founded new dynasty which was %
Test as lons as Norway kept her in-
dependence
is il not Of interest that the rev kin.
81 newly Independent Norway ss
Danish prince and OF ciose kin y fhs
rayaI family OF Sweden May the
Danish swedish Norwegian king bhi
ia peace and frataraal toelipg ia p9o-
| rle at Scanlnayia.