HAUK and the boy Haakon duly landed in England, and on reaching London found the court of King Athelstan at feast. The Norsemen were made welcome, and Hauk took Haakon and set him on Athelstan’s knee. “Harald the King” Hauk announced to the wondering company “bids you foster his servant-girl’s child.”
Athelstan was beside himself with anger; in those days some said that only an inferior fosters another man’s child.* He caught up a sword. “By all means slay the boy” said Hauk carelessly; “but that will not make an end of all Harald’s sons.”* Hauk bowed himself out, and hastily took ship for Norway.
Unable to remain angry for long, Athelstan had Haakon baptised, and brought him up as his own. He made a warrior of him, and presented him with a mighty jewelled sword that men called Quernbiter, for it could slice through a millstone;* and after Harald died, Athelstan equipped Haakon with ships, and bade him claim his father’s throne.*
According to Sturluson, just before he died Harald handed control of his kingdom over to his son Eric Bloodaxe. It was a controversial move that led to instability in the kingdom, and sending Haakon to England was Harald’s way of keeping him safe from dynastic squabbles — as well as paying back Athelstan for his little joke.
A foolish prejudice, and one Athelstan evidently did not share, as the first King of all England fostered other children of minor royalty without apparently thinking it beneath his dignity. They included Alan II, Duke of Brittany, dispossessed by the Vikings, and Louis, son of his half-sister Eadgifu, whom he helped to claim the Kingdom of West Francia.
A ‘quern’ is a millstone. Metal-working at this time was an unpredictable business, and while some swords came out as little more than common iron others were almost steel, hard and sharp. It was in part from this that certain smiths came to be regarded as wizards, and certain swords as magical. For more information on the history of smith-work, see Oldfield Forge.
Haakon (aged about fifteen) drove out Eric Bloodaxe, his half-brother and Harald’s heir, by promising tax cuts to his nobles. Eric fled Norway and took refuge in the Orkneys and then at the Kingdom of Jorvik, with its capital at York, only to be murdered by a Northumbrian earl named Maccus near Stainmore in Westmorland in 954, together with Eric’s son Haeric.
Précis
At Athelstan’s court, Hauk placed young Hakon, Harald’s son, on the English king’s knee, and bade him act as foster-father. Popular prejudice sneered that Athelstan was now Harald’s inferior, and he was briefly angered; but he rose above it, and treated Haakon as his own child; indeed, when Harald died Athelstan helped Hakon win the crown of Norway. (58 / 60 words)
At Athelstan’s court, Hauk placed young Hakon, Harald’s son, on the English king’s knee, and bade him act as foster-father. Popular prejudice sneered that Athelstan was now Harald’s inferior, and he was briefly angered; but he rose above it, and treated Haakon as his own child; indeed, when Harald died Athelstan helped Hakon win the crown of Norway.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, besides, if, must, otherwise, ought, until.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Another. Company. Play.
2 Accept. Day. Set.
3 Find. Knee. Trick.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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