Scandinavian-Britain

136 SCANPINAVIAN BRITAINNot only peace, but, according to William of Malmesbury,friendly relations with Scandinavia : " Harald,king of Norway, sent him a ship with a golden beakand a purple sail, furnished within with a compactedfence of gilded shields. The names of the personssent with it were Helgrim and Offrid ; who, beingreceived with princely magnificence in the city ofYork, were amply compensated by rich presents forthe labour of their journey." The story of Harald'strick, by which his youngest son Hakon was forcedupon a King y^thelstan as foster-child, is referred bysome to Guthorm-^Ethelstan, who died 890 or 891,"or to his son and successor, who may have bornethe same double name " (Green, Conquest ofEngland,p. 126), and died 918. Hakon, ^Ethelstan's fosterson,came to the throne in Norway in 934, " and inthose days was Hakon fifteen winters old " (Heimskringla,Hdkonarsaga^ i.).He was born, therefore,after the death of Guthorm II., and he lived until960-961. On the accession of ^Ethelstan of EnglandHakon must have been five or six, according toSnorri's dating so that the; chronological difficultyis less than that which attends the invention of thename of ^Ethelstan for Guthorm II. of East Anglia.On the accession of Eadmund (940) Northumbriarevolted, and invited Olaf of Ireland to be king. Atthis time Olaf Guthfrith's son, king of Dublin, seemsto have left his realm to his brother Blakari, andanswered the call to York. Under him the Danestried to regain Danish Mercia ;Tamworth was stormed,but King Eadmund besieged Olaf and Wulfstan,