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Now, among the hostile first leaders were two uncles of the Ericsons, brothers of Gunhild, great champions both; Skreya, the elder of them, on the disappearance of the glittering helmet, shouted boastfully, 'Does the king of the Norsemen hide himself, then, or has he fled? Where now is the golden helmet? And so saying, Skreya, and his brother Alf with him, pushed on like fools or madmen.
Gunhild meanwhile slipped out of the hall, and found King Hakon hasting to his house. "Ye heard what the King threatened?" she said, plucking him by the sleeve. "I did, and will but why dost thou speak to me on this subject?" asked Hakon warily. "Because I know your daughter Ada is among the doomed and ye would not see her perish. My heart is in the house of Haldor the Fierce.
This was a humiliation that cut the proud monarch deeply and it was with an angry soul he left, saying to his attendants that when he came back it would be with an army to punish those who had thus insulted his faith. Back he did not come, for new troubles were gathering around him. To learn the source of these troubles we must return to the story of Erik Blood-Axe and Gunhild, his wicked wife.
He had married a woman whom men called a witch cruel, treacherous, loving money and power, and with such influence over him that she killed all the good in his soul and spurred him on to evil deeds. Strange stories are told of the wicked Queen Gunhild. It was said that she had been sent to Finland to learn the arts of sorcery, in which the Finns of those days were well versed.
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