KING BRING´S CONQUEST
by Finn Bringsjord
King Bring ride over
the "Kings Bridge" on the way to Bringsjord-Nes.
Painting by Finn
Bringsjord
Although the story
of King Bring goes back to the Merovingian time (550-800 AD.), it is still
alive in Bringsjord. Maybe it's because he left behind two large and dominant
memorials; King Brings tumulus and King Brings Bridge. In this article I will
attempt to demonstrate that he left behind much more than that; King Brings Nes
- a 245 acre agriculture headlands that we today call Bringsjord-Nes.
County
Conservationist Frans-Arne Stylegar writes in The Book of Lyngdal - 2001:
"In the middle of the field south of Highway E39 on Bringsjord Lyngdal is
a mighty mound called King Brings mound. It is the large pile that it's taken a
"chunk" of the north, and it is one of the finest and most monumental
burial mounds in the entire South Coast of Norway".
John Storaker and
Ole Fuglestvedt collected folk traditions of Vest-Agder in the 1800s. In the
book "Folktales gathered in Lister and Mandal County", has the
following to tell of royal Bring: "On the farm Bringsjord there once lived
a king whose name Bring. On another farm; Opsal, also lived a King. These two
kings were always in conflict with each other. Fortresses were built, one at
Aa-Farm and another at "Fantekleiva" on Bringsjord. Tags for these
fortresses seen yet. "
From the context, it
may seem as if the battle between the two "kings" really was a
struggle for power in Lyngdal. Bring ruled on the west side of the river Lygna
and built a fortress on Fantekleiva. The fortress shall tradition have lain on
the hillside in the northeastern corner of Kattenes. See satellite photo 2.
"Opsal
King" ruled on the east side of the river and built a fortress on the Aa-farm.
We must therefore assume that the chief here called "Opsal King" was
far more than a "mountain king" from the upper end of Opte-river.
Probably his power bastion was the big, old Aa-farm with their mighty burial
mounds from Merovingian- and Viking time.
Storaker and
Fuglestvedt continue thus: "Finally there came to a battel under the
fortress of Fantekleiva, and there fell the king of Opsal. Of famous men in King
Brings army mentioned Vidrik Verlandsson. He had horse grazing on
«Vidringsholmen" located on the south side of Lyngdal river middle against
Aa-farm".
The fabled giant
Vidrik Verlandsson, is in the folk tradition one of the heroes of the historic
Goths king Theodoric the Great (454-526). According to Edda was Vidrik son of
the blacksmith Volund and princess Bodvild.
King Brings burial
mound on Bringsjord. Highway E 39 in the foreground. Photo: Finn Bringsjord
In the work
"Norges Land and people; Description of Lister and Mandal County" (1903),
written by the versatile geologist and cultural geographer, Amund Helland,
concludes the following about Bringsjord: "On the farms ground are many
significant burial mounds." He emphasizes this later by adding that in
Lyngdal parish is the "giant mounds" by Aa-farm and the Bringsjord.
And Helland
continues: "Bringsjord is a substantial farm ... that in several areas
makes it special. It should by tradition in the past have been the residence of
a king Bring and are yet the largest agricultural area in Lister bailiff. A
large part of the farm's fields located on the so-called Bringsjordnes, formed
by Lygna- and Møska rivers, are by a dam wall or a bridge of stones, gravel and
soil, called "King Brings bridge ', combined with the farm. To the farm belongs
salmon fishing in Lygna and Møska. "
Bringsjord and Bank. "Gammelt elveleie": Old riverbed. Satellite image 1
Helland's
description of the great flood devastation in September 1864, is in many ways a
straightforward description of the topography around "King Brings
Bridge"; the big dam of stones and gravel which today is called the
"Bank":
"Bringsjordnes
is on three sides surrounded by the river Lygna and fourth, northwestern side
of river Møska coming from Kvinesheia. Only the northern end of the headland is
connected with the main farm by a 250 to 300 feet wide ground “bank”. There has
been an old - now dry - riverbed as about 120 yards beneath, united with Møska,
which for immemorial time is closed up by the so-called "King Brings
bridge". Over this led roadway that connected Bringsjord with Bringsjord-Nes".
And Helland
continues: "By the floods in 1864 went the water level to 2 feet over this
“bridge” and destroyed it almost completely. Only part of both bridgeheads
stood back. Thereby a large part of Lygnas floodwater run through the old
riverbed down to Møska and garnished great harm. The old riverbed was
transformed into Lygnas main run".
Sigurd Eikeland
wrote in the book "Lyngdal- from Ice Age to the Present" on page 127:
"At its narrowest and lowest point between Lygna and Møska - the bank -
have Lygna later least twice broken through and united with Møska - with
tremendous power and major damage to both Bringsjord and Møskeland »...
"A large part
of the bank, 16 fathoms (33 yards), was washed away in 1699. It was in former
times laid up laboriously by farm people. Where bank had stood there was now 2½
fathom (5 yards) of water and strong currents. Unless the Bank was rebuilt
immediately, would also the remainder disappear” and he adds:" They probably
started reconstruction immediately. "
Eikeland mentions
that he has information from "farm history" but also writes that the
information contained in the "Lists sponsor exercise books Tingbok no. 24,
pp. 439, 26. sept. 1699. It is only partly right when the news that 16 fathoms
of bank was washed away, and the water depth at which the Bank was now was 2½
Fathom is from 3 May 1700 and are Tingbok 25.
Eikeland refers to
"farm history", and I suppose he thought of: "Lyngdal II, Central
part, Farm and people" of Oddleif Lian.
It says on page 388: "The
bank was washed away by a flood about 1680, or something before, and was not
rebuilt until a few years out in the 1700s." One can put the coffee in the
throat of reading such. Have Bringsjord-farmers for 20 years only had access to
245 acre agriculture headlands on Bringsjordnes with rowing boats? That this
assertion hobbled will appear in the sequel: "In September 1699 did the
inhabitants of Bringsjord get Thing witness the damage the floods had caused the
same year. Again had Lygna grown so large that it had broken into the Møska
and separated part of Bringsjord-nes. "
It is here evident
that Lian lacking local knowledge; for ... as long Lygna not switch over to
Møska, is necessarily bank on place. Where Lian has obtained the information
that "the bank was washed away by a flood about 1680, or something before",
is still unclear for me.
County
Conservationist Stylegar renders Eikeland presentation with broad pen in The
Book of Lyngdal – 2001 and adds: "The bank is probably what other sources
called King Brings Bridge. It must have been quite a bit of a building, and we
know that it was perceived as old all in 1699. No wonder that such relics
attracted legends about kings and heroes! "
Lyngdals topography in Merovingian time
Let the mind go back
to the Merovingian time (550-800 AD), and take a look at Lyngdals topography in
the time before the "King Brings Bridge" was built; when Lygna freely
flowed through "Old riverbed" down to Møska. I can then see for me
two past images:
One is that Lygna
splits in two. The rivers main run must then, as in 1864, having gone through
"Old riverbed" into Møska. But a smaller run may have accompanied the
current riverbed southeast toward Oftebro where it united with Opteåna.
Together they then followed the current riverbed past Bergsaker and Grøndokka
to Faret.
Then todays
Bringsjordnes must have been an island, surrounded by large and small rivers on
all sides. Since Lygnas main run has gone shortcut through "Old
riverbed" into Møska, the island has been at least available from
Møskeland and secondly from Bringsjord. Most readily available should the
island have been from Aa-farm.
The second picture
is that the entire flow in Lygna took the shortcut through "Old
riverbed". Then today's Priests Farm (Aa-farm) and Bringsjordnes remained
as a coherent headlands from rectory property to hang bridge at Grøndokka; one
topography we might call "The Great Aa-farm headland"; a peninsula on
three sides surrounded by Lygna / Møska and Opteåna.
I think most of the
last image. But also by alternative one there is very little to suggest that
"Nes-island" belonged to the Bringsjord farm. The access was much
easier from the mighty Aa-farm. It could also - if necessary - to force the
entire water flow in Lygna down through “Old riverbed” by throwing up a small
gravel embankment.
We begin to suspect
that King Bring hardly was made immortal simply because he won a battle against
Opsal King on Fantekleiva, or because he build a "bridge" (infrastructure)
over to his own "Headland Isle". No, when he recalls up through the
generations, it is because he stood for Bringsjords largest and most important conquest
of new farmland - a 245 acre agriculture farmlands.
The municipality
stated that Bringsjord-Nes, drawn with red outline, is approximately 990
hectares = 245 acre. "Old riverbed", from the bank into Møska, is
drawn green. "New riverbed", from the Bank to Opteåna, is drawn
yellow. Orange arrow is pointing at the southern tip of Bringsjord. (Municipal
map).
King Bring
Who was this King
Bring? According to county conservator Stylegar he will be buried 'one of the
finest and most monumental burial mounds in the entire South Coast”. It lay
along with 16 other grave mounds at a place called Hauan just south of the E 39
in the east end of Bringsjord. The burial mound is probably from the
Merovingian time.
There should be found a double-edged sword and a single-edged
"rider sword" in the grave. Two swords in a burial mound are very
unusual. The single-edged "battle sword" shows that the buried had
high military rank; commander on “horseback”. (Cfr. The findings of Illerup,
Denmark).
In addition, it
should be found ships rivets in the grave. One view is that the findings of par
of sword and ship rivets in a tomb from this period can be interpreted as a
sign that the buried was the highest officer (commander) of a group of "20
thwarts” rowing ships.
This clinker-built boat type was in Merovingian rowed by
40 highly trained marines; two on each thwart. On Vollen, a place located on
the ridge toward the Møska from Foleskei up to Kvernhus-falls, it is proven 8
mounds. Most are amateurish excavated and destroyed, and several could have
held some rusty ship rivets without this has been emphasized.
Probably
Kvernhus-pool is the place where King Brings' "20 thwarts” was laid, and
it also implies that the marines were placed in boat-shaped longhouses on the
ridge toward Møska and that these 8 mounds probably have been the graves of
high ranking military commandants.
The "20 thwarts”
was in Merovingian a rowing ship. Only at the end of the 700s were mast and
square sail adopted. Till then joined the Norwegians the ancient route along
the coast to Gothenburg from there to cross the Kattegat through Læsø to
Limfjorden in Jutland. Having rowed Limfjorden, they came out in the North Sea
just north of the Wadden Sea, and coastal and river cities of Europe lay open
before them.
The Nordic boats drifted in summer primarily trade between the
so-called "vic-towns" around the North Sea. (Qentovic share in
France, Vijk bij Duurestede (Dorestad) in the Netherlands, Lundenwic (London)
and Eoforwic (Jorvik / York) in England et al.).
Main exports from
South Western Norway (Agder and Jæren), must at this time have been wool and
woolen products. It was only on this coastal strip called "uteganger sau"
(outdoor sheep) could manage to spend the winter on the coast and then pulled
up to highland in early summer on its own feet. This gave opportunities for
large-scale sheep farming, and thereby competitive advantage on wool markets in
Europe.
We must assume that King Bring have gone in alliance with the boss at
Huseby on Lista on winter pastures, and with the chief in Eiken about summer
pastures. So have the common herd grazing on Brings heathlands when they pulled
up and down; spring and fall. How are we allowed to believe that cooperation in
Lister County are of proper old date.
A common feature of
most vic towns is that they lay near the salt mines, and then there is also
close to ask; what would the guys from Southwestern part of Norway with larger
amounts of salt? For that flock of sheep should not grow beyond winter pastures
capacity and tolerance limit, had virtually all male lambs and unproductive
older ewes, slaughtered in late autumn, and to preserve this' heap of meat through
the winter and spring months, so soldiers in longhouses lived well-fed through
dark time, was curing and salting of mutton a necessity.
Naturally we have
not so many physical traces of this gigantic wool production in Merovingian. “Utegangersau”
leaves few permanent marks behind. But surveys of pollen from this period show
that deciduous forest disappeared and heathlands emerged from coast to mountain
from Agder to Boknafjorden. It's just huge herds of grazers which for centuries
to preserve the heathlands intact. When grazing stops, comes back woods.
Natural conditions
must have left its precise boundaries, not only between the large sheep drives but
also between power areas. Feeding grounds Lista / Bringsjord / Eiken, have
probably been limited to the east of Lyngdalsfjord / Lygna, and west of
Fedafjord / Kvina. Hegemony has certainly changed between Bringsjord and Lista,
through the centuries, but I like to think that on Bring's time he was boss of
bosses.
It is found four
other graves by ship rivets Lyngdal; three Aa farm and one in Inner Skomrak. It
suggests that “Uppsala King” at Aa-farm had similar alliance with Hundingsland
/ Spangereid and perhaps with the chef on Snartemo. Their grazing must eastward
gone as far as the river Audna. In such an image will Opsal have a strategic
position where sheeps drift have to split in front of Lenesfjorden; where one
part go to Spangereid and another part to Hundingsland.
The north Sea, fjords and
rivers make bounds between sheep’s grazing areas, and between power
structures in the Southwestern part of Norway.
Oddleif Lian does in
«Farm History" accounted for a total of 27 burial mounds at Bringsjord. In
relation to the 10 mounts which are registered in Aa-farm, this tells something
about Bringsjords greatness over the centuries. On site Hauan in eastern end of
Bringsjord-plain, on the brink between Lygna and E 39, is 13 burial mounds and
the remains of 3 mounds removed. If 16 generations of the farm's owners are
buried here, it is a historic "rule of thumb" to indicate that the
burial may have stretched over a period of around 500 years.
The most barrows lay
on my great-grandfather, Abraham Ole-Jacobisen´s (1826-1890) ground. Son
Emanuel Abrahamsen, who bought half the family farm and moved to Norbakken,
opened one of the mounds in the middle of the 1880s. (See Book of Lyngdal -1993
page 40).
He wrote about the
discovery to "University Museum of National Antiquities" in December
1885: "I discovered on my property a strange bunch." He began to dig
in the mound and "after much work", he came to a square, walled grave
where he found an one-egged sword, a Celt of iron (an ax which is hollow in the
head and therefore the hilt at an angle bent shaft), whetstone, whorls and
needle.
And he continues:
"The tomb waiting in the east - west. Weapon likewise. Weapon grips to the
east. "
The information that
the dead were buried with their heads facing east, indicate - in my view - that
Emanuel had opened a Christian burial of late Merovingian or early Viking.
(County Conservator Stylegar proved in 2001 a woman's grave under the church in
Liknes. The coffin was carbon dated to the early 600s. From the coffin location
in east-west direction, he meant to determine that it was a Christian woman's
grave).
Towards the end of
the letter comes Emanuel with a mind of his time: "I have a little thought
- if it could not be the weapon after King Bring - for here should not before
have been found weapons." When one of the "pillars of society",
my father's uncle and married with my mother’s "Aunt Malla", could
write such a thing to the University Museum of National Antiquities in 1885,
reveals a deeply rooted belief that King Bring once lived on Bringsjord.
It was hardly the
kings grave, when discovery is likely to be done in a less central pile on the
fields to Norbakken, maybe a few hundred yards east of the dominant mount
called King Brings Mount. But that there were a Christian chief on Bringsjord,
2-300 years before the battle of Stiklestad, is suitable for contemplation.
The name Bring
Whether it is king
Bring that has given farm name Brings-Jord (farm-earth), or whether it is the
farms name that has given its name to Royal Bring to discussion. In the work
"Norwegian Farm Names" (NG) by Oluf Rygh, published in the years 1897
to 1924, is for Lister and Mandal County processed by Albert Kjær (1912). Kjær
lean rather to the last. He guesses that the name may come from the word
"brim": and then not in the usual sense of the word; the sound of
'Sea surf on Shore, "but in the odd importance; "Smell of the ocean
beach, tight smell of the sea." I do not have any faith that this
guesswork is correct. There must be two to three thousand years ago one could
sence the smell of the sea on Bringsjord. Kjær do not distinguish between
Bringsjord and Bringsjordnes in its topographical explanation of the word
"brim", which reveals fundamentally a lack of local knowledge.
Norwegian Farm Names
(NG) in reality have a far more likely explanation for the name of the farm
"Bringsjord" lying hidden in their database. When I summarizes the
number of farm names in NG where the first term begins with Bring-, I'm going
23. Let us look at how the other name investigators in NG have interpreted
these names.
A total of 17 farm
names (74%), explained that Bring- reflect the word "chest"; breast.
The name is used when "transmitted on a wide, curving protruding
mountain." When three out of four Bring- farms etymologically reflect chest
/ breast requires strong arguments from scientists who believe that a place
name origin deviates from this norm. Such arguments have not Kjær who guesses and
presume. I think it will be difficult to find a more accurate description of
Bringsjord mountain heath than the above description - where it between Homman
and Kattva arches and propagates behind the protruding Vågefjell (=Bay's
mountain. See satellite photos).
It is noteworthy that Albert Kjær in NG, and
Oddleif Lian in the "farm book," not discussing this obvious solution
to name riddle.
We note however with
interest that two Bring- farms researchers meant that the names reflect man's
nickname "Bringr." This viewpoint leads us straight on to the most
beloved explanation for the name Bringsjord.
Clear traces
indicate that the Merovingian was "Bring" not used as personal names,
but that epithet or function designation. The word "bring / bringe"
can been used as the designation of a commander or king among the Germans.
According to Falk & Torp: "Etymologically Ordbog" is "bringe"
Norse for bull moose and etymologically related to brind / bredis who is
Swedish / Baltic for stag; a Crown Deer. A "bringr" could in other
words, denote one who was crowned.
Among old English
crown jewels, found in the famous burial ground of Sutton Hoo, with 18 burial
mounds from 500-600's, it is a costly scepter adorned with a stag. The famous
helmet findings of Sutton Hoo and Vendel at Uppsala show that there have been
close relations between the two locations.
Scepter from Sutton
Hoo. Crown Deer was an old Germanic royal symbol.
King Brings Bridge
Let the mind go back
through the centuries, and rave a littel bit about the time when King Bring ruled west
of Lygna. One summer the king and folk hero Vidrike Verlandsson took a ride down to
Bringsjord's southernmost border, who then went by the northern shore of the
"Old riverbed." (See satellite image 1).
Here on the river brink, on
the place where it was kept race for young horses, and that was called
"Foleskei", the King held his white stallion back and sat looking
over to Aa- headland; the vast plains that Aa-farm used as pasture for livestock.
The choleric "crown moose" was dark at heart over what he saw. Although
he had to leave his own livestock on meager heather and grass pastures inward
Bringsjord heath, and he envied "Aa-king" that juicy pasture land
with all his heart.
World Habitual
Vidrik, followed the gaze of the young king, and read his face like writing in sand. "The king can take Neset from Uppsala King if he
will," said Vidrik, and let his eyes follow the traces of former ages
meandering rivers in a landscape on the big Aa-headland.
"I have seen how several
such landnám was settled in Tuscany and Provence." Now Brings interest was
awakened, he raised eyebrow and Vidrik continued: "What if the king built
a earth wall that blocks the riverbed here right before us? It will force the
river to unearth a new riverbed across the Aa-headland, roughly in that
direction! "- He raised his arm in the direction of Oftebro. "Such a earth
wall would open the way for you to Neset, and forever shut Aa-yard out."
Kong Bring was a
while sitting speechless. Why had he not thought of this himself? And why had
not these thoughts come to the old chiefs who now lay in mounds of fathers?
Eventually he said: "Good friend! Your wisdom surpasses both my - and my father’s
wisdom. I was sorry for the wretched horse pastures I had to offer you and your
party when you came to feast on my father's farm. But as you have seen, almost
all Bringsjord is a large barley field. "Well honey-mead be brewed and
enjoyed among kinsmen," said my old father. But I can promise you, my
friend, when we have completed this settlement; Then shalt thou and thy seed forever
be entitled to own horse pasture on my Nes.
The young king stood
before two major challenges before the Nes was his; river Lygna and the king of
Uppsala/Aa-farm. Let's look at the biggest challenge at first; river Lygna. Or
rather, let's delve into and look at soil conditions around Lygnas riverbed.
Disregarding some
pavement in the riverside as Water Resources Authority had conducted
approximately 20 years ago; there is no stone of any size Lyngdal Plain. The
Flatland was formed in ancient sea floor and consists of a 10 to 25 yards thick
layer of gravel and sand. Here and there it may be many tens of yards deeper,
something only seismic measurements can reveal.
But the upper
reaches of gravel layers in Lyngdal sea pool has been formed after the last ice
age. The reason I say that is that there are no visible “move rocks" on
the plain. The huge stone blocks were transported forward by the glaciers, and
dumped when melting withdrew. The blocks are numerous, in the surrounding hills,
and even on islands out at sea at Korshamn. But the small and large rocks that
once were dumped in Lyngdal Basin, we see nothing to - even where the river has
dug 12 yards into the gravel layers. The blocks are there, but hidden under
layers of sand and gravel. First, the day we uncover a boulder, which not rests
on a protruding ridge, but on gravel, we can calculate the thickness of the
layers that were formed after the last ice age.
Whence came it so,
this amount of sand and gravel that postglacial filled up Lyngdal pool? Like mentioned;
fulfillment of inlet basin must been made to the glacier for the last time
withdrew. Then large bulk amount of sand and gravel that lay frozen in the glacier
- and material from previous moraines in the valleys – have been washed out
from nook and cranny and led with cascading glacial rivers into the fjord basin
between Vågefjell on Bringsjord and "islands" in Hamran.
When so the
oppressive weight of the glacier disappeared, the land has risen. Soon stuck
gravel surface up above sea level and formed the dry land. This rise has
continued to the present time. (Bringsjord- and Roms Letta is eg. 13 to 14
yards above current sea level). Simultaneously with the dry land appeared,
began rivers Lygna, Møska and Opteåna excavate shallow riverbeds in the flat
polder gravel landscape.
Rivers on sandy
soils behave in a certain pattern. In technical terms, it is said that they
form "meander rivers." A meander river digs first into the sand until
it meets groundwater, and on Lyngdal Plain this falls mostly with sea level.
Then there's nothing more to achieve by digging downward, and the river begins
instead to dig out swings in the riverbed. "The reason why rivers often change
rent in a flat landscape," writes Arne Heiseldal in Book of Lyngdal 1990,
"is that it digs (erodes) the outside of corner, adding up material in the
inner bend." And he highlighted the river bend just above the Bank as an
example of this phenomenon. See satellite 1.
To have rivers dug
and wriggled over most of Lyngdal flatland and transported sand out to Rosfjord
and Kvavik and filled up the innermost fjord arms there. Since the landscape
for millennia has risen - and correspondingly, sea level / ground water
subsided - the landscape left behind on different plateaus. Where rivers have
dug, we find the highest plateaus in places where they dug for 8-9 thousand
years ago. In ancient Lyngdal Flatland are only the Plateaus on Rom and
Bringsjord still virgin untouched by rivers excavations.
But how long does it
last? Lygna graves still ridge toward Bringsjord from Navershølen to Bankhølen
and are not the digging stopped, the river in the few thousand years have dug
until Vågefjell. (Høl: a fish pool).
Here we see the Bank
from north, from Bringsjord. Here goes one overgrown rode down to Bankhølen so
that horses can get enough to drink. Photo: Find Bringsjord.
The bank, as we look
to the right in the picture, forcing the river to swing down towards Oftebro be
glimpsed in the background. Photo: Find Bringsjord.
One thing is
certain, and so has the breakdown of the Bank in 1699 and 1864 demonstrated,
it's no use trying to build an embankment of gravel and sand while the river
flows over the filling. Then the waters continuously move the gravel downward
toward Møska. Heavier "patron" required - and such does not exist in
Lyngdal flatland. The nearest access to quantities of stone large enough to not
be moved by a lazy summer river, existed in Homman, on the east side of
Skolandsvannet. (See satellite image 2).
Let us return to
Bring and Vidrik and major visions they shared a summer night on Foleskei. King
and legend slipped down the high brink of the river and began to aim and
measure at the lowest point Aa-headland. After a while they were able to
conclude such; a dam wall that towered 10 feet from the riverbed, will be high
enough that bent river water begin to ran toward Oftebro. Lygnas digging in the
new river bed - through peat and gravel - will slowly but surely lowering the
water level in front of the dam wall, and Brings people can then leisurely fill
up a mound of gravel and sand so wide and tall and big and strong that it will
stand against what might come of what in 1699 termed "excess Wather."
The danger was
obvious that Uppsala King would come from Aa-farm with his men and raze dam
while work was in progress. It was therefore important for the feisty
"crown moose" to cool down. "Sooner or later, Aa-king understands
what is going on," said Vidrike, "no later than when the river flows
straight across Aa-headland against Oftebro. But it's important that he gets as
little time as possible to collect army." Bring famously agreed to this
and they decided that for the time being they would keep the project secret.
The autumn spoke
King Bring to his soldiers, young rowers with bulging arm muscles and said that
he would erect a fort on Foleskei and that they this winter would drive up the
stone and some lumber to this edifice. And so it was. Half a dozen ox sleds
went shuttled on ice from scree in Homman to brink against Nes with large guard
stones. And other crews drove a horse-drawn sleigh large pine logs to the brink
of Foleskei.
Out in early summer
next year, when most of Aa-king marines had staffed his "20-thwarts” and
set course towards cities like Qentovic and Lundenwic, gathered Bring his men
and informed them that the trade trip to the North Sea towns this summer was
canceled for one of his "20 thwarts”: " the reason is that we should
build a dam wall across river Lygna to the Aa headland at Foleskei. It is
something we must do in the summer when there is little water in the river.
" He noted that the elderly, veterans, nodded understandingly, before he
continued: "There is one more thing I must entrust you; the stones you
drove up in winter, should not be used for the construction of a fort, as it
has been said, but the construction of the dam wall – to build a
"bridge" over to headland. "
We do not know how
Vidrik and Bring built the first earth-bridge (=Bank) across the headland. For
the Bank has at least twice since been torn down by the great flood, and
rebuilt. What we can be sure of is that the first Bank was built unilaterally
out of a bridgehead on Bringsjord side, as it was only from that side entrepreneurs
had access to manpower and materiel.
A section through
the current Bank shows that it is distinctly trapezoidal. In relation to the
growling road at the top, the dam two to three times as wide in the base. (See
photo). This is to some extent Water Resources Authoritys stone laying at Bank
slope ca. 20 years ago. Today's damwall, from 1865, is also markedly curved
towards the river and water. Both are fully in line with modern constructing.
From my boyhood I remember that there was stone in the base of the Bank. There
were stones brought in from rockery. The stone was not soldered up in a wall or
in a stone fence, but carried more signs of being dumped; as in a rock-fill.
Then they filled in with coarse gravel, which despite the current, have settled
between the big rocks. To have a 10 feet high and 300 feet wide layers of
stone, gravel, peat and sand grown as a "breakwater" beyond the river
from the bridgehead on Bringsjord page. Of filler at least 95% must be taken
straight from Foleskei.
Summer days with
little water flow in the river, this has gone well, until there remained a few
three-yard open rivers between the pier and Aa-headland. Water flows through
the narrow opening must have been so vehement that the river began to dig into
the river brink of Nes. Then it began to rush for King Bring. A new bridgehead at
Aa-headland had to be ensured - and the Bank has to be completed - before new
rains flooded down. Pine logs were run up on the breakwater to be raised at the
end and flipped over to the river brink of headland. Then the alarm went off.
Battle of Fantekleiva
A guard who was
stationed in Hauan, came galloping and told the king that an army is gathered
in the yard to the State farm. The young king ascended on his
prancing white stallion and waved battle sword high above his head, and
soldiers dropped everything they had in their hands and gathered around him.
So spoke Bring:
"Uppsala King has collected army at Aa farm, ready for battle. The match
will now stand on the right to pasture on Aa-headland. If we win today, we will
in the coming days to close this riverbed and force Lygna to take another run
across the Aa-headland to Oftebro. Then the river will cut the headland in two
parts, and the biggest part is our "! He theatrical swung his battle sword
of a rushing cut in direction Oftebro. Then he calmed himself and stallion down
a few notches and continued: "Before the new moon is to be seen, outer
part shall no longer be called Aa-headland, but Bringsjord-Nes. And so I
promise: Next summer, every man letting his horses run free outside on
Bringsjord-Nes while we together rudder to London and York. "
As soon as the
excitement had subsided, gave King Bring order for the men to go to the
longhouse and gearing up for war. Then they were to meet in front of the King's
palace.
There were two fords
Uppsala King could avail of to Bringsjord; "Kjørva" and
"Kattva". Kjørva lay at the bottom of Døldegrova at mid Bringsjord.
The name is probably a contraction of the word "kjørevad"; a vade
whose normal water level can be crossed by horse and carriage. Døldegrov-road,
which goes down to Kjørva discussed in replacement in 1850, but the road is
probably many centuries older.
Homman marked with
white arrows. Kattva and Fantekleiva are marked with red arrow. Døldegrova and
Kjørva are marked with yellow arrow. (Satellite image 2)
Kattva lay deep in
northeastern end of Lyngdal flatland, where Lygna meetings plains. On the east
side of the river; is the Aa-farm located Skrumoen, and on Bringsjord riverside
is Kattenes, and from there comes the name Kattva. (See Satellite image 2. The
name Kattenes may be related to "Caithness" Viking Norse name for the
northeastern part of Scotland, but it is uncertain).
As mentioned before wrote
Storaker and Fuglestvedt in their account of King Bring: "Fortresses were
built, one at Aa-farm and Fantekleiva on Bringsjord. Tags for these fortresses
seen yet." And they continued thus: "Finally it came to a battle on
Fantekleiva, and there fell king of Opsal."
Since
"Fantekleiva" is located in the hillside just above Kattva, it is obvius that it was there Uppsala King with his army crossed Lygna. They must have
received a warm welcome from King Brings highly trained soldiers up in the fortress;
heavy javelin with barbs tickled through shields of the attackers and did
shields impossible to handle.
Accordingly, they stood almost without protection
against arrow rain that followed. And worse was to go.
Storaker and
Fuglestvedt writes that «traces after these fortresses seen yet." I think
it is somewhat exaggerated. At least it's not weird marks a castle in
Fantekleiva. But down at the roadway in the bottom of the Slope is a large
pebble in trench edge. It was this stone so-called "Fantekleiv grind"
was attached. (The gate was called so in the shift of 1862). Along the road are
also larger and smaller stones laid up in a fence, which may indicate that the
fortress has been a window dressing, a "mock castle" which was turned
into a deadly rockslide when the enemy attacks on a broad front.
How Uppsala King was
killed does not the legend say anything about. But on Bringsjord it was told that
Vidrike Verlandsson killed him with his mighty battel sword a masterpiece forged
by Volund blacksmith, Vidriks father. He should have cleft Uppsala King in
half, as he contemptuously exclaimed, "the weakling own no bones at
all." (See Book of Lyngdal - 2012 page 33).
But this has been rejected by one
Opsahl man with access to Grimberg's historic works in 21 volumes. He points
out that it was Vidriks lord and master; Theodoric the Great, who made this
remark when he Ravenna cleaved Italian royal Odovacar in two with his battel
sword. Yes, yes? We'll say the same as Peer Gynt said mother Åse: "Such
things could happen more than once."
The large
the settlement
Of which everything
was; the young King Bring stood again triumphing in valence, and well before
the new moon was the Kings Bridge to Bringsjord-Nes finished. When they had
first built a makeshift footbridge of solid pine logs from the pier over to
Bringsjord-Nes, and filled up the remaining riverbed with all they had left of
stones from Homman. Then they sat down two solid gate poles as the top attached
to the footbridge. Then sealed the well again on both sides of the portal, but
left river water drop through the 3 yards wide door opening.
Finally came the
D-Day and the closed gate with a "lock-limb" of logs covered in front
with overlapping sheepskin. Then the "Old riverbed" went dry. Again
got all man speeds up and riverbed behind the sluice gate was filled with
gravel and sand right up to the "footbridge". Then could all wood be removed.
Meanwhile rose water
in front of the dam, and tension rose in entrepreneurs. Was Vidriks primitive
level to trust? Would Lygna soon overflow Banken down to Møska like before - or
would the river "turn off" and flood across the Aa-headland to
Opteåna? Fortunately for Bringsjord-people she chose the latter.
With great pump and
circumstance, and with copious volumes of honey mixed mead, was 990 acre
Bringsjord-Nes incorporated in King Brings old farm. It was a bitter pill to
swallow for Aa-farm chiefs, and over the centuries has hostilities continued
about fishing rights in Lygna, the border river between farms.
For King Bring
should also have credit that he had made two new salmon pool in Lygna. One dug
currents and ice drift out front of the bridge he built;
called Bank Hølen. The other dug river out in front of Oftebro hillside and
called Node Hølen.
The dispute about salmon fishing in these pools lasted 400
years. First in 1956, was it settled with verdict in the Supreme Court of
Norway. It gave farmers of Bringsjord entitled to all fishing in both pools,
including exclusive rights to angling in the pools - from both riverbanks.
The picture was
taken from Møskeland under a flood 6th Dec. 2015 Blue Arrow; Lygna. Red arrow;
Bank. Green arrow; Møska. Yellow arrow; "Old riverbed." Photo: Anne
Therese Benestvedt Bo
This story was printed in the newspaper "Lister" Saturday 19th March 2016
