Romol
or Rimul (historic name) is a farm in
Melhus Municipality
Melhus is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Melhus (village), village o ...
in
Trøndelag
Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The farm lies near the western part of the
village of Melhus. It was the scene of the murder of
Håkon Sigurdsson
Haakon Sigurdsson ( , ; 937–995), known as Haakon Jarl (Old Norse: ''Hákon jarl''), was the '' de facto'' ruler of Norway from about 975 to 995. Sometimes he is styled as Haakon the Powerful (), though the '' Ágrip'' and ''Historia Norwe ...
(also known as ''Hákon Sigurðsson'' or Hákon
Earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
) by his slave
Tormod Kark
Tormod Kark (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was a slave in Viking Age Norway. He appears in the saga ''Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar''.
Biography
His life was closely tied to Haakon Sigurdsson (c. 937 – 995). In 995, a quarrel broke out betwee ...
, as described in the ''Saga of king
Olav Tryggvason
Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King ...
'' in
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
's
Heimskringla
() is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...
.
The farm is still in operation today, hundreds of years after the murder. There is a big stone lying nearby, thought maybe to be scene of Olaf's speech. This is, however, not proven. The events are the theme of the opera ''Thora paa Rimol'' which was composed in 1894, but not performed until 2002 in Melhus on the occasion of the village's thousandth anniversary.
History
Hákon Earl had a mistress named Thora ''(Þóra)'' at the Rimul farm. After their night in
Jarlshola
Jarlshola () is a small cave in Melhus Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The cave is near the small Rimul farm, just outside the village of Melhus. It is thought to be the hiding place of Håkon Sigurdsson (also known as Hákon Sigurðss ...
, Hákon and his slave went on to Rimul, seeking further shelter from
Olav Tryggvason
Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King ...
and his men, who were at that time searching for the Earl. Thora led them to a
pig sty
''Pig Sty'' is an American sitcom that aired on UPN during the network's first season. The series premiered on January 23, 1995, ran on Monday nights, after '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and '' Platypus Man'', and was cancelled after 13 episodes on ...
beneath a great stone. Later, after killing the Earl's son, Erlend ''(Erlendr)'' and many men of his
hird
The hird (also named "De Håndgangne Menn" in Norwegian), in Scandinavian history, was originally an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls. Over time, it came to mean not only the nucleus ('Guards') of the royal arm ...
, Olaf Tryggvason arrived at Rimul with a group of local farmers, now supporting him. In the
Heimskringla
() is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...
, the story continues as follows:
Lying in the pig sty the same night, Kark killed Hákon Earl. He cut his head off and brought it to Olaf Tryggvason, expecting to collect the reward. Unfortunately, Olaf did not respect a slave murdering his own
Lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...
. Tormod Kark was himself decapitated. Both heads were reputedly set on stakes in
Munkholmen
Munkholmen () is an islet in Trondheim Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The island sits in the Trondheimsfjord about northwest of the island of Brattøra and the mouth of the river Nidelva in the center of the city of Trondheim. The ...
for people to spit at.
See also
*
Jarlshola
Jarlshola () is a small cave in Melhus Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The cave is near the small Rimul farm, just outside the village of Melhus. It is thought to be the hiding place of Håkon Sigurdsson (also known as Hákon Sigurðss ...
References
External links
''Saga of king Olaf Tryggvason''
{{authority control
Historic farms in Norway
Farms in Trøndelag
Melhus