XIII: The Sailing of the Fleet explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Honor and Shame

  Styrbiorn's driving motivation is the shame of being replaced by an infant king; he stakes everything on reclaiming his honor through conquest.

• Fate and Prophecy

  Omens abound: Palnatoki's broken leg, Styrbiorn's raven-winged helm (associated with Odin), and Thyri's earlier dream all foreshadow doom, yet Styrbiorn defiantly ignores them.

• Kingship and Legitimacy

  The crowning of Olaf the Lap-King as joint ruler in Styrbiorn's stead challenges his birthright and legitimacy, sparking the conflict.

• Loyalty and Betrayal

  Palnatoki breaks Jomsburg's law for Styrbiorn, and King Harald is forced into loyalty under threat; Sigvaldi's reluctant obedience hints at hidden disloyalty.

Characters to notice

• Styrbiorn the Strong

  Resolute and fierce, he marries Thyri, forces King Harald to join his expedition, and insists on bringing Thyri into Jomsburg against its laws. He dons raven wings on his helm, a symbol of Odin, and dismisses omens as he sails to reclaim Sweden.

• Harald Gormson

  Reconciled with Styrbiorn, he is compelled to sail with him in Ironbeak, kept close as a hostage. He shows outward amity but is effectively under Styrbiorn's control.

• Thyri

  Married to Styrbiorn, she is brought to Jomsburg despite its ban on women. She appears brave and jolly, but Biorn recalls her ominous dream from two years prior.

• Palnatoki

  Sick and injured (breaks his leg), he is persuaded to stay in Jomsburg while Sigvaldi sails in his stead. He reluctantly allows Thyri into the stronghold out of loyalty to Styrbiorn.

• Sigvaldi

  Remains in Jomsburg as captain but is uneasy about Styrbiorn's raven-winged helm and the ill omens. He sails in Palnatoki's place, though his heart is not in it.

• Biorn Asbrandson

  Styrbiorn's foster-brother, sent to Jomsburg to summon Palnatoki. He returns alone and later recalls Thyri's dream, sensing foreboding.

• Worm Grimkelson

  An Icelander and chapman who arrives at Alaburg after a shipwreck. He brings news from Sweden that King Eric has crowned his infant son Olaf as joint king, replacing Styrbiorn.

Key passages

• “Never strive to match the sea”

  Do not fight against an unstoppable force.

  King Harald learns to yield to Styrbiorn's superior will.

• “A doomed man's ice-hole is never frozen.”

  A man fated to die will always find a way to meet his end.

  Styrbiorn dismisses Sigvaldi's warnings about the raven wings, embracing his fatalistic resolve.

• “Ne'er would the Jute-folk Yield gild to swift ships, Till by the land stood Sea-deer of Styrbiorn. Now must the Dane-lord Follow that hosting: Land-lorn and folk-lorn Drees he his weird now.”

  The Jutes never paid tribute to ships until Styrbiorn's fleet appeared; now the Danish king must follow that host, landless and peopleless, enduring his fate.

  A Danish stave lamenting how Styrbiorn's power has forced King Harald into submission.