In 955, one of the great Viking Age battles took place here on the island of Frei. King Haakon the Good, raised in England by King Athelstan, faced the sons of his half-brother Eirik Bloodaxe, who arrived with a large Danish fleet to claim Norway's throne.
Haakon used a cunning trick. He ordered signal fires lit across the hilltops, making the attackers believe a vast army was gathering. The Danes panicked and fled toward the beach, only to find their ships had drifted out to sea on the falling tide. Trapped between Haakon's warriors and the water, they were slaughtered on the shore.
Among the fallen on Haakon's side was Egil Ullserk, a legendary berserker who fought without armour. A memorial stone, Egil Ullserks bauta, marks the battlefield today. According to the sagas, Egil's ferocity in battle was so great that even Haakon's own men kept their distance.
Haakon used a cunning trick. He ordered signal fires lit across the hilltops, making the attackers believe a vast army was gathering. The Danes panicked and fled toward the beach, only to find their ships had drifted out to sea on the falling tide. Trapped between Haakon's warriors and the water, they were slaughtered on the shore.
Among the fallen on Haakon's side was Egil Ullserk, a legendary berserker who fought without armour. A memorial stone, Egil Ullserks bauta, marks the battlefield today. According to the sagas, Egil's ferocity in battle was so great that even Haakon's own men kept their distance.
