Rimul or Romol is a farm in the municipality of
Melhus
Melhus is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Melhus. Other villages include Gåsbakken, Hovin, Korsvegen, Kvål, Ler, Lundamo, St ...
in
Trøndelag
Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. The farm lies near the western part of the
village of Melhus. It was the scene of the murder of
Håkon Sigurdsson (also known as ''Hákon Sigurðsson'' or Hákon
Earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
) by his slave
Tormod Kark
Tormod Kark (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was a slave in Viking Era 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 between ...
''(Þormóðr Karkr)'', 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 of N ...
'' 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 the ...
's
Heimskringla
''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...
.
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 ( en, The Cave of the Jarl) is a small cave in the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The cave is near the small farm of Rimul in the village of Melhus. It is thought to be the hiding place of Håkon Sigurdsson (al ...
, 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 of N ...
and his men, who were at that time searching for the Earl. Thora led them to a
pig sty
A sty or pigsty is a small-scale outdoor enclosure for raising domestic pigs as livestock. It is sometimes referred to as a hog pen, hog parlor, pigpen, pig parlor, or pig-cote, although pig pen may refer to pens confining pigs that are kep ...
beneath a great stone. Later, after killing the Earl's son, Erlend ''(Erlendr)'' and many men of his
hird
The hird (also named "Håndgangne Menn" in Norwegian), in Scandinavian history, was originally an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls, but came to mean not only the nucleus ('Guards') of the royal army, but also d ...
, Olaf Tryggvason arrived at Rimul with a group of local farmers, now supporting him. In the
Heimskringla
''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...
, 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 over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...
. Tormod Kark was himself decapitated. Both heads were reputedly set on stakes in
Munkholmen
Munkholmen ( no, Monk's islet) is an islet in the municipality of Trondheim 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 ...
for people to spit at.
See also
*
Jarlshola
Jarlshola ( en, The Cave of the Jarl) is a small cave in the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The cave is near the small farm of Rimul in the village of Melhus. It is thought to be the hiding place of Håkon Sigurdsson (al ...
References
External links
''Saga of king Olaf Tryggvason''
{{authority control
Historic farms in Norway
Farms in Trøndelag
Melhus