Originally written down in Old Norse, about 1225 by the poet and historian
Snorri Sturluson. English translation by Samuel Laing (London, 1844). |
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle conflated by Anne Savage (PaperMac) |
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87. King Harald now went on the land, and drew up his men. The one arm
of this line stood at the outer edge of the river, the other turned up
towards the land along a ditch; and there was also a morass, deep, broad,
and full of water.
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King Harold met him (Tostig) there (Scotland) with 300 ships, and
Tostig bowed to him and became his man. They both went up into the Humber
until they came to York, and fought with them there, eorl Edwin and eorl
Moekere his brother; but the Norwegians had the victory |
The river Ouse was one flank and there was a marshy on the other with a
ditch or dyke dividing the forces |
The earls let their army proceed slowly down along the ditch, with all
their troops in line. The king's banner was next the river, where the line
was thickest. It was thinnest at the ditch, where also the weakest of the
men were. |
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Morcar and Edwin's troops line out along their bank of the ditch. The
line was thin as there was little firm ground. The ground on the other
bank was marshy and did not provide a suitable place to attack so the best
troops were not deployed here. |
When the earls advanced downwards along the ditch, the arm of the
Northmen's line which was at the ditch gave way; and the Englishmen
followed, thinking the Northmen would fly. The banner of Earl Morukare
advanced then bravely. |
Karl G. Johansson, who has
made the most recent translation of Snorres Heimskringla,
says that Snorre used the word díki which has the
equivalents of both Swedish dike (ditch; dike) and
Swedish kärr; sumpmark (marsh; swamp; fen). |
Morcar makes progress near the ford. One translation indicates that he
thought they were fleeing - a theme repeated at Stamford Bridge and
Hastings. |
88. When King Harald saw that the English array had come to the ditch against him, he ordered the charge to be sounded, and urged on his men. He ordered the banner which was called the Land-ravager to be carried before him, and made so severe an assault that all had to give way before it;
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Unknown translation of Snorri Sturluson's saga quoted in MAP desk study
on Battle of Fulford (P 17)
..but when Harald saw his men retreating along the ditch, he ordered a
war-blast to be blown and urged them on. He had the standard 'Landwaster'
carried forward and made so hard an attack that all were driven back.
Morcar's brother had had his standard brought along the river, downwards
against the army of Harald, but when the King hardened his attack, the
Jarl and his men fled along the river. |
This looks like a planned counter attack against Edwin's force
alongside the river Ouse. |
and there was a great loss among the men of the earls, and they soon
broke into flight, some running up the river, some down, and the most leaping into the ditch, which was so filled with dead that the Norsemen could go dry-foot over the fen. There Earl Morukare fell.
From Heimskringla Online Medieval and Classical Library Release #15b
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This song was composed by Stein Herdison about Olaf, son of King Harald
The gallant Harald drove along,
Flying but fighting, the whole throng.
At last, confused, they could not fight,
And the whole body took to flight.
Up from the river's silent stream
At once rose desperate splash and scream;
But they who stood like men this fray
Round Morukare's body lay."
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Earl Morcar was probably not killed as Simeon of Durham records him as
a fellow resistance leader working with Hereward to resist the Normans. |