A kings grandfather
Eirik Bjodaskalle the grandfather to one of our greatest viking kings, Olav Trygvason.
Eirik Bjodaskalle from Obrestad in Rogaland was a powerfull man but mostly known through his daughter Astrid Eiriksdatter who was married to the Norwegian viking king Trygve Olavsson. They got the son Olav that became King Olav 1 Trygvasson Of Norway.
In the saga “Heimskringla” we can read the following:
“OLAF TRYGVASON'S BIRTH.
King Trygve Olafson had married a wife who was called Astrid. She was a daughter of Eirik Bjodaskalle, a great man, who dwelt at Oprustader. But after Trygve's death (A.D. 963) Astrid fled, and privately took with her all the loose property she could. Her foster-father, Thorolf Lusarskeg, followed her, and never left her; and others of her faithful followers spied about to discover her enemies, and where they were. Astrid was pregnant with a child of King Trygve, and she went to a lake, and concealed herself in a holm or small island in it with a few men. Here her child was born, and it was a boy; and water was poured over it, and it was called Olaf after the grandfather. Astrid remained all summer here in concealment; but when the nights became dark, and the day began to shorten and the weather to be cold, she was obliged to take to the land, along with Thorolf and a few other men. They did not seek for houses unless in the night-time, when they came to them secretly; and they spoke to nobody. One evening, towards dark, they came to Oprustader, where Astrid's father Eirik dwelt, and privately sent a man to Eirik to tell him; and Eirik took them to an out-house, and spread a table for them with the best of food. When Astrid had been here a short time her travelling attendants left her, and none remained, behind with her but two servant girls, her child Olaf, Thorolf Lusarskeg, and his son Thorgils, who was six years old; and they remained all winter (A.D. 964).”
In Musdal on the road 254 between Tretten and Gausdal valley you will find a small “park” or monument close to the settlement he lived in for some time, today it is called Offigstad, “Opplandene north of Mjøsa”. From the old ruins you get a beautifull view over the valley and the river Gudbrandsdalslågen.
If you like to read more about the saga of Olav Trygvasson visit the link below to “Heimskringla”:
In English:
http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?vis=s_e_olav_tryggvason
In Norwegian:
http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?vis=s_b_olav_tryggvason
The cache is a small container and it holds a pencil, log and note.
The cache is not accessible in winter.
