The Listening Grove · Viking Tales
Chapter 10: King Harald's Wedding
A Charlotte Mason history read-aloud lesson. Press play, with the lesson.
What is Viking Tales Chapter 10, King Harald's Wedding, about?Parent review
Viking Tales Chapter 10, King Harald's Wedding, brings the long vow to its close. After ten years of battles with uncut, uncombed hair, Harald asks his friends whether his vow is kept, and they answer that there is no king but him in all Norway. He bathes, has his hair and beard cut and combed, and an earl renames him Harald Hairfair. Then he sends Guthorm once more to Gyda with the same message, and this time she agrees to marry the king of all Norway. Harald rides to King Eric's home and feasts for three nights, then weds Gyda in a ceremony using a holy hammer of Thor and a bunch of keys as the sign of the household mistress. In a gesture his men have never seen, Harald kneels to serve his bride himself. The next morning he takes Gyda home behind his saddle.
Say what you remember!
Tell what you remember from the last chapter.
What happened in Viking Tales Chapter 9, The Sea Fight?Have a look
In Chapter 9, The Sea Fight, the kings Audbiorn and Arnvid gathered two hundred ships to surprise Harald, singing of his coming defeat. Their fleet gleamed with carved prows and painted sails. But Solfi, scouting ahead in his ship Sea-hawk, warned that Harald stood ready in line of battle. Arnvid roped his ships together, and the fleets met in a fiord, shield-wall against shield-wall, fighting for hours with stones, arrows, spears, and swords. When his prow faltered, Harald leaped forward, boarded Arnvid's ship, and killed him. Harald won the day and took the lands of both defeated kings, adding them to his growing rule.
Read the previous lesson: The Sea Fight →Show what you know!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Fill in the vocabulary you know, then click to check your work and learn some new words today.
What are the difficult or advanced vocabulary words in Viking Tales Chapter 10, King Harald's Wedding?girdle, platter, linen, veilHave a look
- girdle: a belt or sash worn around the waist
- platter: a large flat plate for serving food
- linen: cloth made from the flax plant
- veil: a cloth worn over the head or face
Locate it on the map!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Use an atlas and fill in the blank map if you can find the geographic location, then click to check your work.
What important geographic locations connect with Viking Tales Chapter 10, King Harald's Wedding?
- Find Bergen (Norway): Gyda's family ruled Hordaland, a western coastal region whose great city today is Bergen.
See these places on the mapHave a look
These match the map in your Lesson Guide.
The Books come Alive!
Read or listen to Chapter 10 of Viking Tales, the Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition, read by Faerie Book Mama.
Read by Faerie Book Mama for LibriVox (public domain), professionally adjusted and trimmed by Kindred Thicket.
What historical context goes with Chapter 10 of Viking Tales?Parent review
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. Jennie Hall’s 1902 words are read exactly as she wrote them, and we add Teacher’s Notes with historical and cultural context.
- About the whole bookViking Tales is Jennie Hall’s 1902 retelling of old Norse stories drawn from the sagas, such as the Heimskringla and the Vinland sagas. These weave real history together with legend, so the tales are best enjoyed as saga tradition rather than exact history.
- This chapterThe story says Harald united all Norway in about ten years. Historians see it as a longer, uneven process, and Denmark and Sweden were not yet single kingdoms. This is more saga tradition than settled history.
Memory becomes Action!
Use the Response Resource* to remember and spell tricky names. Choose one way to narrate.
*Materials in the Lesson Guide.
What is the list of names, people, characters, and places that are important in Chapter 10 of Viking Tales?King Harald, Gyda, Eric, Guthorm, The earl, Thor, NorwayHave a look
- King Harald: King of all Norway; here he takes the name Harald Hairfair. The historical Harald Fairhair.
- Gyda: King Eric's daughter and now Harald's bride.
- Eric: Gyda's father and host of the wedding feast.
- Guthorm: Harald's uncle and his messenger to Gyda.
- The earl: The nobleman who cuts Harald's hair and gives him the name Hairfair.
- Thor: The Norse god whose 'holy hammer' blesses the marriage.
- Norway: The whole land Harald now rules, the price Gyda set for the wedding.
Chapter 10 Q & A
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. We keep Jennie Hall’s 1902 words as written and add historical context. Here are common questions about this chapter.
What happens in Chapter 10 of Viking Tales?
In Chapter 10, King Harald's Wedding, Harald's ten-year vow is fulfilled, for he now rules all Norway. He has his hair cut and combed and is renamed Harald Hairfair. He sends Guthorm to Gyda again, and this time she accepts. Harald rides to King Eric's home, weds Gyda with the holy hammer of Thor and a bunch of keys, and kneels to serve his bride.
Why is Harald renamed Hairfair in Viking Tales?
Harald is renamed Hairfair in Chapter 10 once his vow to unite Norway is fulfilled and his long, uncut hair is finally washed, cut, and combed. He had been called Shockhead during the years his hair grew wild. The new name Harald Hairfair marks him as the king who brought all of Norway under one rule.
How long did it take Harald to unite Norway in Viking Tales?
In Viking Tales the story says it took Harald about ten years of battles to unite Norway, from Gyda's challenge to his wedding. Historians see the real process as longer and uneven, and Denmark and Sweden were not yet single kingdoms at the time. This part of the book blends saga tradition with history, which the Teacher's Notes help parents understand.
What were Norse wedding customs in Viking Tales?
Chapter 10 shows several Norse wedding customs: the couple walk three times around the hall behind candle-bearing thralls, a holy hammer of Thor is placed on the bride's lap, and she receives a bunch of keys as the sign of the household mistress. Harald then kneels to serve her feast. The Teacher's Notes give parents background on these traditions.