The Listening Grove · Viking Tales
Chapter 9: The Sea Fight
A Charlotte Mason history read-aloud lesson. Press play, with the lesson.
What is Viking Tales Chapter 9, The Sea Fight, about?Parent review
Viking Tales Chapter 9, The Sea Fight, is one of the book's great battles. Because many chiefs feel as Solfi does, the kings Audbiorn and Arnvid gather a mighty host of two hundred ships and set out to surprise Harald, singing of his coming defeat. Their fleet is a splendid sight, with carved prows shaped like dragons, sea-horses, snakes, and sea-hawks, and painted sails. Solfi scouts ahead in his ship Sea-hawk and warns that Harald is ready and drawn up in line of battle. Arnvid ropes his ships together, and the two fleets meet in a fiord, shield-wall against shield-wall. The sea battle rages for hours with stones, arrows, spears, and swords. When his own prow falters, Harald leaps forward fighting, boards Arnvid's ship, and kills him. Harald wins the day and takes the lands of both defeated kings.
Say what you remember!
Tell what you remember from the last chapter.
What happened in Viking Tales Chapter 8, Gyda's Saucy Message?Have a look
In Chapter 8, Gyda's Saucy Message, Harald decided to marry Gyda, the proud daughter of King Eric, and sent his uncle Guthorm with gifts. Gyda refused unless Harald made himself king of all Norway. Rather than take offense, Harald laughed, thanked her, and vowed not to cut or comb his hair until he ruled the whole land. He sent out war-arrows, conquered widely, took oaths of loyalty, and installed earls to govern and tax, earning the name Harald Shockhead. But the chief Solfi, whose father Harald had killed, refused to submit and allied with King Audbiorn and his cousin Arnvid against the king.
Read the previous lesson: Gyda's Saucy Message →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 9, The Sea Fight?yardarm, furled, gunwale, veerHave a look
- yardarm: either end of the crossbar on a ship's mast
- furled: rolled up and tied, as a sail
- gunwale: the top edge of a ship's side
- veer: to change direction or turn
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 9, The Sea Fight?
- Find Stavanger (Norway): Harald's great sea-battle was fought in Hafrsfjord, beside the city of Stavanger.
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 9 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 9 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.
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 9 of Viking Tales?King Harald, King Arnvid, King Audbiorn, Solfi, Ivar, Thorstein, Ran, Sea-hawkHave a look
- King Harald: King of much of Norway, here called Shockhead, and victor of the great sea-battle.
- King Arnvid: An allied king and Harald's enemy, whose ship is the 'Sea-stag.'
- King Audbiorn: Arnvid's fellow king and ally against Harald.
- Solfi: The rebel chief who gathered this fleet against Harald.
- Ivar: Harald's man, Ivar the Far-goer, wounded in the prow.
- Thorstein: Another of Harald's men, wounded at the bow.
- Ran: The Norse sea-goddess who claims the drowned.
- Sea-hawk: Solfi's ship, the fleet's scout.
Chapter 9 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 9 of Viking Tales?
In Chapter 9, The Sea Fight, the kings Audbiorn and Arnvid gather two hundred ships to surprise Harald, but Solfi scouts ahead and finds him ready for battle. The fleets meet in a fiord, ships roped together, shield-wall against shield-wall. After hours of fighting, Harald boards Arnvid's ship and kills him, winning the battle and both kings' lands.
How did vikings fight sea battles in Viking Tales?
In Chapter 9, vikings fight sea battles by roping their ships together to form a floating platform, then meeting the enemy shield-wall against shield-wall. They hurl stones, shoot arrows, and cast spears before closing with swords, and warriors board enemy ships hand to hand. These naval tactics, with named ships and carved prows, show how central the sea was to Norse warfare.
Who are Audbiorn and Arnvid in Viking Tales?
Audbiorn and Arnvid are the allied kings who lead a fleet of two hundred ships against Harald in Chapter 9, joined by the rebel chief Solfi. Their goal is to defeat Harald and stop his uniting of Norway. Harald wins the sea fight, kills Arnvid, and takes both kings' countries, adding to the lands under his growing rule.
Who is the goddess Ran in Viking Tales?
Ran is the Norse sea-goddess mentioned in Chapter 9, believed to receive those who die and sink beneath the waves. During the sea fight, a defeated viking leaps into the sea to drown rather than surrender, trusting to Ran's caves under the sea. Her name reflects Norse beliefs about death at sea, which the Teacher's Notes help explain.