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By age 21, Olaf Trygvesson had grown into a superb Nordic specimen. In climbing and swimming and leaping, he was unmatched, and it was said that he could juggle five daggers in the air, always catching them by the handle. A favorite of his warriors, he went west to Holland with a fleet of nearly 90 ships, manned by Swedish Vikings from Russia (where the Norwegian had been serving in the court of Vladimir I). When he had finished with the Dutch, he went to France, then back to Jutland, leaving in his wake a great harvest for the ravens and wolves.

And then to England, the greatest prize of the northern pirates. At the mouth of the Thames, he fought the battle of Maldon, extorting the tribute of 10,000 pounds of silver from the weak Anglo-Saxon king, Ethelred. From there, he moved north, plundering in Northumberland and Scotland, then to the Hebrides and to fight other Vikings on the Isle of Man. After that, he turned south to Ireland, Wales, and Cornwall before he jumped over the Channel to taste again the pleasures of France. "The young king drove a bloody game," a poet wrote. "The Irish fled at Olaf's name, fled a young king seeking fame."

With his fleet now fortified to 94 ships, he came back to England and joined forces with the Danish king Svein Forkbeard. Together they raided England, "burning villages, laying waste the lands, putting numbers of people to death by fire and sword, without regard to sex, and sweeping off an immense booty." Seizing horses, they rode wildly through many provinces and slaughtered the whole population with savage cruelty, "sparing neither the women nor children of tender age." This time Ethelred offered 22,000 pounds.

In the weeks it took to consummate this shabby deal and to refurbish his fleet, King Olaf lay off the Cornish coast, fatigued and fretful. Biding his time in the Scilly Islands, off Land's End, the Viking heard of a local fortuneteller who was said to possess the gift of prophecy. Rowing off to the hermit's rocky retreat, Olaf asked if the prophet could foresee Olaf's future. Would the prince be successful in battle? Would he regain power in the north?

"Thou wilt become a renowned king and do celebrated deeds," the hermit replied. "And that thou not doubt the truth of this answer, listen to this." And then he predicted that Olaf would soon suffer a mutiny among his men. In the ensuing fight, he would be wounded and carried to his ship on his oblong shield. After seven days, he would recover and thereafter would allow himself to be baptized a Christian.

"Many men wilt thou bring to faith and baptism," the prophet said, "and both to thy own and others' good."

Shortly afterward, the mutiny took place precisely as the hermit had predicted. After his recovery in seven days, Olaf hastened back to the seer and asked him how he had gained such wisdom.

"The god of the Christian has blessed me," the hermit replied, "so that I can know all that I desire."

At that, Olaf allowed himself to be baptized.

When King Ethelred heard about this, he sent his bishop and his high reeve (local administrator) to Olaf, proposing a glorious confirmation at Andover. Ethelred presented his tormenter with royal gifts and, in return, Olaf promised never again to visit war upon England. To Ethelred, Christianity was more effective than gold, and to Olaf, his new faith conferred upon him a dignity and stature among kings that he had lacked.

Early in 995, more news reached Olaf from Norway. A merchant from the north spoke of dissatisfaction in Norway with the current leader, Earl Hakon—the murderer of Olaf's father. While the earl had consolidated his rule over coastal Norway, he had degenerated into a lecher in middle age, seizing the comely daughters of gentlemen, keeping them as his concubines for a week or two and then discarding them. This was causing an uproar in the land, although few dared to criticize the earl to his face.

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