Kálfr Ãrnason
Kalv Arnesson (* probably 990s; † about 1051 in Denmark) was a Norwegian chieftain. He was in the 1020s and 1030er years one of the most powerful men in Norway. Through its relationship among other things, to Erling Skjalgsson and Tore Hund he belonged to the ruling class of the country. He played an important role in the final phase of the fight against Olav the Holy until its fall in Stiklestad. After that, he was the driving force Olav's son Magnus to make good to the Norwegian king.
His parents were Arne Arnmodsson (or Armodsson ) and Tora Torsteinsdatter. He was married to Sigrid gates Datter, widow of Olve Grjotgardsson. She was one of the paramount chief layer of Trøndelag and was the sister of Tore Hund.
In the earliest historical works ( Agrippa, Theodoricus Monachus, Legendary Olavssaga ) the contrast between the Norwegian chiefs and the king is portrayed as a permanent condition, because they resisted their loss of power by the royal power centralization. According to Snorri Sturluson Kalv initially belonged to the supporters of the king and this was the position of power in Trøndelag gives him, in that he had assigned him the land and the Sigrid widow of the pagan remained chief Olve Grjotgardsson to harrow after he had that was killed because of his pagan sacrifice practice. The other works of history to write anything about it. But that should have the king introduced the hostility in Trøndelag, the last led to his death.
After the Battle of the Boknfjord 1027, in the Erling Skjalgsson killed, the most recent trailer falls so from him and broke up the power of the king. Kalf was at this battle still on the side of the king. This confirms the only contemporary source that reports on Kalv that and 1050 written by the Icelander Bjarne Gullbråskald seal Kalvsflokkr. After the death of Erling and the waste of the allies of the king of these had left the country and fled to Russia. After Bjarne Gullbråskald to Kalv then went to England to Knut the Great and joined him and the Ladejarl Håkon Eriksson. According to the Heimskringla, it was his wife, who demanded revenge on the king for the slaying of her first husband and her two sons by him.
As Olav 1030 zurückkahm from Russia to regain his kingdom, Kalf became one of his main opponent, as Bjarne says in his poem. The sagas made him unlike his brothers Finn and Torberg who remained with the king, to a traitor. In this context, biblical motifs are used, when the occasion of a meeting between Olav and Kalv clear parallels can be found to the encounter between Jesus and Judas in Gethsemane. Kalf was with Tore Hund and Hårek of Tjøtta Stiklestad leader of the peasant army. He should have been according to the Heimskringla also one of the three men who Olav offset the death blows. Bjarne Gullbråskald reported contrast, only that he had fought bravely there, and the skald Sigvat called Tore Hund as the one who had slain the king.
After the death of Knut Olav became king over Norway, and set his son Sven Alfivason as a reigning sovereign. But he was quickly very unpopular. The two chiefs of Trøndelag Kalv Arnesson and Einar Tambarskjelve who had hoped in vain for a higher position in the empire, now operated together with Bishop of Nidaros Grimkjell the collection of Magnus Olavsson king. He and Einar moved to Russia in 1034 and took Magnus from there back. He is said to have had a great influence on the young king from the beginning, to intrigue brought him into disrepute after the skald Bjarne.
Kalv went to Ireland out of the country. After 1050, King Harald Hardrade let him return. But the reconciliation was the part of the king's probably not meant honestly. He sent Kalv short time later in a fight in Denmark, where he was killed in a way that looked at his brother Finn Arnesson as insidious and treacherous, which led to a break with the king.