THE SCENE: Having finally completed his conquest of Norway, King Gunnar prepared an unusual punishment for his defeated enemies.
THE TEXT: Wishing by some unusual degradation to chastise the conquered people for their worthlessness, Gunnar appointed a dog as their head of state. What else are we to imagine his aim was other than to make the populace, bursting with pride, clearly understand that he was punishing their haughtiness, when they had to bow their heads in deference to a yapping animal? Unwilling to spare any affront, he set up governors to supervise public and private affairs in its name. To these he added separate ranks of nobility to keep unremitting watch over it. Apart from this, he decreed that if any of the courtiers thought it beneath him to pay respect to his leader and omitted to make the most reverential obeisance to its comings and goings as it trotted about, he must atone for it by the loss of his limbs. So the Norwegians’ swelling arrogance was punctured and he made sure they recognized plainly that their pride was humbled when they saw themselves forced to pay homage to a dog.
– Gesta Danorum, Saxo Grammaticus, 12th Century AD
