Good evening. Welcome to the Just Sleep podcast. I'm Tasia, your host.

Every week, I will read you an old story to help you relax of the stressful day behind you and drift off to sleep.

Occasionally, we will run ads in order to cover the costs of the production of the podcast.

Rest assured, there will be no ads during or after the story.

If you prefer an ad-free and intro-free show, you can join Just Sleep Premium.

Visit JustSleeppodcast.com slash support for more information.

Tonight, I will be reading from the book Viking Tales by Jenny Hall.

Harold is King.

So lie down, close your eyes, and let me read you a story.

Now when Harold was ten years old, his father, King Hafton, died. An old book that tells us about Harold says that, then, he was the biggest of all men,

the strongest and the fairest to look upon. That about a boy ten years old. But boys grew fast

in those days, for they were out of doors all the time, running, swimming, leaping on skis, and hunting in the forest.

All that makes big, manly boys. So now King Hafton was dead and buried, and Harold was to be king.

But first, he must drink his father's funeral ale. Take down the tapestries that hang in the

feast hall, he said to the thralls, put up black and grey ones, strew the floor with pine branches,

brew 20 tubs of fresh ale and made, scour every dish until it shines.

Then Harold sent messengers all over that country to his kingsmen and friends.

Bid them come in three months' time to drink my father's funeral ale, he said.

Tell them that no one shall go away empty-handed.

So in three months, men came riding up at every hour. Some came in boats, but many had ridden

far through mountains, swimming rivers, for there were few roads or bridges in Norway. On account of that hard ride, no women came to the feast.

At nine o'clock in the night the feast began.

...