Throughout the majority of the Icelandic sagas we have read, it is evident that Icelanders are always portrayed as very much liked by the kings. The Story-wise Icelander is a perfect representation of this trend. This theme appears elsewhere as well, such as in The Tale of Audun from the Westfjords, wherein Audun quickly gained the affection of King Harald and King Svein ; or in The Tale of Thorstein Shiver, in which Thorstein is said to have been made one of King Olaf's men . Although generally the Icelanders in these stories share many characteristics, it remains that each one's relationship with his king is different. This fact is applicable to The Saga of Hallfred Troublesome-Poet, and Hallfred's relationship to King Olaf. King Olaf favors Hallfred because of Hallfred's poetic ability and the fact that his stubbornness stands as a challenge to King Olaf.
Hallfred's ability to construct excellent poetry is one of the major contributors to winning Olaf's favor. Even though one of the first poems Hallfred composed for Olaf earned him his name "Troublesome-Poet," "Hallfred performed the poem magnificently, and it was a drapa." King Olaf was so pleased with this poem that he bestowed Hallfred with a sword. Although it is not specifically mentioned in the saga, I believe that King Olaf is greatly entertained by the reciting of poetry. Not only does he appreciate it when it is of good quality, but he also enjoys it as someone in modern times enjoys a good television program. Hallfred uses King Olaf's passion for good poetry to his advantage. He creates poems to aid him in situations that might otherwise be much bleaker. In one instance, where Hallfred has killed a man of the King's court who has insulted him, but Olaf's commitment to Hallfred does not allow Hallfred to receive the normal punishment, Hallfred wishes to ease the anger of Olaf. King Olaf commands Hallfred to compose a poem using the word "sword" in every line.
