What's more, it was now harvest time. So, with who knows what misgivings and uneasiness, on September the 8th Harold demobilised the fyrd and sent the soldiers home. He was right to feel uneasy. Just 11 days later Harold had a very nasty shock - his younger brother was back. Tostig, together with the Norwegian King, Harold Hardrada, had landed in Northumbria with as many as 12,000 men. Tostig had spent his time in exile looking for allies to pursue his vendetta against Harold. And it was a real coup for him that he'd finally enlisted the support of the awesome King of Norway. Hardrada was quite simply the most feared warrior of the age. Built like a Norwegian cliff face, he had a reputation for super-human strength and elaborately creative cruelty. Hardrada also had a flimsy claim to the English throne that went back to Canute, and he wasn't one to flinch at a military challenge that could win him for disputed crown.


更重要的是，当时正值丰收时节，因此，为了解除大家的担心和不安。9月8日，哈罗德解散了民兵，令他们返乡。他确实应该不安，仅十一天后，哈罗德得知一忧心且震惊消息，他的弟弟回来了。托斯提戈，连同挪威国王哈罗德·哈得尔达，带着一万两千名士兵在诺森比亚登陆。托斯提戈在流亡期间一直寻求结盟，伺机报复哈罗德，于他而言最终赢得伟大的挪威国王的支持，成就了他这有效的一击。哈得尔达是当时最令人生畏的勇士，如挪威凌厉的峭壁般刚毅。他素以过人的气力，和各种残暴手段闻名。追溯到卡纽特时期，哈得尔达认为自己，对英格兰王位同样有继承权，为了这尚无定数皇冠，哈得尔达又怎会畏惧驰骋疆埸。