K;i in .VAX 



and liis s .us are young and good for nothing; lie wishes to 

 give you [tower over the realm while they are so young, and 

 he prefers you to enjoy it,' Now (lunnar was very drunk, and 

 a great realm was offered to him, and he could not resist fate ; 

 he promised to go, and told it to his brother Hogni, who 

 aiisuered : 'Your resolve must be carried out, and I will follow 

 thee, but L am unwilling to go ' ' (Volsunga, e. .">.'">). 



UuiH-s were occasionally used as charms in cases of illness. 



Egil went on a journey to Vermaland to collect the tax 

 from the Jarl Arnvid, who was suspected of having slain 

 King Hakon the Good's men when they went thither for this 

 purpose. On the way he came to the house of a bondi named 

 Thorfinn. 



"As Egil and Thortinn sat and took their meal, Egil saw 

 that a woman lay sick on the cross-bench, and asked who she 

 was. Thortinn answered that she was his daughter Helga. 

 She had been long ill from a \ery wasting sickness; she 

 could not sleep at night, and was like one ham-stolen 1 (crazy). 

 'Has anything been tried for her illness?' said Egil. Thor- 

 fiim said : 'liunes have been traced bv the son of a bondi in 



/ 



the neighbourhood, but she is far more ill since than she was 

 before; canst thou do anything for such an illness?' Egil 

 answered : ' It may be that it will not be worse though I 

 take charge of it.' When he had done eating he went to 

 where she lay and spoke to her. He bad that she be taken 

 out of bed and clean clothes put under her, which was done. 

 Then lie examined the bed, and there found a piece of whale- 

 bone with runes on it. He read them, cut them off, and 

 scraped the chips into the fire; he burned the whalebone 

 and had her clothes carried into the open air. Then Egil 



sang :- 



As man shall not trace nines I saw on the cut whalebone 



Except he can read them wcP, Ten hidden 2 letteis carved, 



It is thus with many a man That have caused to the leek-linden 



That the dark letters bewilder (woman) 



him. A very loiii;' sorrow. 



Egil traced runes, and placed them under the pillow in 



the bed where she rested. It seemed to her as if she awoke 



from a sleep, and she said she was then healed, though she 



Of witches = shape-stolen. | lTnili>ri|>ln>r;il>lc. 



