11EFORE Ul'RIAL. 323 



ghost, cause trouble in the house where he had lived, some 

 very peculiar ceremonies were observed. The person who was 

 to perform the nabjargir did not approach the body from the 

 front, but from behind, and closed the eyes, and not till then 

 did any one else venture to approach to prepare it for funeral. 

 Such a corpse was not carried out of the house through one of 

 the usual entrances, but a hole was broken in the wall behind 

 it, through which it was carried backward. 



"Snorri godi (temple priest), the great chief, had 'received 

 a forest from Thorolf Boagifot (lame-loot), who wanted to get it 

 back. 



" Thorolf Buegifot (after visiting his son to get his help in 

 this matter) came home in the evening, and spoke to no one. 

 He *sat down in his high-seat, but did not eat that evening. 

 He sat there when the people went to sleep, and in the 

 morning when they rose Thorolf still sat there, and was dead. 

 The housewife sent a man to his son Arnkel to tell him the 

 death of Thorolf. Arnkel rode to Hvamm with some of his 

 servants, and saw that his father sat dead in the high-seat. 

 All the people were full of fear, for all thought there was 

 something frightful in his death. Arnkel went into the hall 

 and in along the seats to the back of Thorolf; he bid every 

 man to beware of walking in front of him while the nabjargir 

 had not been performed. Arnkel then took hold of the 

 shoulders of Thorolf, and he had to use his strength ere 

 he could lay him down. Then he wrapped a cloth around 

 his head, and prepared his corpse for burial according to 

 custom. Thereupon he had the wall broken behind him, 

 and got him out there. Then oxen were yoked to a sledge, 

 on which Thorolf was placed, and driven up to the valley 

 of Thorsa ; but he was not easily brought to the place where 

 he should be. There they buried him carefully. After 

 the death of Thorolf many thought it bad to be out of doors 

 after the sun had set ; and as the summer was about to 

 close, they became aware that Thorolf did not rest quiet, for 

 then men could never be at peace outside after sunset. In 

 the spring, Arnkel took Thorolf s body out on a ness, and 

 there buried it anew. He had a fence made across the cape 

 above the grave, so high that nothing but a flying bird could 

 get over it There Thorolf lay as long as Arukel lived, but 

 when he afterwards again became troublesome his body was 

 burned, and the ashes thrown into the sea" (Eyrbyggja, c. 33). 1 



1 Cf. also Evil's Saga, c 61. 



Y 2 



