374 HUMAN SACRIFICES. 



heathens, adding : ' They sacrifice the worst men and cast them 

 dawn from rocks and cliffs, but we will choose them for their 

 virtues, and call it a victory-gift to our Lord Jesus Christ ; 

 we shall live the better, and more warily against sin than 

 before. Gizur and I will give ourselves as a victory-gift on 

 the behalf of our district ' ' (Biskupa Sogur i.). 



From the following passage it will be seen that when 

 Christianity gained a footing in Iceland, human sacrifices 

 were abandoned : 



" Thorolf Heljarskegg (Hel-beard) settled in Forsceludal 

 (Iceland) ; he was a very overbearing man and unpopular, and 

 caused many a quarrel and uproar in the district. He made 

 himself a stronghold (virki) south at Fridmunclara, a short 

 way from Vatnsdalsa, in a ravine ; a ness was between the 

 ravine and the river, and a large rock in front of it. He was 

 suspected of sacrificing men, and there was not one in the 

 whole valley that was more hated than he " (Vatnsdcela, 

 ch. 16). 



Hallstein, an Icelandic chief, son of the Norwegian chief, 

 Thorolf Mostrarskegg, 



" Dwelt at Hallsteinsnes. There Hallstein sacrificed his son, 

 in order that Thor might send him high-seat-pillars (126 feet); 

 thereafter a tree came on his land, sixty-three ells in length 

 and two fathoms (6 ells = 12 feet) thick; this was used for his 

 high-seat-pillars, and of it are made the high-seat-pillars of 

 nearly every farm in the Thverfjords " (Landnama ii.. c. 23V 1 



* Gisla Stirsson mentions the same. 



