DESTRUCTION OF THE IMAGE OF FREY. :!7! 



mostly of things connected with the rule of the land and the 

 laws. He then sent men to his tent and bad them carry Frey 

 out, and when he was brought to the king the king took him 

 and set him up and said : ' Do you know this man ? ' They 

 answered : ' We know him.' ' Who is he then ? ' said the 

 king. ' One whom thou dost not know ; he is Frey, our god.' 

 He said : ' What good can Frey do, that you think it needful 

 or a great necessity to believe in him?' They answered: 

 " We thought him very powerful until within a few years.' 

 ' Why is lie less powerful now ? ' said the king. They 

 answered : ' Because he is now angry with us, which thou 

 causest, for since thou didst tell us to believe in another god, 

 and we partly followed thy persuasions, he thinks we have 

 forsaken him, and therefore will not take any care of us.' He 

 then said, as if in mockery or jest : ' It is unfortunate that 

 Frey is angry with you, but in what way did he before show 

 the power which you now miss?' They answered: 'He often 

 spoke with us and foretold future things, and gave us good years 

 and peace.' He said : ' I maintain that Frey has not spoken 

 with you, but the devil himself.' . . . He took a large axe 

 and went to Frey, and said : ' Now I will try, Frey, if thou 

 canst talk and answer me.' Frey was silent. ' If thou,' said 

 the king, ' canst not or wilt not, then may the one who is in 

 thee, and has long strengthened thee, answer.' . . . Frey was 

 silent. The king said : ' Still I speak to thee, Frey ; if thou 

 canst give to men strength or power, then spare it not, and do 

 what thou art able to do, and if thou sleepest, awake and 

 defend thee, for now I will attack thee.' He raised his hand 

 and cut off Frey's hand, but he did not move. Then he 

 struck one blow after the other until he had cut asunder the 

 whole idol. . . . (Flateyjarbok, I. Olaf Tryggvason). 



The gods were not the only beings worshipped, for we 

 have some examples of men being worshipped after their 

 death. 



" Olaf Geirstada-alf had a dream, at which he was much 

 surprised, and which he would not tell when asked. He then 

 summoned a Thing from all his realm, which was held at Geir- 

 stadir. The king asked the people to finish their cases, and 

 afterwards lie would make known why he had summoned them, 

 as many might think that there was little reason for it. ' I 

 will tell my dream here,' said he. ' It seemed to me that a large 

 black and fierce-looking bull entered the land from the east ; it 

 went about the whole realm. It seemed that so many men fell 

 before its breath, that only half were left. Finally it killed 



