442 SUPERSTITIONS. WITCHCRAFT. 



" She (Grima) touched him all over with her hands. Then 

 Kolbak went his way. . . . Thorrnod walked in front of the 

 sheep-house door, and at that moment a man with a drawn sax 

 ran out of it and struck at Thormod. The blow hit Thormod's 

 arm above the elbow and the wound was large. Thormod 

 threw his shield down and drew his sword with his left hand 

 and struck at Kolbak with both arms, the one blow after the 

 other. The sword did not bite, for Kolbak was so strengthened 

 with witchcraft that iron did not bite him. Kolbak did not 

 strike any more blows at Thormo;!, but said: 'Now I can do 

 with thee, Thormod, what I like, but i will not do more.' 

 Kolbak went home and told Grima the news " (Fostbrredra 

 Saga, c. 14). 



Among the numerous kinds of witchcraft practised was that 

 of a man sitting out of doors at night in the open air, and, by 

 some magical action not 'described, raising troll (wizard or 

 witch) or dead people, in order to ask them questions as to the 

 future. 1 



Hakon and Ingi were pretenders to the crown of Norway, 

 and were going to fight a battle. 



" It is told that Gunnhild, to whom Simon had been married, 

 and who was the foster-mother of King Hakou, had out-sitting 

 for the victory of Hakon. The result was that they should 

 light against Ingi at night, but never by day, and then it would 

 go well. The woman who was said to have sat out is called 

 Thordis Seggia, but I do not know it for true " (Hakon Herdi- 

 breid's Saga, c. 16). 



Some people were supposed to have power in their eyes, by 

 which they could blunt swords in the fight. 



" Gunnlaug Ormstunga challenged the viking Thororm to a 

 holmganga, because he would not pay back money which he 

 had borrowed from Gunnlaug. Gunnlaug was then at the hird 

 of King Adalrad in London, who told" him that this man 

 blunted every weapon, and gave him a sword to fight with and 

 told him to sho\v only his own sword to the viking (Gunnlaug 

 Ormstunga's Saga). 



" She (Thordis the witch) blunted Kormak's sword so that it 

 could not bite " (Kormak's Saga, c. 23). 



Men who carried charmed weapons were always held to be 



1 Cf. Ynglinga, c. 7. 



