448 SUPERSTITIONS. WITCHCRAFT. 



could not dwell on these farms. Bolstad was also empty 

 of people, for Thorolf began to haunt there as soon as 

 Arnkel (the bondi, Thorolf s son) was dead, and killed men 

 and cattle. And no man has dared to settle there since 

 because of this. When this farm was quite deserted, Bo-gifot 

 haunted TJlfarsfell, and caused great trouble there. All the 

 people were struck with terror when they became aware 

 of him. The bondi went to Karsstadir and complained of 

 this to Thorod, for he was his tenant. He said it was the 

 opinion of people that Boegifot would not stop before he had 

 devastated the whole fjord of men and cattle, and if no 

 means were tried against this he would not be able to keep 

 himself there any longer. When Thorod heard this, he 

 thought it was not easy to deal with. Next morning he 

 sent for his horse, and told his huskarls (servants) to go 

 with him, and also had men from the next farms with him. 

 They went to Boegifotshofdi (Cape of Boegifot) to Thorolf's 

 grave. He was then still not decayed, and very troll-like 

 to look at. He was blue like Hel, and stout like a bull. 

 When going to move him, they could not lift him at all. 

 Then Thorod had a felled tree pushed under him, and thus 

 they lifted him out of the grave. Then they rolled him 

 down on the beach, cut wood, made a large pile, set it on 

 fire, rolled Thorolf on it, and burned the whole into cold 

 ashes, though it lasted long before the fire could take in 

 Thorolf's body. It was blowing a hard gale, and the ashes 

 were blown far and wide while the burning lasted, and all the 

 ashes they could they raked out on the sea. When they had 

 finished this work, they went home and came there about 

 bedtime " (Eyrbyggja, c. 63). 



In later times the seid people were feared and punished, 

 because thev did evil. Harald Fairhair burnt one of his own 



V 



sons because he had mixed himself up with this form of witch- 

 craft. 1 



" If a woman is accused of using witchcraft, " galdr," and 

 sorcery, six women shall be named on both sides of her who 

 are known to be good housewives ; they shall give evidence 

 that she knows neither galdr nor sorcery. If they do not, 

 she is an outlaw. The king gets one half of her property, 

 and the bishop the other " (Gulath 28). 



" Rognvald Rettilbeini owned Hadaland ; he learned witch- 

 craft, and became a seid-man. King Harald disliked seid- 



1 Snorri Harald Fairhair's Saga, ch. 36. 



