BLOODY OMENS. 453 



Its mind craves Death was not fated to me 



The prey of the morning ; To-day or yesterday ; 



Thus of yore screamed I s make ready for the sound of Ilm. 4 



The bird of corpses I care little though plays 



From the old tree The dyed wand of Hedin's cloth 5 



When the hawks wanted the mead Against red shields ; 



of kings. l To us life was marked before." 



Hromund. (Landnama, ii. c. 33.) 



Tive of the shield, 2 



When there was to be an important event there were always 

 some omens before it took place, in the shape of visions, or 

 supernatural beings who sang songs which foretold the event. 



It foreboded a violent death if a man saw his fylgja 

 bloody. 



" Once Njal and Thord (his servant) were outside the farm. 

 A he-goat was in the habit of going about the grass-plot on 

 the farm, and no one was allowed to drive it away. Thord said, 

 ' This is strange.' Njal asked, ' What dost thou see which 

 seems strange ? ' He answered, ' It seems to me that the 

 he-goat lies here in the hollow place, and is bloody all over.'- 

 Njal replied there was no he-goat there, nor anything else. 

 'What is it, then ? ' inquired Thord. ' Thou must be a death- 

 fated man, and hast seen thy Fylgja,' said Njal, 'and guard 

 thyself well.' ' That will not help,' added Thord, if death is 

 fated to me ' ' (Njala, c. 41). 



" It is said that King Gorm once invited to a Yule-feast 

 his father-in-law Harald, who promised to come in the winter, 

 and the messengers so reported. 



" W T hen the time for preparation came the Jarl chose such 

 followers to the feast as he wanted. Knut went with him, but 

 it is not said how many men he had. They arrived at the 

 Lirnafjord, and as they were about to cross it they saw there 

 an oak which appeared somewhat unusual. There were growing 

 on it acorns, which were small and quite green, but under it 

 lay others both ripe and large. At this they wondered much, 

 and the Jarl thought it very strange that there should be 

 green acorns at that time of the year, for there lay near the 

 oak those which had grown during the summer. ' We will go 



1 The mead of kings (blood of warriors take my weapon for battle, as the sound 

 slain by the host of kings). of Ilmis - noise made by weapons. 



2 Shield is called here the plain of the 4 A Valkyrja. 



ring. The tree of the shield is the 5 Hedin's cloth armour. The dyed 



wand is the sword dripping with blood. 



warrior. 



3 I make ready for the sound of Ilm 



