476 THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN PAGANISM AND CHRISTIANITY. 



the former : that thou shalt die in this place, and I will 

 go with fire and sword over the islands and lay waste 

 this whole realm, unless the people will believe in the 

 true God ; and, if thou shalt make this choice, then thou wilt, 

 as all others who believe in a skurdgod (carved god, idol), after a 

 sudden death, suffer terribly with the fiend in the flames of hell 

 without end.' As the Jarl was then situated, he chose to 

 embrace the true faith. 



" The Jarl and all his men were therefore baptized. There- 

 upon he became King Olafs man, and bound this with oath. 

 Sigurd Jarl then took the country as fief from the king, 

 and gave him as hostage his son Hvelp (whelp) or Hundi (dog), 

 whom King Olaf had baptized with the name Hlodver, and 

 taken to Norway. Thereupon King Olaf sailed from the 

 Orkneys, and left behind learned men to teach the people 

 in the holy faith. The king and the jarl then separated as 

 friends " (St. Olafs Saga). 



The later accounts of the struggle between the two creeds 

 show how many crimes were committed avowedly in the name 

 of conscience and religion, but really in that of superstition 

 and ignorance, which brings with it bigotry, vandalism and 

 murder, the curse of mankind ; and we see that the people had 

 a dislike to the adoption of Christian names. 



" He (King Olaf, the Saint) had Hrserek blinded in both eyes 

 and took him with him ; he had the tongue of Gudrod, King of 

 Dalir, cut out ; Hring and two others he forced to give oaths 

 that they would leave Norway and never come back " (St. Olaf, 

 Heirnskringla, c. 74). 



" Olaf Tryggvason and Bishop Sigurd both went with many 

 warships to Godey (god-isle), where Baud the Strong, a man 

 of sacrifices, lived. Olaf attacked the loft where Baud slept, 

 and broke it and went in. Baud was taken and tied, and of 

 the men in there some were killed and others taken. Baud 

 was led before the king, who bade him let himself be 

 baptized ; ' then,' said the king, ' I will not take thy property, 

 but be thy friend if thou wilt do this.' Baud cried out 

 against this, and said he would never believe in Christ, and 

 blasphemed much. The king grew angry, and said Baud 

 should die the most hideous death. He had him taken out 

 and lashed to a beam, a stick was placed between his teeth to 

 force open his mouth, in which a snake was placed ; but it 

 would not go in, and recoiled, because he blew against it. 

 Then the king had a stalk of angelica put in Baud's mouth ; 



