DISAPPEARANCE OF THE HERSIR. 



495 



it was made of stones, and lime and wood. When the mound 

 was finished the brothers heard that Harald Fairhair was 

 coming with a host. Then Herlaug had a great deal of food 

 and drink conveyed to the mound, and went with eleven men 

 into the mound and had it shut. Hrollaug went to the mound 

 on whicli the kings used to sit and had his high-seat prepared 

 for him there and sat down ; he had cushions laid on the foot- 

 board where the jarls used to sit ; then he rolled himself 

 down from his high-seat into the jarl's seat, and gave himself 

 the name of a jarl. Thereafter he met Harald and gave him 

 his whole realm, and offered to become his man, and told him 

 what he had done. Harald took a sword and fastened it to 

 his belt ; then he fastened a shield to his neck and made him 

 his jarl, and led him up to his high- seat ; he gave him 

 Naumudalsfylki and made him jarl over it ' (Heirnskringla, 

 p. 53). 



" Halfdan the old had nine sons by Alvig the Wise, daughter 

 of King Eyvind of Holmgard. They were called Thengil, 

 Rsesir, Gram, Gylfi, Hilmir, Jofur. Tyggi, Skyli or Skuli, 

 Harri or Herra. 1 These nine brothers became so famous in 

 warfare that in all songs their names are used as names of 

 rank, like the names of kings or jarls. They had no children, 

 and fell in battle " (Halfdan the Old, Later Edda). 



The Lendir menn. With the disappearance of the Hersir 

 a new class of men, called Lendir menn, arose, who ranked 

 below the Jarl, and whose office was somewhat similar to that 

 of the Hersir ; but they received their dignity, which was not 

 hereditary, from the king, and it seldom happened that any 

 one but the son of such a one was raised to the dignity. 



Before a hundred years had passed after Harald Fairhair's 

 usurpation of power, the Lendir menn had won such a position 

 in the state that the rulers of the country always had to seek 

 their help. They were the leaders and trusty advisers of the 

 Bondi. 



" Shortly after Yule, Svein Jarl gathered men all around 

 Thrandheirn, summoned the levy, and prepared his ships. At 

 this time'there were in Norway many lendir menn, several of 

 whom were powerful, and so high-born that they were near 

 descendants of kings or jarls ; they were also very rich. Kings 



1 Herra = a lord, or master, was only 

 used as a title after the year 1277, when 

 knights and barons were first introduced 



into Norway. The word is derived from 

 Her (host), thus meaning; the lord, or 

 perhaps at first the leader of a host. 



