TEMPLES AXH TEMl'LE DOORS. 



Sagas ; its fame was so great that on special occasions people 

 from all over the North came to it. 



The two principal temples in Norway were in Hlaclir in 

 Thrandheim, and in Gudbrandsdal, 



" Gudbrand of Dalir was a great friend of Hakon Jarl. They 

 owned a temple which was the second for size in Norway, the 

 largest being at Hladir (in Thrandheim). The former was 

 never unlocked except when the Jarl came thither " (Njala, 87). 



The largest one in Denmark was in Hleidra (Zeeland), but 

 unfortunately in this case also the Sagas give no description. 

 Other temples of less repute were also built. 



The Hof or temple was often of large size, and the Sagas 

 give us examples of their appearance, some of them being of 

 great splendour; they were generally if not always rectan- 

 gular buildings, 1 with a rounded addition at one end like the 

 apse of a church. Some had two parts : an inner or more 

 sacred one, where the images of the gods were placed ; and an 

 outer one, where the sacrificial feasts were held. At the 

 blotveitsla or sacrificial feast the people seem to have remained 

 standing, high seats existing only for the blotgodi (sacrificing 

 priest). At the farther end the God (god-idols) stood on their 

 stall (altar). 



" Olaf sailed to Hladir, and had the temple broken down, 

 and all the property and ornaments taken out of it and off the 

 gods. He took a large gold ring from the temple door, which 

 Hakon Jarl had made, and then had the temple burnt. 



" Olaf sent the large gold ring which he had taken from the 

 temple door to Queen Sigrid, Storrada (the Proud) in Sweden 

 (he wanted to marry her). She had it broken, and brass was 

 found inside. She got angry, and said that Olaf was likely 

 to be false in more things than this " (Olaf Tryggvason, 6."), 

 66). 



Sometimes these buildings were magnificently furnished 

 and adorned with costly and precious metals ; their walls were 

 hung with tapestries, and otherwise ornamented, 2 and on the 

 door was a golden ring. 3 Many of them must have been the 



1 See Landnama v., 2; Hrafnkel 

 troysgodis Saga, pp. 4-6. 



2 Olaf Tryggvason Heimskringla, 



ch. 65, 66. 



3 Kjalnesinga, 2 ; Droplaugarsonn, 

 Saga about Bessi temple, Landnama v. \-, 



