396 RELIGION. THE VOLVAS. 



" Thereafter the boys ran out to the wood with great 

 fear ; their foster-father Kegin recognized them and was very 

 glad. The Volva had given them the good advice to run 

 away when she ran out of the hall herself. The king asked 

 men to rise and search for them. Regin extinguished all the 

 lights in the hall, and each man held the other back, for some 

 wished them to escape, and in this way they got into the 

 wood " (Hrolf Kraki's Saga, c. 3). 



The Volva Groa used spell-songs in order to get a whet- 

 stone out of Thor's head. 



" The Volva Groa, wife of Orvandil the skilled, came and 

 sang her spell-songs over Thor until the whetstone got loose. 

 When Thor felt this, and had hope of getting rid of the whet- 

 stone, he wanted to reward Groa for the cure, and make her 

 glad , he told her the tidings that he had waded southward 

 across Elivagar, and carried Orvandil in a basket on his back 

 away from Jotunheimar ; the proof of this was that one of his 

 toes had projected out of the basket and frozen so that Thor 

 broke it off and threw it upon the heaven, and made of it the 

 star called Orvandil's toe. Thor said he would soon come 

 home. Groa became so glad that she remembered no spell- 

 songs, and the whetstone did not get loose, and still sticks in 

 the head of Thor " (Skaldskaparmal, c. 17). 



The descent of the Volvas is thus described : 



All Volvas come from All sorcerers 



Vidolf, From Svarthofdi, 



All wizards from All Jotiiar 



Vilmeid, From Ymir. 



The Sagas give an interesting insight into the incantations 

 and ceremony used by the Volvas. 



' Ingjald dwelt at Hefni, north in Halogaland. He went 

 on warfare in the summer, remaining quiet during the winter. 

 Friendship existed between Ingjald and Thorstein Ketilsson, 

 and the former became the fosterer of Ingimund Thorsteinsson. 



" Once at a feast, according to ancient custom, Ingjald 

 prepared incantation (seid), that men might know their fates. 

 There was there a Finn woman skilled in witchcraft. Ingi- 

 mund and Grim (son of Ingjald) came to the feast with a great 

 many men. The Finn woman was placed high, and splendid 

 preparations made for her ; each of the men went from his 

 seat to inquire of her about their fates. She told every one 



