398 RELIGION. THE VOLVAS. 



her, and a cushion of hen's feathers placed upon it. That 

 evening, when she came with the man sent for her, she was 

 dressed in a blue cloak with straps, set with stones down to 

 the skirts ; she wore glass beads on her neck, and a hood of 

 black lambskin lined with white catskin ; she had a knobbed 

 staff in her hand, ornamented with brass and with stones 

 around the top ; at her belt hung a large skin- bag, in which 

 she kept the charms which she needed for her foretelling. 

 She wore hairy calfskin shoes with long thongs with large 

 tin buttons on the ends ; she had on her hands white catskin 

 gloves with the fur inside. When she entered every one 

 thought it his duty to greet her with words of respect ; she 

 received this according to her liking of each of those present. 

 Thorkel took her hand and led her to the seat prepared for 

 her, and then begged of her to let her eyes run over the 

 people of the household, and over the herd, and over the 

 homestead. She spoke a little of everything. The tables were 

 set in the evening ; the food prepared for her was porridge 

 made with goat's milk, and the hearts of all kinds of animals 

 which were there. She had a spoon of brass and a knife of 

 brass with a handle of walrus-tusk, mounted with two rings ; 

 its point was broken off. After the tables were taken away, 

 Thorkel went to her and asked how she liked the looks of 

 things there in the homestead and the behaviour of the men, 

 and how soon she would ascertain what he had asked her, 

 which all were most anxious to know. She said she could not 

 tell until the next morning, after she had slept. Towards the 

 end of the following day such preparations were made for 

 her as she needed for performing the seid. She bade them 

 get women who knew the witchcraft songs which were 

 used for the seid, called varfl-lokkur (weird or fate songs) ; 

 but such women could not be found ; search was made on the 

 farm if any one knew them. Then Gudrid (the daughter of 

 an Icelander by name Thorbjorn, who had emigrated to 

 Greenland) said : ' 1 am neither skilled in witchcraft nor a 

 prophetess, but nevertheless Halldis, my foster-mother, taught 

 me a poem in Iceland, which she called varcl-lolikur? 

 ' Then thou art wise in good time,' replied Thorkel. She 

 answered, ' This is the only custom at which 1 will not assist, 

 for I am a Christian woman.' Thorbjorg added, ' It may be 

 that thou wilt help people herewith and wouldst not be a 

 lesser woman than before (and still wouldst not be lowered 

 by it), and of Thorkel I will ask the things needed.' Thor- 

 kel pressed Gudrid hard, and she consented. The women 



1 This song is lost. 



