402 RELIGION. THE VOLVAS. 



capability to teach it to me. I have come to thee because I 

 think that neither of us need envy the other as to virtue or 

 religion.' The man answered : ' I am pleased that thou 

 trustest fully in me, and more than in the belief of thyself and 

 thy kinsmen. It is strange with those who have this belief, 

 they fast and have vigils, and think thus to be able to know 

 the things they desire, and though they do such things they 

 know less of the things they wish to know the more important 

 they are. We undergo no afflictions, and yet always know the 

 things our friends think important. Now it will be so that I 

 will keep thee, because I see thou thinkest thou canst rather 

 get truth from me than from the preachers of King Ingi 

 whom he trusts fully. Thou shalt come after three nights, 

 and then we shall see whether I am able to tell thee any of the 

 things thou wishest to know.' They parted, and Hakon passed 

 three nights in the district, and then went to the wizard. He 

 was alone in a house and sighed heavily when Hakon entered, 

 stroked his forehead with his hand, and said it had taken him 

 much trouble to know the things he wished to hear of; Hakon 

 said he wanted to hear his fate. The wizard began : ' If thou 

 wishest to know thy fate it is long to tell, for it is great, and 

 many great tidings will spring from thy life and doings I 

 see in my mind that thou wilt at last become sole chief over 

 the Orkneys, but it may be thou thinkest the waiting time 

 long. I also think that thy offspring will rule there, and thy 

 next journey westward to the Orkneys will lead to great events 

 when that which springs from it appears. Thou wilt also in 

 thy days commit a crime which thou mayest redress or not to 

 the god in whom thou believest. Thy steps go further out into 

 the world than I can trace, though I think thou wilt rest thy 

 bones in its northern half. Now I have told thee what I can 

 tell thee this time, and thou mayest be satisfied or not with it.' 

 Hakon answered : ' Much tellest thou if it is true, but I think 

 it will turn out better than thou sayest, and maybe thou hast 

 not seen the truth.' The wizard said he might believe what 

 he liked, but that this would take place " (Orkneyinga, c. xxvi. 

 p. 100). 



The crime was the slaying of St. Magnus ; and the steps out 

 in the world, Kognvald's journey to the Holy Land. 



