EYLKJAS EMBLEMATIC OF PERSOX. 417 



upon I saw a large dragon fly to where the stag was, at once 

 seize it in its claws, and tear it asunder. Then I saw a she- 

 bear with her cub, which the dragon wanted to take, but the 

 bear defended it ; and then I awoke.' She answered : ' This 

 is a remarkable dream ; and beware thou of King Ivar, my 

 father, that he does not deceive thee when thou meetest him, 

 for thou hast seen kings' fylgjas, and there will be fights with 

 them, and it will be well if this stag is not thy own fylgja, 

 which seems most likely to me" 1 (Sogubrot, c. 2). 



" That morning Thorstein awoke in his room, and said : 

 ' Art thou awake, Thorir ? ' 'I am,' answered Thorir, ' but 

 have slept till now.' Thorstein said : ' 1 want to get ready to 

 go away from this room, tor I know that Joknll will come 

 hither to-day with many men.' ' I do not think so,' said 

 Thorir, 'and will not go; but how hast thou found it out?' 

 " 1 dreamt,' said Thorstein, ' that thirty wolves ran hither and 

 seven bears, with an eighth red-cheeked bear, which was large 

 .and fierce ; with them also were two she- foxes, which ran ahead 

 of the flock and were rather fierce-looking ; I disliked them most. 

 All the wolves attacked us, and it seemed to me that at last 

 they tore all my brothers asunder, except thee alone ; but 

 nevertheless thou didst fall. Many thought I was killed by 

 the bears, but I killed all the wolves and the smaller she-fox ; 

 then I fell. What thinkest thou this dream signifies ? ' said 

 Thorir. ' I think,' said Thorstein, ' that the large red-cheeked 

 bear is Jokul's fylgja, but that the other bears are the fylgja 

 of his brothers, and all the wolves I have seen are men with 

 them, for they are likely to show the tempers of wolves to us. 

 With regard to the two she-foxes, I do not know the men who 

 have those fylgja ; I think they have lately come to Jokul, 

 and they must be disliked by most men ' " (Thorstein Vikings- 

 son, c. 12). 



The child of an Icelandic woman by name of Orny, having 

 been exposed, 2 was saved by a boudi named Krumrn, and by 

 him raised as his own, and called Thorstein. One day when 

 the boy was seven years of age Krumm went with him to Kross- 

 .avik, where the grandfather of the boy, Geitir, lived. While 

 there he rushed forward on the floor, as is the habit of children, 

 stumbled and fell. As Geitir laughed, the boy asked him why 

 he found it so funny. Geitir answered :- 



1 Persuaded by Ivar Vidfadmi, Hroerek 

 -slew his brother Helgi, thinking he was 

 too good friends with his wife. After- 

 wards Ivar slew Hroerek in a fight. In 



the wild beast, Ivar is the dragon, and 

 the she-bear with the cub is Aud with 

 her son. 



2 See Exposure of Children, Vol. II., 



the dream Hroerek is the stag, Helgi is 



VOL. I. 2 E 



