460 SUPERSTITIONS. DREAMS. 



worst of all serpents existing, the Midgardsorm.' The king 

 answered in great anger : ' li'thou tellest me I am death-doomed. 

 I can tell thee thou shalt live no longer, for I know thee, thou 

 great Thurs. Now corne nearer, thou Midgardsorm, and let 

 us try our strength.' The king rushed from the lypting, and 

 was so angry that he jumped out under the lower eclge of the 

 tent. Hord plunged into the sea from the rock, and the men 

 on the watch on board the king's ship saw neither of them 

 come up on the surface afterwards " (Sogubrot, c. 3). 



" He (Grjiiki) had three sons, Gunnar, Hogni, and Guttorm. 

 Gudriin, his daughter, was a most famous maiden. . . . Gjiiki 

 was married to Grimhild, the witchcraft-knowing. King Budli 

 was more powerful than Gjiiki, though both were powerful. 

 Atli, the brother of Brynhild (Budli's daughter), was a cruel, 

 large, swarthy man, but of an imposing look, and the greatest 

 warrior. Grimhild was a woman of fierce mind. The Gjukungs 

 flourished much, mostly because of their children who surpassed 

 most others. Once Gudriin told her maidens that she could 

 not be merry. A woman asked her what was the reason. She 

 answered : ' We did not get good luck in dreams, and the 

 sadness of my heart thou didst ask about is caused by a 

 dream.' The woman said : ' Tell me, and let it not sadden 

 thee, for dreams often forbode the weather.' Gudriin said: 

 ' This one does not. I dreamt that I saw a fine hawk on my 

 hand ; its feathers had a golden colour.' The woman said : 

 ' Many have heard of your beauty, wisdom, and courtesy ; the 

 son of some king will ask thee in marriage.' Gudriin said : 

 ' .Nothing did I think better than the hawk, and I would 

 rather have lost all my property than lose it.' The woman 

 said : ' Thy husband will be a great man, and thou wilt love 

 him much.' Gudriin said : ' It grieves me that I do not know 

 who he is ; let us go to Brynhild, she will know it.' They 

 made ready with gold and great beauty, and went with their 

 maidens till they came to Brynhild's hall, which was adorned 

 with gold, and stood on a mountain. When they were seen, 

 Brynhild was told that many women in gilded waggons 1 drove 

 towards the burgh. She replied : ' That must be Gudriin, 

 Gjiiki's daughter ; I dreamt of her this night ; let us go out 

 and meet her ; handsomer women (than she) cannot visit us.' . . . 

 Gudriin said : ' I dreamt that many of us walked together from 

 the skemma 2 and saw a large hart which far surpassed other 

 deer ; its hair was of gold. We all wished to catch it, but I 

 alone succeeded, and I loved it above all other things. Then 

 thou didst shoot it at my knees, which was such a sorrow to 



1 See Vol. II.; Frontispiece. 



