CHRISTIAN CLINGING TO THE OLD FAITH. 465 



had been baptized, and that most of those who came from the 

 West (British Islands) had been baptized. Among them are 

 named Helgi the Lean, Orlyg the Old, Helgi Bjola, Jorund the 

 Christian, Aud the Deep-minded, Ketil, and others who came 

 from the West ; and some of them kept Christianity well 

 till their death-day ; but their families seldom preserved it, 

 for some of their sons raised temples and sacrificed, and all 

 the land was heathen for nearly one hundred winters " (Laiid- 

 mima, v., c. 15). 



Sigurd Thorisson, when a heathen, was accustomed to keep 

 the three feasts held during the year ; he afterwards adapted 

 them to the new religion, which was destined finally to oust 

 paganism. 



" When he became a Christian he continued his custom with 

 the feasts. He then had in the autumn a great feast for his 

 friends, and a Yule-feast in the winter, and still invited many 

 people ; the third feast he had at Easter-time (Pdskar), and then 

 also invited many. This he continued while he lived" (St. 

 Olaf s Saga, 123). 



But the struggle continued for some time, for the people 

 were loth to abandon the ancient faith, and Hakon was obliged, 

 as king, to assist at the sacrificial feast at the temple at Hladir. 

 Sigurd jarl on one occasion dedicated the first toast to Odin, 

 and the king drank out of the horn, first making the sign of 

 the cross over it. One. of those present who watched him saw 

 this, which displeased him very much ; whereupon we see by 

 the answer of Sigurd that he tried to make the people believe 

 that it was Thor's sign, from which we must conclude that the 

 two signs were very much alike. 



The following day the bcendr, who wanted the king to observe 

 the tenets of the ancient belief, wished him to eat horse- 

 flesh, then to drink the gravy, and finally to eat the fat ; but 

 as he would do none of these, he had to " open his mouth over 

 the handle of the kettle." At the Frostathing, Hakon made 

 a speech, wherein he said he wanted the people to be Christians 

 and keep Sundays, which the boandr did not like. Asbjorn, a 

 powerful bondi, answered thus : 



" ' When thou didst hold a Tiling the first time in Thrand- 

 heim, and we had taken thee for king and got our odals, we 

 thought we had grasped heaven with our hands; now we do not 



VOL. i. 2 H 



