RETURN TO HEATHENISM. 473 



" When Haralcl G-ormsson the Dana king had become a 

 Christian, he sent an order throughout his realm that all the 

 people should get baptized and be converted to the true faith. 

 He went round himself, and punished and forced those who were 

 unwilling. He sent two jarls to Norway with many men to preach 

 Christianity there ; their names were Urguthrjot and Brimis- 

 skjar. Many people were baptized in the Vikin which belong' < I 

 to King Harald. After Harald's death his son Svein Tjiigu- 

 skegg (forked beard) soon went on an expedition to Saxland 

 and Frisland, and later to England. The Northmen who had 

 adopted Christianity turned again to their sacrifices as before, 

 like the people did in the northern part of the country 

 (Norway). Olaf Tryggvason said he would christianize the 

 whole of Norway or lose his life. ' I will make you all great 

 and powerful men, for I trust you best for the sake of kinship 

 and other relationship.' They all consented to do whatever he 

 commanded, and follow him in all that he wished, with all those 

 who would take their advice. Then Olaf made known to the 

 people that he would preach Christianity to all men in his 

 realm " (Olaf Tryggvason, Heimskringla, c. 59). 



"Blot (worship by sacrifice) is forbidden to us we shall 

 neither worship heathen voettir (guardian spirits), nor gods, nor 

 mounds (hangar), nor altars (horgs). If a man is known and 

 convicted of secretly throwing up a mound, or making a house 

 and calling it horg, or raising a pole and calling it skdldstong 

 (i.e., imprecation-pole), he shall thereby forfeit every penny of 

 his property " (King Sverri's Kristinrett). 1 



It is curious to see how Christian ideas were transformed. 

 The poet Eilif Gudrunarson says of Christ, that he is " strong 

 against the Jotnar" ; he was possibly thinking of Thor. Hal- 

 i'red says the Christian dogmas are not more poetical than the 

 old belief. 



In a fragment of a song on Christ, the poet Eilif Gudruuar- 

 son says that Christ sits at the well of Urd (Later Edda, 

 Skaldskaparmal, 52) 



" Men say he (Christ) sits on a rock Has strengthened himself with the 

 South at the well of Urd. lands of Rome." 



Thus the mighty lord of the gods 



It appears that the eating of horseflesh was forbidden by 

 the early Christians. The Emperor Otto having consulted his 



1 Cf. also Gulathing's Law, c. 29. 



