554 THE OATH AND OEDEAL. 



of silver, lay on the altar of each head temple, and was there- 

 fore called altar-ring, or " stalla-hring" The godi was required 

 to have it on his arm at every Thing, so that it was always at 

 hand if needed. The man who took the oath held his hand 

 upon the ring, 1 and in the presence of witnesses called upon 

 the Asar and begged their help. Three Asar, Frey, Njord, 

 and Odin, were always called upon. 



The oath upon the Bible, a practice found to exist to this 

 day among people chiefly descended from the North, is but a 

 form of the ancient laws, and, like many others, was adopted 

 with Christianity. 



" A ring, weighing two aurar or more, was to lie in every 

 head temple on the altar, and every godi was to wear it on his 

 arm at all Law-things which he should hold himself, and to 

 redden it in the blood of the cattle which he himself sacrificed 

 there. Every man who had to perform legal duties there had 

 first to take an oath on this ring and name two or more wit- 

 nesses, and say : ' I call to witness that I take oath on the ring, 

 a lawful oath, so help me Frey and Njord, and the Almighty 

 As (Odin), to defend or prosecute this case, or give the 

 evidence, verdict, or judgment which I know to be most true 

 and right and lawful, and to perform everything as prescribed 

 by law which I may have to perform while I am at this 

 Thing ' " (Landnama, iv. c. 7). 2 



In a fight against Glum, Thorvald Krok was slain; the 

 people were in doubt if the slaying had been done by Glum 

 or one of his men. At the Althing it was decided that Glum 

 should take an oath the following autumn that he had not 

 slain Thorvald, and he was to take the oath in three temples 

 in Eyjafjord. 



" The man who was to take a temple oath held in his hand 

 a silver ring which had been reddened in the blood of the bull 

 which had been sacrificed, and it must weigh not less than 

 three aurar. Then Glum said these words : ' I call Asgrim 

 and Gizor as witnesses that 1 take a temple oath on the ring, 

 and I tell the Asar that I was not there, and I fought not 

 there, and I did not redden point and edge where Thorvald 

 Krok was slain ; now Jet those who are wise and are present 

 here look to my oath.' The others could not find fault, and 



1 Buug-eid, or " ring-oath," is men- | 2 Cf. also Eyrbyggja, c. 4, 16, 44. 

 tioned in Havamal, stanza 110. 



