D V ELLIN G REG ULA TIONS. 



565 



If one 



" This was the holniganga law : that the cloak should be 

 10 feet from one end to the other, with loops in the corners, 

 and in these should be put down pegs, having a head at the 

 upper end ; these were called tjosnur. The one who made 

 the preparations must go toward the pegs, hold his ear-lobes, 

 and stand with his feet apart, seeing the sky between them, 

 using the formulary which was afterwards used at the sacrifice 

 called Tjosnullot (peg sacrifice). Three squares, each one font 

 wide, must be marked around the cloak. Outside the squares 

 must be placed four poles, called hoshir (hazel poles) : it was 

 called a hazetted field when it was prepared thus. 



" Each man must have three shields, and when these were 

 made useless he must stand upon the cloak, even if he had 

 walked out of it before, and thereafter defend himself with his 

 weapons. 



" He who had been challenged was to strike first, 

 was wounded so that blood ^ 

 came upon the cloak he was 

 not obliged to fight any longer. 

 If either stepped with one of 

 his feet outside the hazel poles, 

 it was held he had retreated ; 

 and if he stepped outside with 

 both, he was held to have fled. 

 One man was to hold the 

 shield before each of the com- 

 batants. The one who had re- 

 ceived most wounds was to pay 

 as liolmlausn (i.e., indemnity for 

 being released from the fight) 

 three marks of silver. 



" Thorgils held the shield of his brother, and Thord Arndi- 

 sarson that of Bersi, who struck the first blow and cleft 

 Kormak's shield. Kormak struck at Bersi in the same way. 

 Each of them spoiled three shields for the other. Then 

 Kormak had to strike ; he struck, and Bersi parried with 

 Hutting. Skofnung cut off its point in front of the ridge, and 

 the sword-point fell on Kormak's hand, and he was wounded 

 in the thumb, whose joint was rent, and blood came on the 

 cloak. Thereupon men intervened, and did not want them to 

 go on fighting. Kormak said, ' It is little victory which Bersi 

 has got from my accident, though we part now ' ' (Kormak's 

 Saga, c. 10). 







Fig. 780. Plan of Holmganga Ground. 



me, 

 me. 



'"But I think that thou tellest the difficulties in fighting 

 said Viking, ' and that thou despairest when thou seest 



so, and I must save thy life, as 



Harek said : ' It is not 



