SACRIFICES AFTER DUELS. 567 



Egil Skallagrimsson had summoned Atli before the Gula- 

 tltiit.g to get some property belonging to his wife, which he 

 claimed that Atli had. The latter offered to prove by the 

 oath of himself and twelve other men that he had no property 

 belonging to Egil. But Egil said he did not want to take the 

 oath for his property, and added : 



" I will offer thee another law to settle the case with, 

 namely, that we fight in a holmganga here at the Thing, ;md 

 he who gets the victory shall have this property. What Egil 

 said was law and an ancient custom, that every one, whether 

 .he was defendant or plaintiff, had the right to challenge the 

 other party to holmganga. Then Atli and Egil shook hands, 

 and settled it between themselves that they should tight a 

 holmganga, and he who got the victory should possess those 

 estates about which they contended, it was the custom of 

 duellers not to draw their sword on the place of holmganga, 

 but let the sword hang on the arm, so that it was ready at once 

 whenever they wanted it " (Egil's Saga, c. 57). 



It seems to have been customary, after both kinds of 

 duel, to offer sacrifice of one or two oxen, which the victor 

 slaughtered. 



" A large and old bull was led forward ; it was called sacrifice- 

 bull ; he who got the victory was to kill it. Sometimes one 

 bull was sacrificed ; sometimes each of the combatants brought 

 one " (Egil's Saga, c. 68). 



There seems to have been a peculiar kind of holmganga 

 called Kerganga, but the regulations concerning this mode of 

 fighting are not explained. 



Thorgils, an Icelander, dwelt at Hakon jarl's, in Norway. 



" He went on a trading journey to Upplond and Sweden 

 and dwelt in the winter at the house of a bondi called Thrand, 

 a wealthy man, who had a daughter, Sigrid. A man called 

 Randvid wished to marry her ; he was a wicked man, and a 

 great champion. Thrand refused his consent to the marriage ; 

 then Kandvid offered to Thrand a kind of holiuganga. which is 

 called Kerganga (tub-going). The fight takes place in ,-i tub, 

 which is closed above, and Thrand preferred to fight with a 

 wooden club rather than marry his daughter to so wicked a 

 man. Then Thorgils said to Thrand : 'Thou hast entertained 

 me well, and I will reward it witn good, and fight against 



