PROFESSIONAL DUELLERS. 569 



as Klit wanted. Hoskuld added : ' Then let us go to the booth 

 of Gunnar and give up the property.' They went to the 

 booth and called Gunnar, who went out to the door of the 

 booth. Hoskuld said : ' Now receive the property.' Gunnar 

 replied : ' Then give it up, for I am ready to receive it.' They 

 made over all the property completely ' l (Njala, c. 24). 



" When they had fought a while Thorgils cut off the end of 

 Svurt's shield and his foot ; but then it was law that men got 

 the inheritance of the man who fell in a liolmganga. There- 

 upon Thorgils cut off Svart's head and took all his ships and 

 property" (Floamanna Saga, c. 16). 



One cause of constant duelling was a challenge given on 

 account of women ; and some men, especially Berserks, went 

 about from place to place making duelling a profession. 

 It was quite common for a maid who had several suitors to say 

 that she would accept the one who should be victorious in a 

 duel. This often resulted in the death of one or more of the 

 combatants ; and it appears that even fathers were sometimes 

 challenged by the suitors. 



" One winter there came to Yors (Voss) Thorstein, a 

 kinsman of the brothers Ivar and Hreidar (with whom the 

 Icelander Eyiilf was stopping), who owned a farm in Upplond. 

 He told his trouble, which was that a Berserk, Asgaut 

 by name, had challenged him to liolmganga because he 

 refused to give his sister to him ; he asked them to follow 

 him with many men to the liolmganga. They did not like to 

 refuse, and went with thirty men to Upplond and to the place 

 where the meeting was to be. They asked their men if any 

 one wanted to win a wife by liolmganga against Asgaut ; but, 

 although they thought the woman fair, no one was ready to do 

 this. The brothers asked Eyiilf to hold the shield before 

 Thorstein. Eyiilf said he had done that for no one, not even for 

 himself. ' I shall not be happy if he is slain on my hands ' 

 (i.e. while I hold the shield before him) ; ' there seems to me no 

 fame in this. If the man is killed, shall we then go home, 

 leaving matters thus, or get a second and a third champion ? 

 Our disgrace will increase the more, the more men of ours 

 fall; and little honour will there be on our journey if we 

 go back with Thorsteiu unavenged, if he falls. Bathrr ask 

 of rne to go into liolmganga against the Berserk ; that is 

 helping one's friend, but the other I will not assist in.' 



1 Of. nlso Gisli Sursson's Saga. 



