ABOLITION OF DUELLING. 577 



holrn ' (an islet in the Axe-river (Oxara) ). Hrafn replied : ' This 

 is well offered, as was to be expected from thee, arid I am ready 

 when thou wishest.' This the kinsmen of both thought 

 lamentable, but it nevertheless was the law in that time to 

 bid to liolmganga the person by whom a man thought himself 

 wronged. After three nights they made ready for the liolmganga, 

 and Illugi the Black followed his son to the place with very 

 many men, but Skapti (lawman) followed Hrafn and his 

 father and other kinsmen. . . . Hermund held the shield before 

 his brother Gtmnlaug, and Sverting Hafr-Bjarnarson that 

 before Hrafn. The one who first got wounded had to redeem 

 himself from the holmgauga with three marks of silver. Hrafn 

 had the first blow, for he was the challenged one, and he cut 

 into the top of Gunnlaug's shield, and his sword broke at the 

 guards, as the blow was given with great force. The sword- 

 point rebounded from the shield, and struck Gunnlaug on the 

 cheek, and he was a little hurt. Both their fathers and many 

 others stepped between them. Gunnlaug said, ' I claim that 

 Hrafn is defeated, for he is weaponless.' Hrafn replied, ' And 

 I claim that thou art beaten, for thou art wounded.' Gunnlaug 

 at this grew very angry, and cried that this was not fought 

 out. His father Illugi would allow them to fight no more at 

 that time. Gunnlaug added that next time when he and 

 Hrafn were to meet he hoped his father would be too 

 far away to part them. After this they separated, and the 

 men went back to their booths. On the following day a law 

 was enacted at the law-court (of the Thing) that thenceforth 

 all holmgangas should be abolished ; this was done at the 

 advice of the wisest men in the land who were there present ' 

 (Gunnlaug Ornistunga). 



VOL. I. 2 P 



