DEATH <>!' HOSKULD. 587 



at night?' Then the king said: 'Put him into fetters, and 

 slay him tomorrow ' ' (St. Dial's Saga, c. 120). 



" Then Arinbjorn said : ' The king will not let himself be 

 incited to all thy nithing-deeds. He \\ill not let Egil be 

 killed this night, because night-killings are murders.' The 

 king replied : ' It shall be as thou askest, Arinbjorn, that Egil 

 shall live this night ' " (Egil's Saga, c. (>2). 



Incitement to revenge was often given by women. Thor- 

 bjorg, the wife of Indridi, heard that her brother Hord had been 

 treacherously slain by Thorstein Gullknapp. 



" When she and her husband came into their bed in the 

 evening, Thorbjorg drew a sax and thrust it at Indridi ; but he 

 parried the blow with his hand and got much wounded, lie 

 said : ' Thorbjorg, it is difficult to know what to do, and thou 

 art very hard upon me. What shall I do that we may become 

 friends again ? ' ' Thou canst do nothing but fetch the head of 

 Thorstein Gullkuapp for me ' " (Hord's Saga, c. 37). 



To him who performed nabjargir (ceremony attending the 

 dead) belonged the duty of avenging the dead. 



Hoskuld, a son of Njal by his concubine Hrodny, was 

 found wounded with sixteen wounds. Hrodny laid him 

 against the wall in Njal's sheephouse and went in to Njal's 

 bed, as it was night. 



" She asked if Njal was awake. He answered : ' I have 

 slept, but now I am awake. Why art thou here so early ? ' 

 Hrodny replied : ' Rise from the bed of my rival and go out 

 with me, and also thy wife and thy sons.' They rose and 

 went out. Skarphedin said : ' Let us take our weapons with 

 us.' Njal did not speak, and they ran in and fetched their 

 weapons. Hrodny walked on in front, and when they came to 

 the sheephouse she went in and asked them to follow. She 

 took up a lantern and said : ' Here, Njal, is thy son Hoskuld 

 with many wounds on him, and he needs to be healed.' Njal 

 answered : 'I see death-marks on him, and no life-marks; why 

 hast thou not given him nabjargir, as his nostrils are open ?' 

 ' I intended Skarphedin to do that,' she answered. Skarphedin 

 walked up to Hoskuld's body and closed the nostrils, eyes, and 

 mouth. Then he asked his father, 'Who, sayest thou. is the 

 slayer? ' Njal answered : ' Lyting of Samstadir and his brothers 

 have probably slain him.' Hrodny said : 'I give it into thy 

 hands, Skarphedin, to revenge thy brother: and I expert thee 

 to behave well and perform the greatest part (in the revenge), 



