590 



REVENGE. 



mocking words, which were chiefly in songs and lampoons 

 (nidvisur), which sometimes were also thought to possess 

 magical power, thus scaring away the guardian spirits, and 

 bringing misfortune on the person in question. The second 

 were trenid (wooden derision), that is, derisive images carved or 

 traced on wood. These were placed at spots where they 

 would draw attention, generally on the grounds of the enemy ; 

 and some of them must have corresponded to the caricatures 

 of our own times. 



These derisive songs were so much resented that Harald 

 Gormson, King of Denmark, intended to go to Iceland to take 

 revenge upon the people for a derisive song which had been 

 made upon him by an Icelander. 



" Harald Gormsson King of Denmark heard that Hakon jarl 

 had cast away Christianity, and made warfare in many places in 

 his lands. Then he levied a host and went to Norway, and 

 when he came into the realm of Hakon he plundered there, 

 and devastated the country, and went with his host to the 

 islands called Solundir. Onlv five farms were left in Laradal, 

 and all the people fled to the mountains and forests with all 

 the loose property they could take with them. Then he 

 wanted to sail 1 to Iceland, to take revenge for the derision 

 (nid) which all the Icelanders had made on him. The Ice- 

 landers had enacted a law that as many nid-songs (derisive 

 songs) should be made about the King of Denmark as there were 

 noses (heads, men) in the country. The reason for this was 

 that a ship owned by Icelanders had been wrecked in Denmark, 

 and all the property on board taken by the Danes, who called 

 it wreckage ; this was done by the king's steward Birgir, and 

 the derision was on both of them " 2 (Olaf Tryggvason's Saga, 

 c. 36). 



Derision was forbidden by law, and punished by outlawry. 



" No man shall make tongue-nid (derision) on another, nor 

 wood-nid (nid carved on wood). If it be known and proved 

 that he has done this, he is liable to outlawry ; he shall 

 redeem the offence with an oath of reconciliation ; he falls as 

 an outlaw if he is slain. No man shall make exaggeration or 



1 The text of Fornmannasogur says 

 that ne had 1200 ships. 



2 In the song, which is very coarse. 



it is said that the king and Birgir were 

 like stallion and mare. Cf. Vatnsdaela 

 Saga, c. 33. Bjbrn Hitdalakappi's Saga. 



