MAREIAGE. 



rank than her brothers, I am as good a man as they.' Bjorn 

 said : ' Let us do it.' The kings sat on their father's mound, 

 and Fridthjof saluted them ; afterwards he asked their sister 

 Ingibjorg, Beli's daughter, in marriage. The kings said : It 

 is very unwise to ask us to give her in marriage to a man of 

 no rank, and we refuse it.' Fridthjof said : ' Then my errand 

 is ended. I will never hereafter give you any help though 

 you may need it " (Fridthjof s Saga, c. 2). 



" And Bjorn was .king over Firdafylki. His jarl was Hroald, 

 and Thorir was his son. Atli the Thin was then jarl at 

 Gaular. His children were Hallstein, Holmstein, Herstein, 

 and Solveig the fair. One autumn many people were at 

 Gaular at an autumn sacrifice. Then Olvir Hniifa saw Solveig, 

 and liked her well. He asked her in marriage, but the jarl 

 thought there was inequality of rank and would not consent 

 to the marriage. Thereupon Olvir made many songs of love. 

 He loved Solveig so much that he left off Viking expeditions " 

 (Egil's Saga, c. 2). 



" Grimkel, a godi, said : ' I am told for certain, Valbrand, that 

 thou hast a daughter called Signy, who is very accomplished ; 

 [ want to ask her in marriage, if thou wilt marry her to me.' 

 Valbrand answered : ' It is known to us that thou art of good 

 kin and art wealthy, and a great champion ; I will give a 

 favourable answer to this ' ' (Hord's Saga, c. 3). 



" I (Harald Fairhair) have thought of a match for thee ; it was 

 in my mind when thou didst endanger thy life formine. Vigdis, 

 the daughter of Thorir jarl the Silent, is a most handsome 

 woman, and has much property ; I will marry her to thee. 

 Ingimund thanked him and consented" ( Vatnsdasla Saga, c. 12). 



In order that marriage should be regarded as perfectly 

 lawful, the woman had to be " mundi keypt " ; that is, bought 

 with mund l acquired by a legal agreement between the man on 

 one side, and the parents or guardians of the intended bride 

 on the other, in regard to the dower or property agreed on both 

 sides as belonging to the bride. 



" The sons of Hildirid went to Thorolf and presented their 

 claim to the property of their lather Bjorgolf. Thorolf 

 answered : I know of Brynjolf, and still better of Bard, that 

 they were men of such generosity that they would have given 

 you of the inheritance of Bjorgolf as much as they knew you 

 had a right to. ^ I was present when you pressed this same 

 claim against Bard, and I heard that he thought there were no 



1 The mimd was the property or money which the suitor was to give to the bride. 



