50 THE ARVEL, OR INHERITANCE FEAST. 



It appears that the right of sitting in the high-seat, conveyed 

 with it the right to rule over household and laud. 



" When King Harald (Fairhair) was eighty winters old he 

 became heavy in his movements, so that he thought he could 

 not journey about the country or conduct the affairs of the 

 realm. He then led his son Eirik into his high-seat, and gave 

 him power over the whole country. 



" When his other sons heard of this, Halfdan the black 

 placed himself in a king's high-seat and took the rule over 

 the whole of Thrandheim, and all the Thrands supported 

 him in this. But when the men of Vikin heard of it, they 

 took Olaf as king over the whole of Vikin, which Eirik did 

 not like " (Olaf Tryggvason, vol. i. ; Fornmanna Hogur). 



" It is said that one day when the people went to locjberg 

 (the place of the court at the Althing], Olaf (son of Hoskuld, a 

 chief who had died shortly before) rose and asked for silence, 

 and told the people first of the decease of his father : ' Here are 

 now many of his kinsmen and friends ; it is the wish of my 

 brothers that I invite to the arvel after the death of our father, 

 Hoskuld, all temple-priests, for most of his relatives are likely 

 to be prominent men ; I declare that none of the more high- 

 born men shall go away without gifts ; we also want to invite 

 the bo3ndr and every one who will accept, rich and poor ; ten 

 weeks before the beginning of winter you will come to a feast 

 lasting half a month at Hoskuldstadir.' When Olaf ended his 

 speech he was cheered, and his speech was thought very fine. 

 When Olaf returned to his booth he told his brothers the plan ; 

 they did not like it, and thought too much had been offered. 

 After the Althing the brothers rode home. The summer passed, 

 and the brothers made ready for the feast ; Olaf contributed the 

 third part lavishly, and it was prepared in the best manner. 

 Great preparations were made, for it was believed that many 

 would come. At the appointed time most men of rank who 

 had promised came ; they were so many, that people say there 

 were not less than nine hundred (1080). This feast had the 

 greatest number of guests in Iceland, next to that which the 

 sons of Hjalti made after their father, where twelve hundred 

 were present (1440). In all respects it was very fine, and the 

 brothers got much honour, but Olaf, who gave as much as 

 both his brothers, the most ; gifts were given to all men of 

 prominence " (Laxdaela, c. 27). 



" Every man shall himself rule his property, so long as he 

 can sit in his high-seat, man as well as woman. If a man gets 

 so much out of wits that it seems to his kinsmen on male and 



