WEAPONS. 



Ho3iig took from Gusi, the king of the Finnar ; they bite 

 everything they are aimed at, for they are forged by Dvergar. 

 Odd said : 'No gifts have I which I think equally fine.' He 

 thanked his father, and they parted with friendship " (Orvar 

 Odd's Saga, c. 4). 1 



Slings and stones thrown. Stone-throwing was an impor- 

 tant means of attack. Stones were sometimes thrown by hand, 

 but oftener with slings, particularly in sea-fights, and the art 

 was brought to great perfection. Slings were also used on 

 land by bodies of men who had no other weapons. 3 The 

 stone-throwers are mentioned as occupying the flanks in King 

 Hedin's army ; and the slingers stood in the last ranks of 

 King Hring's order of battle on Bravalla heath. 



As heavy stones could not be thrown any great distance by 

 mere muscular strength, machines were employed, called TW- 

 slongva. 



The chief Sturla Sighvatsson was attacking his enemies, 

 who defended themselves inside a high wall. 



" Sturla walked about outside, and took a stone ; he threw 

 stones better than any man, and usually hit the mark. He 

 said: 'It seems to me if I wished to throw a stone, that I, 

 rather than you, would choose where it should hit ; but I will 

 not try it now,' and he then threw down the stone" (Sturlunga, 

 v., ch. 17). 



"Bui (the son of Andrid, in Brautarholt) would never 

 carry any weapon but a sling, which he always wore tied round 

 him. Biii was outlawed because he did not want to sacrifice. 

 Once when lie was on a journey, Thorstein, a son of the chief 

 Thorgrim, attacked him with eleven men. Bui had come to a 

 hill called Kleberg, where he saw them pursuing him ; he 

 stopped and gathered some stones. Thorstein and his men 

 went fast, and when they had passed a brook which was there, 

 they heard the sling of Bui whistle and a stone flew ; it struck 

 the breast of one of Thorstein's men and killed him. Bui sent 

 more stones, and hit a man with each one. By this time 

 Thorstein had almost come up to him ; Bui retreated down 

 the hill on the other side " (Kjalnesinga Saga, ch. 3). 



Defensive weapons. The shield, the form of which, as we 





1 Cf. also Ketil Hoeng's Saga, c. 3. 



2 See Mnguus the Good's Saga, c. .'!! ; 



alsn Sturlunga, v. c. 17 ; Faereyinga Saga, 

 c. 18. 



