DOORWAYS. 243 



The carved doorways with illustrations from the Eddaic 

 songs must have been taken from buildings of a far earlier 

 date than the churches, but it is impossible to tell the date. 

 Some of the carvings are from two inches in depth to a line. 



Only in two places are stone-built (steinholl) halls mentioned. 



" Gunnhild, Queen of Norway, said to Ogmund (one of her 

 men) : ' Show them (Rut and his men) the way to my house, 

 and make a good feast for them there.' Ogmund went with 

 them to a stone-hall, covered with the finest tapestry " (Njala, 

 ch. 3). 1 



King Atli sent an invitation to the sons of Gjuki, Gunnar 

 and Hogni, brothers of Gudrun, his wife. 



Atli sent " Atli sent me to ride 



Early to Gunnar, Hither on his errand 



A man skilled in riding ; On a horse chafing the bit 



Knefrod was he called; Through the unknown dark forest 



He came to the burgh of Gjuki To bid you both, Gunnar, 



And to the hall of Gunnav, To come to the bench 



To the benches around the fire, With eagle-beaked helmets 



And to the well-loved beer. To call on him." 



We own seven halls 



There the warriors drank Full of swords ; 



Wine in the foreign hall, Of each of these 



Silent and hiding their fear ; The guards are of gold ; 



They feared the wrath of the Hunar ; I know my horse is best, 

 Then shouted Knefrod, My sword the sharpest ; 



The southern man, My bow adorns the bench, 



With a chilling voice, My brynjas are of gold, 



Sitting on a high bench My helmet and shield are the whitest. 



(Atlakvida.) 



The scene depicted on the door-jambs on the following 

 page is thus described : 



"King Atli urged his host to make a fierce assault; they 

 fought hard, but the Gjukimgar made an attack so violent 

 that he retreated into the hall, and they fought inside very 

 sharply. Many fell, and at last all the men of the brothers 

 (Gunnar and Hogni) were slain, so that they tw^o alone were 

 alive ; but before that many a man went to Hel by their 

 weapons. King Gunnar was attacked, and because of over- 

 whelming force was captured and fettered. Thereupon Hogni 



1 Cf. also Heimskringla. 



R 2 



