CHESS. 353 



resembling it, was known in the North ; skill in playing it was 

 held to be an accomplishment worthy of powerful chiefs. 

 Judging from the numerous finds, the game must have been 

 very common. It must have been of very great antiquity, for 

 it is mentioned in Voluspa. 



The game, of which there were several varieties, though in 

 what they differed we do not know, was called tafl, 1 and the 

 pieces toflur. In Hnot-tafl, the pieces were called " liunar " 

 (sing, hunn, or huni). 



Hnefa-tafl was played with black and white pieces ; one of 

 them, probably the most important, was called Hnefi, from 

 which the name of this peculiar game is probably derived. 

 Skak, or Skak-taft, was played on a board divided into squares, 

 and seems to have been most like the present chess. 2 The 

 board was like the chessboard of our day. To learn the game 

 was part of the education of the high-born, and was considered 

 idrottir. It must have been a great pastime on board ship, 

 for in many of the pieces found are little holes in the centre for 

 pegs, which made them fast and prevented them from being 

 upset or changing place when the vessel rolled. The placing 

 of the pieces was decided by the throwing of dice. 



" After the battle at the river Helga, Ulf jarl made a feast 

 for Knut at Roiskelda. They played skaktafl, but the king was 

 very gloomy. . . . When they had played for a while, the jarl 

 took one of the king's knights ; the king put the piece back, 

 and told him to make another move. The jarl got angry, 

 upset the chessboard (taflbord), and went away ' : (St. Olaf's 

 Saga, ch. 163). 



The board itself was often very costly, being sometimes made 

 of gold, and was counted among valuable inheritances, and as 

 worthy of adorning the temple of the gods ; it was such a 

 treasure that Hrolf Nefia, at the risk of his life, sought to 

 capture one in the temple of Bjarmaland. 



Sturlaug went to Bjarmaland, and with his men walked up 

 to a temple. 



" He looked into the temple and saw a very large (image of) 



1 Cf. Kormak, c. iii. ; Herd's Saga, 



2 



Cf. Hervarar Saga, 15. 



c. 21. 



VOL. II. 2 A 



