CHESS. 355 



was afterwards seen. They were almost of the same age" 

 (G-unnlaug Ormstunga, 4). 



" One night in the spring Thorir could not sleep ; he walked 

 out and it rained hard ; he heard a loud bleating from where 

 the lambs were separated from the ewes ; Thorir walked there 

 and saw that two kids and two lambs were lying tied on the 

 wall of the fold, and in the fold sat two women playing at 

 chess ; the pieces were made of silver, but all the red ones 

 were gilded. They were much startled. Thorir got hold of 

 them and seated them at his side, and asked why they stole 

 his sheep. . . . Thorir agreed that they might take the sheep 

 with them, but that he should have the chessboard and what 

 belonged to it ; on the strings of the taflpung (chess-bag) 

 was a gold ring set with stones, and a silver ring was in the 

 chessboard. Thorir took all this, and they parted " (Grullthori's 

 Saga, ch. 14). 



The temper of the players did not always remain un- 

 ruffled. 



" It happened that Thorgils Bodvarsson and Sam Magniisson 

 quarrelled over a game of chess ; Sam wanted to move back a 

 knight which he had exposed, but Thorgils would not allow it. 

 Markiis Mardarson advised them to move the knight back and 

 not quarrel. Thorgils said he would not take his advice, and 

 upset the chess, put (the pieces) into the bag, rose and struck 

 Sam on the ear, so that blood flowed " (Sturlunga Saga 

 viii., vol. ii. c. 1). 



" Fridthjof sat at a hnefa-tafl when Hilding came. He said : 

 ' Our kings send thee greetings, and want to have thy help 

 for battle against King firing, who wants to attack their realm 

 overbearingly and unjustly.' Fridthjof answered nothing, and 

 said to Bjorn, with whom he played the game : ' There is an 

 empty place, foster-brother, and thou shalt not make a move 

 but I will attack the red piece (tafla), and see if thou canst 

 guard it.' Bjorn said : ' Here are two choices, foster-brother, 

 and we can move in two ways.' Fridthjof answered : ' It is 

 best to attack the hnefi ( = the highest piece) first, and then it 

 is easy to choose what to do ' ' (Fridthjof s Saga, ch. 3). 



It seems that the pieces that had just been moved were 

 called out in a loud voice. 



" The king (Magnus the Good) sat and played at Hneftafl, 

 a,nd a man called out the names of the king's pieces when. 

 Asmund came." 



2 A 2 



