366 



OCCUPATIONS OF WOMEN. 



went to the bed of her husband Gisli, and told him all the 

 talk of herself and Asgerd. She begged him not to be angry, 

 and to give good advice if he thought necessary. * I know 

 that Thorkel wants my brother Vestein to be killed, if possible.' 

 Gisli answered : ' I cannot give any good advice, but I will 

 not blame thee for this, because some one must speak the 

 words of fate ' ' (Gisli Sursson's Saga). 



Even queens attended to the brewing of ale and bleaching 

 of linen. 1 



" One day when Thordis went out to her linen, 2 the weather 

 was fine, the sun shone and the wind blew from the south ' 

 (Ljosvetninga, ch. 5). 



" King Alrek, who lived in Alreksstadir, ruled over Horda- 

 land ; he was married to Signy, a king's daughter from Yors, 

 One of his hirdmen, Koll, followed him north into Sogn, and 

 told him much of the beauty of G-eirhild, Drif's daughter ; he 

 had seen her at the brewing of ale, and said he wanted him to 

 marry her. Hott, who proved to be Odin, went to visit her 

 when she was at her linen, and bargained with her that Alrek 

 should marry her, but that she should invoke him for all 

 things. The king saw her on his way home, and made their 

 wedding the same autumn. He rewarded Koll well for his 

 faithfulness, and gave him jarldom and residence in Kollsey, 

 south of Hardsae which is a populous district. King Alrek could 

 not have them both as wives on account of their disagreement, 

 and said he would have the one who brewed the best ale for 

 him when he should come home from an expedition. They 

 vied in the ale-brewing. Signy invoked Freyja, and Geirhild, 

 Hott, who gave his spittle as ferment, and said he wanted for 

 his help that which was between the tub and herself ; 3 the ale 

 proved to be good ; then Alrek sang : 



Geirhild, my maiden, 

 Good is this ale, 

 If no defect 

 Follows it ; 



I see hanging 

 From a high gallows 

 Thy son, woman, 

 Given to Odin. 



In that year, Vikar, the son of King Alrek and Geirhild was 

 born " (Half's Saga, c. i.) 



That the people knew the art of weaving 4 we have ample 



1 Half's Saga, i. 



2 Implies that her linen lay bleaching. 



3 She was with child. 



4 Looms can be seen in the Museum 



of Christiania, and were still in use a 

 short time since in the neighbourhood of 

 Bergen. 



