WARLIKE I-:XI-:I;CISES. 381 



water. Kjartan did not see how it would end, and thought he 

 had never been so hard tried before. At last they came up and 

 swam to the bank. The townsman asked : ' Who is this man ? ' 

 Kjartan told his name. The townsman said : ' Thou art a 

 good swimmer ; art thou as skilled in other idrottir as in this ? ' 

 Kjartan answered, rather slowly : * When I was in Iceland it 

 was said that my other idrottir were equal, but now it is of little 

 consequence ' ' l (LaxdaBla, ch. 10). 



"Then he (Egil) took his helmet, sword, and spear; he 

 broke off his spear-handle and threw it into the water ; he 

 wrapped the weapons in his cloak, made a bundle of it, and 

 tied it to his back. He jumped into the water and swam 

 across to the island " (Egil's Saga, c. 45). 



Sometimes, in order to swim better men had their fingers 

 webbed. 



" Now Grettir got ready to swim, and had on a hooded cloak, 

 of common cloth, and breeches ; he had his fingers webbed 

 together. It w r as fine weather. He left the island late in the 

 day. Illugi, his brother, thought his journey very dangerous. 

 Grettir swam into the fjord, the current being with him. during 

 a perfect calm. He swam fast, and reached Eeykjanes after 

 sunset " (Gretti's Saga, ch. 77). 



That warlike exercises should have played such a prominent 

 part in physical education is not surprising. 



Some men could change weapons from one hand to the other 

 during the hottest fight, use both hands with equal facility, 

 shoot two spears at the same time, or catch a spear in its 

 flight. 



" Gunnar Hamundsson lived at Hlidarendi in Fljotshlid. He 

 was of large size and strength, and more skilled in fight than 

 any other man. He could shoot and strike with both hands 

 equally when he wanted ; he moved his sword so swiftly that 

 it seemed as if three swords were in the air. He shot better 

 with a bow than any one else, and never missed his aim. He 

 could leap as well backwards as forwards, more than his height, 

 in full war-dress. He could swim like a seal, and there was 

 no game in which any man was able to cope with him, and it 

 has been told that no man was his equal " (.Njala, ch. 19). 



" Siginund (during his fight with the Holmgard viking 



Fornmanna Sogur. 



1 Cf. also Gretti, 77 ; Ingi's 

 11; Olaf Tryggvason, vol. ii., c. 160; 



