LUCKY A.I. !//;& :;:, 



clothes around me, and thus I have walked since; my walking 

 will soon be finished now.' Thorstein said : ' It has happened 

 as I supposed, that one of us would not return ; I would give 

 much not to have gone on this journey.' Thorolf added : ' Let 

 us not reproach ourselves with that now, for no one can get over 

 his day of fate, and I prefer to die in good repute than live in 

 the shame of not having; followed thee ; nevertheless I want to 

 ask of thee a boon, which shows my pride.' ' What is that, 

 kinsman ? ' asked Thorstein. Thorolf said : ' I will tell thee. 

 It seems to me my name has not existed long enough, and it 

 will disappear as withered grass, and I shall never be men- 

 tioned when thou art dead ; but I see that thou wilt increase 

 our kin, and live a long time ; thou wilt be a man of great 

 luck. If thou shouldst get a son, I want thee to give him the 

 name of Thorolf, and all the luck which I have had I will give 

 to him, for thus I believe my name will live while the world is 

 inhabited.' Thorstein answered : ' I will grant thee this wil- 

 lingly, for I expect it to be to our honour, and good luck will 

 follow thy name while it remains in our family.' Thorolf 

 added : ' Now I think I have asked what seems most important 

 to me,' and then he died " (SvarlYtela, c. 5). 



" Thorstein had a son by his wife, and, when the boy was 

 born, he was brought to his father. Thorstein looked at him 

 and said : ' That boy shall be named Inginiund, after the 

 father of his mother, and I expect him to be lucky on account 

 of his name " (Vatnsdaela, c. 7). 



" Inginiund, son of a famous Viking who had helped King 

 Harald Fairhair in the battle of Hafrsfjord, had married Vigdis, 

 daughter of Thorir Jarl. While on her way to Iceland she 

 gave birth to a boy, who was handsome. Inginiund looked at 

 him and said : ' He shall be named Thorstein, and I think my 

 father's luck will follow him.' Some time after he had another 

 son, and said : ' The boy is large-limbed and has sharp eyes. 

 If he lives there will not be many to equal him ; he will 

 become a great champion, if I am not much mistaken. I will 

 not forget our kinsman Jokul, as my father begged of me, and 

 he shall be called Jokul " (Vatnsdaela, c. 13). 



It was considered lucky to have two names, and it was 

 thought that by adding the name of a god to a person's 

 name he would acquire the special protection of this deity ; 

 hence such names as Thorolf, Thorstein, &c., from Thor, the 

 most popular prefix. Sometimes the general name of the 

 god, such as As or Gud, or the word Ve (holy), was added or 



prefixed. 



D 2 



