CHAPTER V. 



FOSTER-BROTHERHOOD. 



Sacred character of foster-brotherhood Ceremony of becoming foster-brothers 

 The oath Joint ownership of property Dissolution of the tie rare 

 Love between foster-children and foster-parents Obligations. 



PERHAPS the most beautiful, touching, and unselfish trait in 

 the character of man of which we have any record is the 

 ancient custom of foster-brotherhood, which prevailed among 

 the earlier Norse tribes. This relation between two men was of 

 a most sacred and binding character, arid was not even severed 

 by the death of one. 



Foster-brothers were those who in their youth had been 

 brought up together the sons of the fosterer and he who was 

 fostered by him or men who had fought against each other. 

 Many examples are given of valiant men who fought against 

 each other admiring each other's bravery and becoming foster- 

 brothers, pledging themselves by an oath, attended with the 

 ceremony of letting their blood flow together on the earth. 



After this impressive ceremony the men considered them- 

 selves bound to each other for life to be unselfish and true 

 to share the same danger, and avenge each other's death; 

 in fact their motto was, " One and the same fate may come 

 over us." 



" In old times it had been the custom of valiant men, who 

 made the agreement between themselves, that the one who 

 lived the longest should avenge the other ; that they should 

 walk under three jardarmen, 1 and that was their oath (equivalent 

 to an oath). It was done thus : Three long slices of turf were 

 to be cut up ; their ends were to be fastened in the ground. 



1 Jardar = of earth, men = necklace. The 

 name ot' jardarmen (a neck ring, necklace 

 of earth (turf)) probably meant a loop, 

 the turf beinu; cut in a semi-circular 



shape, for any other form of strip could 

 not well have been raised from the ground 

 without breaking. 



