}}'K A I'ONS. 



"He wore a lint from Gardariki and a grey cloak and a gold 

 fibula on his shoulder, and he carried a sword in his hand." 



Two boys came walking uji to him. 



"The older lioy said: ' Who is the noble-looking man 

 sitting here? Saw never I a better-looking or more dignified 

 man.' Thorkel answered: 'Thou speakest well ; I am called 

 Thorkel.' The boy said: 'The sword in thy hand must be 

 very precious ; wilt thon allow me to look at it?' Thorkel 

 answered: 'This is strange, but I will allow thee to look,' 

 and handed the sword to him. The boy took the sword, turned 

 a little aside, unloosed the peace bands and drew the sword. 

 When Thorkel saw this, he said : ' 1 did not allow thee to 

 draw the sword.' 'I asked no leave from thee,' said the boy; 

 and he brandished the sword and struck at the neck of 

 Thorkel, taking off his head" ((lisli Sursson's Saga. eh. 55). 1 



A Yalkyria says to Helgi : 



I kuo\v swords lying 



la Sigarsholm 



Four less 



Than fifty ; 



One is 



The best of them all. 



The banner of war-knittings 2 



Covered with gold. 



For him who gets it 

 A ring is in the guard, 

 Courage in the middle, 

 Terror in the point, 

 A blood-dyed serpent 

 Lies along the edge, 

 The serpent throws its tail 

 On the valhost. 8 



(Helgi Hjtirvardsson.) 



'Spears. Different kinds of spears are mentioned, such as 

 /.t'sjn ; litHjuspjut (he wing-spear) ; ;i<.ijil>'- (javelin); snoeris-spjot 

 (string-spear) ; which last was thrown with the aid of a string 

 fastened to the spear: pul-shif (pole-staff), a pole provided 

 with an iron spike; sJcepti-fletta (cord-shaft), a shaft with a 

 cord attached to it, ; atgeir, a kind of halberd. 



The sockets were often richly ornamented with gold or 

 silver inlaid in beautiful patterns, sometimes with fine notches 

 of silver, or were covered over with sheets of silver, upon 

 which were engraved the serpentine ornamentation peculiar to 

 llie North. 



From the more numerous finds of spears, of which great 



1 Cfr Sturlunga, 111. 



- Harmer of l>rynjas = sword. 



3 Yulbost, an unknown part of the sword 



