448 SOME EXPEDITIONS AND DEEDS OF GEE AT VIKINGS. 



willingly accepted. He went to search for Herlaug, and at 

 last found him ; he had ridden far away from the battle-field 

 to the war-booths, and lay near to the king's tent; he had 

 wrapt clothes round his belly, and could not speak ; the king 

 carried him to his tent, and sewed his belly together with a 

 silken thread, and then laid him in a silk-bed ; it had become 

 dark and they went to sleep during the night. 



" Next morning the king caused the battle-field to be 

 searched, and no man was. found living ; all who could not 

 leave the battle-field were drowned in the blood. The king 

 searched for Hlodver, and found him dead on a high hill; then 

 he sang 



' I offered thee, brother, Nor land 



Uncut rings, As reward for this battle. 



Property and many treasures We are cursed, brother, 



For which thou didst yearn most ; I have become thy slayer; 



Now thou hast neither That will never be forgotten ; 



Bright rings Evil is the decree of the Nornir.' 



" Angantyr had him laid in a mound on the hill where he 

 had fallen, and three of the foremost men before named with 

 him; but all the common men were heaped together into large 

 piles, and covered with mould ; the place where the slain lay 

 was eight miles in circumference ; the mounds may be seen this 

 day. It is said that Reidgotaland and Hunaland are now 

 called Thydskaland (the Scandinavian name for Germany) ; 

 Thydskaland numbers twelve kings' realms as Norway. It is 

 not mentioned whether Angantyr subjugated Hunaland or not. 

 King Angantyr ruled Reidgotaland till his death, and was 

 very like his grandfather, King Hofund ; his son was Heidrek 

 Ulfsham (wolf-skin), who got the kingship after his father, and 

 held it for a long time " (Hervarar Saga, c. 17). 



The whole Saga literature teems with figurative expressions 

 and expressions showing the warlike character of the race. 



In no other language do we find such poetical and forcible 

 expressions for battles, weapons of offence and defence, ships, 

 blood, &c., as those given by the people of the North. The 

 following are a few of the figurative expressions used for 

 battles : 



The Odin's storm, Odin's rain, the Valkyrjas' storm, the 

 weapon's wind, the song of the spears, the din of spears, the 

 weapon's-thing, the sword's game, the Ran's battle (the goddess 

 of the sea), the Thing of Gunn (a Valkyrja), the judgment of 



