126 Scenes from the Northern Sagas. 



snow nearly all away. The last day of 1909 was fine and mild. 

 It has been noted that an early wmter is followed by an early 

 spring. It will be well if this be so this year, for we had a great 

 deal of winter and not much of summer during 1909. Ther- 

 mometer — Highest maximum, 52 deg. ; lowest, 30 deg. ; highest 

 minimum, 46 deg. ; lowest, 12 deg. ; lowest on grass, 10 deg. 

 Barometer — Highest, 30.65 in. ; lowest, 28.4 in. Rainfall — 

 Rain fell on 15 days. Total, 5.43 inches. 



Rainfall for 1909. — January, 4.81 inches; February, 1.79 

 inches; March, 4.21 inches; April, 3.75 inches; May, 2.25 

 inches; June, 3.65 inches; July, 3.33 inches; August, 1.84 

 inches; September, 1.94 inches; October, 10.29 inches; Novem- 

 ber, 1.15 inches; December, 5.43 inches. Total, 44.44 inches. 

 This is 5.59 inches above the average of the last 16 years. 



tSth Februari/, 1910. 



Chairman — Mr James Barbour, F. S.A.Scot., V.P. 



Scenes from the Northern Sagas. By Mr R. L. Bremner, 

 Glasgow. 



The lecturer remarked at the outset that it was rather 

 wonderful that, while the Book of Genesis and the story of the 

 Siege of Troy were the common property of cultured persons, 

 the stirring early history of our own Northern Fatherland is 

 almost strange to them, and that thousands could tell the stories 

 of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, of the pious Aeneas and the God- 

 like Ulysses, who never even heard of the Sagas of " Burnt 

 Njal "' or " Gisli " or " Grettir the Strong." 



He divided the Sagas, the stories of our kindred's life in 

 the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries, into three classe.s — 

 mythical, historical, and social. 



Of the first class, the best known example was " The 

 Volsunga Saga," the Norse version of the " Nibelungen Lied." 



Among the historical sages were the " Heimskringla " of 

 " Snorri, the Priest" (the lives of the Kings of Norway); the 

 " Jomsvikinga " and the " Orkneyinga Saga," or the History of 

 the Earls of Orknev. 



