THE SWEDES AND NOEWEGIANS. 115 



the peninsula, for the old " lied Beard " forbade its profanation by manual labour. 

 Whoso was born on Thursday had the gift of seeing the ghosts of the departed, 

 and all incantations, to be efficacious, had to be performed on that day, but not so 

 the Christian rites attending births, deaths, and marriages, showing that the day 

 dedicated to the old Thunder god is still held as pagan. Finn Magnusen tells us 

 that till the close of last century the custom survived in some Norwegian upland 

 valleys of worshipping certain round stones on Thursday-, which were smeared 

 with butter and placed on fresh straw in the seat of honour at the head of the 

 table. At fixed times they were washed in milk, and at Christmas sprinkled with 

 beer, in the hope of bringing luck to the domestic hearth. 



The Swedes and JN^oravegiaxs. 



CojiixG from the shores of the Euxine and Danube, the Gotar and Svear, now 

 collectively grouped as Scandinavians, had to cross half of Europe before reaching 

 their northern homes. It has often been suggested that the migration flowed 

 through North Russia and Finland — a view, however, which is not supported by 

 the arms and implements found in these regions. The people seem rather to have 

 come from the south-east and south to Denmark, passing thence first to Scania, 

 and so on to Norway and North Sweden. Thus, while the Lapps and Finns 

 penetrated from the north, the Teutons arrived from the opposite extremity of the 

 peninsula. 



The Gotar, or Goths, were the first conquerors. These were followed by the 

 Svear, or sons of the " blessed Ases," who, passing over the southern parts already 

 occupied by the Goths, gradually overran the rest of the land, and their Asgard, 

 shifting with each migration, was ultimately fixed in the centre of the country. 

 The difference existing between the two groups is still very perceptible both in 

 their speech and customs, though scarcely to an appreciable extent in the form of 

 the cranium and general physical type. Here, as elsewhere, the essential physical 

 diflerences are due rather to the manner of life than to origin. The tyj^ical 

 Swedish head, as described by A. Retzius and Nilsson, is a lengthened oval, 

 slightly broader behind than in front, but rounded ofif on either side, greatest length 

 and breadth standing in the ratio of 4 to 3 or 9 to 7. 



The Dalecarlian, or native of Dalarne, Upper Dal basin, is usually taken as 

 representing the purest type of the Svear, who have given their name to the 

 Svenskar, or Swedes of our day. He is generally tall, slim, and lithe, with noble 

 features animated by beautiful deep blue eyes, and expanding to a broad, open 

 brow. He is unobtrusively courteous, cheerful without excess, firm without 

 violence. Honesty above all proof may be said to be the stock in trade brought 

 with them by the thousands of Dalecarlians who come to settle in Stockholm, 

 where they are employed in all work needing strength or skill. They are every- 

 where recognised, even at a distance, by the bright colours of their national dress. 

 The Swedes differing most from the Dalecarlians are those of the lowlands, who 

 often wear a serious, almost stern expression. 



