508 
tunic and cast it into the fire, reproaching him with meanness of spirit and 
cowardice for submitting to be the vassal or servant of any one. An 
accidental circumstance aided her influence, and drove Maelmordha to 
revolt. Murchadh, or Morrogh, Brian’s son, sat down to play a game of 
chess with his cousin Conaing, son of Donncuan, Brian’s brother. Maol- 
mordha stood by, and suggested a move by which Morrogh lost. Irri- 
tated by this, Morrogh said to Maolmordha, ‘‘ This was like the advice 
you gave the Danes at Glen-mama, which lost them the battle.”’ ‘‘ Well,” 
said Maolmordha, in great wrath, ‘‘I will soon give them advice again, 
and then they shall not be defeated.” ‘You had better take care,” said 
the other, ‘‘ that they have a yew-tree ready for your use.” 
After this insult the King of Leinster took his departure, deeply 
offended ; and when Brian sent a servant after him with a soothing mes- 
sage, he smashed the servant’s head with a stick, and pursued his way. 
It is probable that Gormlaith accompanied him, or followed him soon 
after; for we find her next in the court of her son Sitric in Dublin, 
directing his councils, and organizing the opposition against Brian. 
The Sagas throw great light on the motives which led the foreign 
Norsemen to join the enterprise of Sitric. In 1013, Svein, the Danish 
invader of England, died, leaving to his son Cnut to continue among the 
Saxons the Danish dynasty which he had founded. The establishment 
of a similar dynasty in Ireland was the bait offered by Sitric to the 
chieftains whose aid he sought. To Sigurd, Earl of Orkney, he pro- 
mised the sovereignty of Ireland and his mother’s hand; this was about 
Christmas, and it was agreed that Earl Sigurd should come with all his 
host to Dublin by Palm Sunday.* 
On his return to Dublin, Sitric explained to his mother the bargain 
he had made, and she expressed herself well pleased ; but sent him off 
again to seek two vikings on the west coast of the Isle of Man, directing 
him to engage their services, whatever price they asked. 
These were two brothers, Ospak and Brodir. Ospak was a heathen, 
but Brodir had been a Christian, and had been ordained a deacon. He 
had, however, apostatized, and at the time when Sitric met him, ‘“‘he | 
had thrown off his faith,” to use the language of the Saga, as translated 
by Dr. Dasent, ‘and had become God’s dastard, and now worshipped” 
heathen fiends; and he was, of all men, most skilled in sorcery.” He 
was clad in a coat of mail of magical virtue, ‘‘ which no steel could bite.” 
He was tall, and had such long black hair, that he tucked his locks under 
his belt.t 
He also stipulated that he should have the hand of Gormlaith, and 
be King of Iveland; and Sitric made no difficulty in agreeing to these 
conditions, on the understanding that the arrangement should be kept 
secret from Karl Sigurd; and so Brodir also agreed to come to Dublin 
by Palm Sunday. 
'  Ospak, however, was dissatisfied. He had ten ships, and Brodir 
twenty. He escaped at night by stratagem, notwithstanding the efforts 
* Dasent, ‘Story of Burnt Njal,” vol. ii., pp. 327, 328. 
+ Ibid, p. 328 
