1905] The Legendary Eejjreseiitations on tlie Frontal from Kaupanger. 15 



might be spread by men. Slie sliowed great favours to Richard, 

 an Engiisli piiest, who lived with her two brothers. Later on an 

 untoward event did arrive, though not unexpected. All men, and 

 the brothers too, put the blame on the priest. They kept tlieh' 

 peace, Jiowever, while the priest expected no harm from them. 

 One day they asked the priest to accompany them on a voyage, 

 and taking one of their own men into the secret, they set out on 

 their journey. Coming to a naze they all went ashore to have 

 some pastime, and then proceeded to a lonely place. Then they 

 bade their churl strike down the priest, and that he did with his 

 ax, so that the priest was stunned. Rccovering, he asked them: 

 „Why do ye maltreat me thus?" They set forth their grievance, 

 but he denied their charge and called upon God and holy king 

 Olav to decide this matter between them. They broke his leg, 

 and afterwards dragged him into the woods and bound his hands 

 on his back. Einar then took a stick and placed it on the eye of 

 the priest. The churl hammered on it with his ax, so that the eye 

 fell out, and dropped into his beard. Thus they did with the other 

 eye also. Finally they cut of his tongue. They then brought him 

 to another place where they left him in the care of an old woman. 

 [n his agony the priest did not lose his faith in God, but prayed 

 speechless to him, and invoked sainted king Olav. Towards mid- 

 night the priest fell asleep, and thought he saw a gallant man 

 approach him and saytohim: „Badly liast thou been used, Rich- 

 ard my friend, I see thou art quite powei*less now." Then answered 

 the priest: „In truth need I the mercy of God Almighty, and of 

 holy king Olav!" The man said: „x\nd that thou shalt have." 

 He then seized hold of the stump of the priesfs tongue and pulled 

 it till it pained. Thereupon he stroked his eyes and his leg and 

 also the other limbs tliat were wounded. The priest asking him 

 who he was, he looked at him and answered: „Here is Olav from 

 the north from Trondhjem." But when the man disappeared the 

 priest awoke completely restored. 



The representations on the Frontal follows the main featui'es 

 of this legend. The two brothe]*s maltreat the priest, and king 

 Olav cures him. But the dismembering of tlie priest is not so 

 much in accordance with the above legend from the saga of Snorre, 

 as with a sh orter legend given in a Norwegian homily where the 

 maltreatment is told in these few words: Then they seized the 

 priest when he was unprepared, and broke both liis legs, cut his 



