14 Fredrik B. Wallem. [No. IB 



his hand. He suffers a martyr's death, receiving a cut over the 

 knee with an ax, and being pierced with a spear through his br east. 

 As pendants to this martyrdom of (St. Ohav is depicted the martyr- 

 dom of St. Catherine and of St. Lawrence. 



The middle panel on the right side shows the following 

 Tepresentation. On the left hand is seen a naked and tonsured 

 man in an inclined position ; his arms and one of his legs have been 

 cut off, and are seen on the ground behind him. Eefore him stand 

 two armoured warriors. One of them is hewing with an ax at the 

 leg of the man. The other warrior is seizing him by the throat, 

 and is gouging out his left eye. To the right of this scene, the 

 naked man appears again, still in an inclined position, but no longer 

 dismembered. A king, recognizable by his crown, and clothed in 

 a long robe, lifts his right hand in benediction, and touches with 

 his left the eye of the man — apparently in the act of restoring 

 him. 



The panel certainly contains two scenes, two moments of a 

 legend — in parallel with the above described panel on the left 

 side of the Frontal Avhere the legend of St. Nicholas is depicted. 

 And on both panels the left side shows the performance of a cruel 

 deed, the right side its reparation. 



Professor Dieteichson has tried to explain this panel as show- 

 ing the taking up of St. 01av's corpse from the grave ; the inventio 

 Sancti Olavl, which took place on August 3d, a year after the 

 death of king Olav. Mr. Bendixen explains it as the death of the 

 saint. I find it quite impossible to recognize either of the above 

 meanings in the representations of the panel. Most certainly the 

 panel depicts the dismemberment of a tonsured man by two armour- 

 clad men, and his restoration by a royal saint. I propose to explain 

 the scenes as illustrating the legend of a miracle performed by St. 

 Olav which is found in several sagas,') and of which I give this 

 summary: 



Two brothers, Einar and Andres, sons of Guthorm Graabard, 

 and brothers of king Sigurd Haraldsson's niother, lived in Oplan- 

 dene, and were wealthy and men of great account. Their sister 

 was beautiful in appearanee, but not careful of evil report that 



^) Heilagva Manna Sogur, C. E. Ukger's edition, Christiania 1877 II Olafs 

 saga liins helga p. 179 f., Gammel norsk Homihebog (Ukger) p. 154 and Snorre's 

 Heimskringla, Inges Saga cap. 25, from Avhicli my s^ynopsis. 



