T PAVELS IN ICELAND. 



71 



was Olaf, surnamed Paw on account of his beaut)' and magnifi- 

 cence. His mother was sister to Myr Kiartan, King of Iceland; 

 his history represents him as a man of uncommon skill in medi- 

 cine, and adds, that he surpassed all his cotemporaries in the 

 arts that flourished iu these remote times. He made a voyage tu 

 Norway, where he was well received by the King, Olaf 'Lri/gesen, 

 who converted him to the Christian religion. He proposed to 

 him to remain at his court, and offered him one of the principal 

 places in his kingdom; but Kartan preferred returning to Iceland, 

 where, at the instigation of a woman of rank, he was assassi- 

 nated by some of her friends near Svinedal, in the district of Dale. 

 He died in 1003. It is said, that before he fell under the repeated 

 blows of his assassins, he defended himself for a long time with 

 extraordinarv valour. As the church of Borg was the nearest, he 

 was carried thither and buried. Suorre Sturleson and other histo- 

 rians of Iceland mention several particulars of the life of this 

 Kartan. 



THE CHURCH OF HITARDAL. 



The antiquities that are met with in the church of Hitardal, 

 are of different periods, but are all very ancient. Some are 

 sculptured, in the same kind of stone as that which partly forms 

 the walls of the church. We were struck with the curious 

 appearance of two human figures cut in two angular stones 

 on the outside of the church, one of which is represented 

 with, and the other without, a beard. The stories related of them, 

 are still more curious ; one is said to represent Board Sn& fells 

 Aas } a very famous Pagan giant and sorcerer ; while the other is 

 asserted to be the figure of Hit, his mistress, also famous 

 amongst the female giants; she lived at Hitardal, and from her 

 the valley takes its name. But though such accounts must evi- 

 dently be fabulous, it is extraordinarv, that the learned Jansen 

 represents them as worthy of credit. In a passage of the Baardar 

 Saga ,it is said, that w hen the priests undertook to build this church 

 with stone walls, which put them to considerable expence, they 

 made choice of these female giants, who were Pagans, as patronesses 

 of the temple, and ornamented its walls with these figures. This 

 building was destroyed by tire in 1 148, on which occasion seventy 

 persons perished, among whom was Magnus Einarson, bishop of 

 Skalholt. About thirty years ago, on laying the foundation of 

 a house near this church, a quantity of large charcoal and half- 

 burnt beams were dug up, which were supposed to be the 

 m remains of the fire alluded to. In 1 166, Klaenger, the then bisbop 

 of Skalhoit, consecrated a farm at Hitardal, and built on it a con- 

 vent, at which period the church was doubtless built of stone, 

 and the foundation laid of brickwork. Klasuger established 

 this monastery to the memory of his predecessor, who met 



