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Frey one-half of this horse, and loved it so much that he made a vow to slay any man who rode it against his will” (Hrafnkel Freysgodi’s Saga).

      Thorkel had been forced to sell his land to Glum. Before he departed from Thverá he went to the temple of Frey, leading thither an ox, and said:

      “Frey, who long hast been my patron, and hast accepted many gifts from me and rewarded me well, now I give this ox to thee, so that Glum may leave Thveráland as much against his will as I do now: let me see some token whether thou acceptest it from me or not. At this the ox bellowed loud and fell dead, which Thorkel liked well, and he was less sad because he thought his prayer was heard”(Vigaglum’s Saga, c. 9).

      Thor²³⁶ like Frey was invoked. The poetical and figurative names given to him are far from being as numerous and beautiful as those given to Odin. It was customary, at least in the earliest times, to make the sign of the hammer at burials and marriages.²³⁷ This hammer was called Mjollnir, and (Lokasenna) when Thor is taunted by Loki, he answers each time by these lines—

      “Be thou silent, coward,

      My Thrudhamar (mighty hammer) Mjollnir²³⁸

      Shall take thy talk from thee.”

      But that the svastica was emblematic of the sign of Thor, and had been adopted as such by the people of the North, is only an hypothesis, for it is also found in Greece and other countries; there is nothing in the Sagas to prove the assertion.

      “Asbjörn Reyrketilsson and his brother Steinfinn took up land above Krossá, and east of Fljot. Steinfinn lived at Steinfinnstadir, and no man has descended from him. Asbjörn consecrated his land to Thor, and called it Thorsmörk” (Landnama v., 2 ch.).

      The hammer as an ornament is not uncommon, and may have been used as an amulet, as is seen on several runic stones (see p. 352).

      Even Christians called upon Thor for help in sea voyages and difficulties.

      “Eyvind, from Sweden, went on expeditions westward, and in Ireland married Raförta, daughter of the Irish king Kjarval. She bore him a son, Helgi, and they sent him to the Hebrides to be fostered. Two winters later they came back to the Hebrides, and did not recognise him, as he had been starved. They therefore called him Helgi the Lean, and took him away. He was after this fostered in Ireland, and when grown up became a highly honoured man, and was married to Thórun Hyrna, daughter of Ketil Flatnose. They had many children; Hrólf and Ingjald were their sons. Helgi the Lean went to Iceland with his wife and children. He had a very mixed creed; he believed in Christ, but nevertheless invoked Thor for help in sea voyages and in difficulties. When he saw Iceland, he inquired from Thor where he should take up land. The answer told him to go to the north coast of Iceland” (Landnama iii., 12).²³⁹

      Worship of Njörd.—Njörd²⁴⁰ was also worshipped, though we have no account of sacrifices made to him; but the formulary of the oath, “So help me Frey, Njörd, and the Almighty As (Odin)!” shows the existence of his worship. Egil calls upon him and the two other gods to drive Eirik Blood-axe from the land.²⁴¹

      Fig. 775.—½ real size.

      Fig. 776.—Thor’s hammer. In a field. Läby, Uppland. Real size.

      Fig. 777.—Thor’s hammer and chain of silver.—Bredsätra, Öland. Real size.

      There were men who did not believe in and did not worship Odin, as may be seen from the following example:—

      “Then came to Hrafnista, Framar, a viking king; he was a sacrificer and iron did not wound him. He demanded in marriage Hrafnhild, the daughter of Ketil Hæng. Ketil answered that she should choose a husband herself. She refused Framar. Therefore Framar challenged Ketil to holmganga at Arhaug, on the first day of Yule, and said he should be every man’s nithing if he did not come. On Yule-eve he came to Arhaug. Framar and the men of the land sacrificed for good years.

      “Bödmód, the son of Framar, after inviting Ketil to his hall, mentioned Odin. When he named Odin, Ketil got angry, for he did not believe in him; and sung a song:—

      Odin worship

      Did I never,

      Though long I have lived;

      I know that Framar

      Will fall sooner than

      This high head.

      Twice the sword of Ketil did not bite; the third time it cut Framar from the shoulder down to the loins. Then Framar sung:—

      There is courage in Hæng,

      Dravendil is sharp,

      It bit the word of Odin

      As if it were nothing;

      Now the father of Baldr proved false

      It is unsafe to trust him;

      Enjoy well thy hands,

      Here we shall part.

      Framar thereupon died, and Ketil went home” (Ketil Hæng’s Saga, c. 5).

      CHAPTER XXI.

       RELIGION.—ALTARS, TEMPLES, HIGH-SEAT PILLARS, ETC.

       Table of Contents

      The most primitive form of altar—The earliest Asa temple in the North—The temples in Norway and Denmark—Size and materials of temples—Their magnificence—Temple priests—Support of temple—Holiness and sacredness of temples—High-seat pillars—Sacred pegs.

      The hörg was a sacred altar, built of stones, often mentioned in the Eddas and Sagas, but never described, and was quite distinct from the stalli, or altar. Perhaps it was an enclosed structure, or was built over a sacrificing mound or upon some elevation. Its primitive form makes it undoubtedly of far greater antiquity than the temple, though both were retained as we see in later times by the people in their worship. It seems to have been especially used for sacrifices to the Alfar and Asar;²⁴² and from the words of Freyja to Hyndla, who was her friend, when speaking of Ottar, we find that a hörg had been raised to her by the latter, and sacrifices made to her.

      He made me a hörg

      Reared of stones;

      Now have these stones

      Become gler.²⁴³

      He reddened it in

      Fresh ox blood.

      Ottar believed

      Always in Asynjur.

      [Hyndluljód, st. 10.]

      The first temple belonging to the Asa creed which Odin is fabled to have established was at Sigtuna; afterwards the most celebrated of all the temples in the North was that of Upsala, but unfortunately we have no description of it in the Sagas; its fame was so great that on special occasions people from all over the North came to it.

      The two principal temples in Norway were in Hladir in Thrandheim, and in Gudbrandsdal.

      “Gudbrand of Dalir was a great friend of Hakon Jarl. They owned a temple which was the second for size in Norway, the largest being at Hladir (in Thrandheim). The former was never unlocked except when the Jarl came thither” (Njala, 87).

      The largest one in Denmark was in Hleidra (Zeeland), but unfortunately in this case also the Sagas give no description. Other temples of less repute were also built.

      The Hof or temple was often of large size, and the Sagas give us

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