To understand what the poet here means by his throne, it is necessary to observe, that, of old, the halls of northern chieftains were fitted up with two longitudinal rows of seats. Exactly in the middle, & fronting the southern door, was a bench more elevated than the rest. This was appropriated for the King, Queen, and nobility. It was reckoned so great an honour to be admitted to this place of dignity, that one of the ceremonies, at creating a Norwegian earl, was ”at settia han i haa-sete i. e. to set him on the high seat, & give him a sword, and banner.
XV. The Hebrides, by the Norwegians, were denominated Sudoreys or southern isles, to distinguish them from the Orkneys. It would seem, that the Comites littoris Saxonici, for some time, scared the freebooters who infested the Caledonian seas. Hence many people, to avoid the anarchy subsequent to the arrival of the Saxons, sought an asylum in the Hebrides, where they introduced the Roman literature, & the arts of life. A Skald, decribing, an elegant dress for a hero of the vii. century, says.
Enn Sudreyskar spunnu. Sudreyans spun the web.
