NOTES.
Ch. I.—shapestrong] Men were so called who had fits of superhuman rage and strength: in which they were even believed to take the shape of brutes. In this Saga Kveldulf has such an access of fury in ch. xxvii., Skallagrim in ch. xl. See on this subject Dasent's 'Burnt Njal,' Introd., p. xx. There is no change of shape in the 'hamrammir' men of our Saga: but Gunnhilda in ch. Ixii. assumes a swallow's shape by witchcraft.
Kveldulf] That is 'evening-wolf': a wolf being the brute whose shape or temper he assumed.
Ch. III.—war-arrow] This was sent round as a summons to war, like the Fiery Cross of the Scottish clans described in the 'Lady of the Lake.'
Ch. IV.—skald] Bard or poet. Kings and chieftains kept such about them, 'poets-laureate.' Besides long poems, they supplied short staves on occasion, as we shall see abundantly in Egil's case.
Jamtaland, Helsingjaland] In Sweden. The words 'Normandy in France, the Faroe isles,' have been inadvertently omitted.
Ch. VII.—Hildirida's sons] The cause of the after trouble to Kveldulf's house, when their claim is rejected: so that this account of Bjorgolf's second marriage is not superfluous.
Ch. VIII.—second highseat] The seat of honour opposite the chief or master. Cf. 'Burnt Njal,' Intr. p. ciii.
Ch. IX.—Vik] 'The Bay ': that is to say, Skage-rack, Christiania-fjord and the adjacent coasts.
whom iron bit not] Curious ideas there were about iron not wounding certain men. We see them later on in the duel between Egil and Atli. 'It has been remarked that probably the Norsemen's weapons had not blades of steel generally. About Berserks Dasent's Introd. to 'Burnt Njal,' p. xxii., may be consulted. The origin of the name is very doubtful. That 'bare sark' is so seems improbable: no trace of 'bare-shirtedness' is there in the passages about them. Another derivation is from 'bear,' these men being supposed able to take a bear's shape. Later in this Saga Egil has a duel with a Berserk.
Ch. XI.—banquets] 'veizlur': repeatedly used of the entertainments given to the king as he made a circuit through the provinces.
Ch. XIV.—Kiriales] Or 'Careles.' The relative position of these peoples and countries is given a little further on.
Ch. XVII.—penny] A borrowed word, used again of English silver coins in ch. lxxxix. During Saga times money was little used. Rings were broken off and given: worth was estimated by weight of metal: also 'wadreal,' a stuff or cloth, was a standard of value.
Ch. XVIII.—homes to be attacked] 'Helmferd' here has a special sense, visitation of a house for seizure of property.
some . . . on land] That is, some landed before they came up to the ship, and went (unseen probably through brushwood) till they came opposite to it, then suddenly boarded it.
was no lie] No lie about the cargo being valuable, but how about its being rightfully the king's? Did Harold really believe the slander? And
