Belief in omens—The sight of blood on food a foreboding of violent death—Blood dripping from weapons a sign of fierce conflict—Peculiar appearances of the moon—Ravens—Howling wolves—Stumbling when going to fight—The second song of Sigurd Fafnisbani—Supernatural beings—Visions.

The people were strong believers in omens, to which they paid great attention, and which were supposed to be seen by persons when awake or in their dreams. Some omens repeated themselves before recurring events of the same kind.

If any one imagined that he saw blood on his food, or that his food disappeared, he expected a speedy and violent death;^[415] and it was a common belief that blood dripping from weapons, or their sounding loud when used, foreboded a fierce battle or conflict.^[416]

“He (HildiglÚm) heard a crash so loud that he thought both earth and heaven shook from it. Then he looked into the west, and saw a ring with the colour of flame, and in it a man on a grey horse. He passed quickly; and had a burning firebrand in his hand. He rode so near him that he could easily see him. He was black as pitch. He sang this stanza with a loud voice:—

It seemed to him that he flung it eastward to the mountains, and that such fire rose from it that he did not see the mountains for it. It seemed to him the man rode eastward to the fire and disappeared there. Then he went in to his bed, and fell in a long swoon, but woke from it. He remembered all that had passed before his eyes, and told it to his father, who asked him to tell it to Hjalti Skeggjason. He went to Hjalti and told him. ‘Thou hast seen a gandreid,’^[417] said Hjalti, ‘and it always forebodes great tidings’” (Njala, c. 125).

Before the burning of Njal the following omen, which proved true, appeared at his farm Bergthorshval:—

“BergthÓra (his wife) carried food to the table. Njal said: ‘Strange does this look to me now; I think I look all over the room, and that both the gable-walls are off, and the table and the food all covered with blood.’ All except SkarphÉdin were startled at this. He asked them not to grieve or look sorrowful so that people would talk of it” (Njala, c. 127).

“It happened when Gunnar and Kolskegg rode towards RangÁ that blood fell on the halberd of Gunnar. Kolskegg asked why this was so. Gunnar answered that when this happened in other countries it was called blood-rain, and Olver bondi in Hising said that this usually foreboded great tidings” (Njala, c. 72).

Among these omens must be reckoned the so-called UrdarmÁni (the moon of Urd), a peculiar kind of appearance of the moon which foreboded the death of many people.^[418] There were also natural omens, good and bad. It was considered a good omen if a warrior saw a raven follow him when going to fight—the interpretation probably being that the raven followed a victor in order to eat the corpses of the enemy; it was also a good omen to see or meet two men conversing, or to hear a wolf howl. When a man who was slain by any kind of weapon fell on his face it was thought to be an omen that he would be revenged, and the vengeance would come down upon the man who stood just in front of him when he fell;^[419] but to stumble when going to fight, or to hear the croaking of ravens, was considered a bad omen.

The second song of Sigurd Fafnisbani relates how Sigurd was going to make war on the sons of Hunding. As he sailed along the coast a man stood on a rock and asked him who they were. They answered, and when they asked who he was he said he was called Hnikar (one of Odin’s names), but they might call him the man of the rock, Feng or FjÖlnir (Odin’s names). He went on board and the storm ceased.

“One morning a raven came to the lighthole at Brekka, and croaked loudly; then Hromund sang—

When there was to be an important event there were always some omens before it took place, in the shape of visions, or supernatural beings who sang songs which foretold the event.

It foreboded a violent death if a man saw his fylgja bloody.

“Once Njal and ThÓrd (his servant) were outside the farm. A he-goat was in the habit of going about the grass-plot on the farm, and no one was allowed to drive it away. ThÓrd said, ‘This is strange.’ Njal asked, ‘What dost thou see which seems strange?’ He answered, ‘It seems to me that the he-goat lies here in the hollow place, and is bloody all over.’ Njal replied there was no he-goat there, nor anything else. ‘What is it, then?’ inquired ThÓrd. ‘Thou must be a death-fated man, and hast seen thy Fylgja,’ said Njal, ‘and guard thyself well.’ ‘That will not help,’ added ThÓrd, ‘if death is fated to me’” (Njala, c. 41).

“It is said that King Gorm once invited to a Yule-feast his father-in-law Harald, who promised to come in the winter, and the messengers so reported.

“When the time for preparation came the Jarl chose such followers to the feast as he wanted. Knut went with him, but it is not said how many men he had. They arrived at the Limafjord, and as they were about to cross it they saw there an oak which appeared somewhat unusual. There were growing on it acorns, which were small and quite green, but under it lay others both ripe and large. At this they wondered much, and the Jarl thought it very strange that there should be green acorns at that time of the year, for there lay near the oak those which had grown during the summer. ‘We will go back,’ said the Jarl, ‘and proceed no farther.’ He thereupon returned home, where he remained with his hird the next season. The King deemed it strange that the Jarl did not come, but thought something important had prevented him. All was quiet during the summer, and when winter came the King invited the Jarl to the Yule-feast, as in the previous year. The Jarl promised to go, as before, and when the time came departed with his followers, and journeyed until he came to the Limafjord. He had now come on board, and intended to cross the fjord. It is said that they had with them pregnant bitches. After they had got on board the Jarl thought he heard the whelps in the bellies of the bitches barking, while the mothers themselves were silent. This the Jarl and all regarded as the greatest wonder, and they therefore turned back, and stayed at home during that Yule. On the third winter the King again invited the Jarl, who promised to come; and when the time came he departed, and journeyed until he arrived at the Limafjord, resolving to remain there overnight. Then a sight presented itself which was thought very strange. They saw a wave rise within, and another without, the fjord, and the two advanced to meet each other. The waves were large and made a great noise when they met and fell together; then it seemed as if the sea became bloody. Then the Jarl said, ‘This is a fearful portent, and we must turn back and not accept the invitation.’ This they did, and the Jarl remained at home also that Yule....

“It was resolved that the King should send messengers to the Jarl to ascertain why he had not come. The Queen advised that they should first meet and talk to him, and thus see what the reason was. When the messengers told the Jarl of their errand, he quickly got ready and went to visit Gorm with a fine retinue. The King received his father-in-law well, and quickly went to speak with him. The King asked why he had not once come at his bidding, and thus shown disrespect to the King and his invitation. The Jarl replied that he had meant no disrespect, but had not once come to the feast, because other things had prevented him. He then told the wonders which they had seen, as mentioned before, and asked if he would like to know what he thought each wonder meant. To this the King assented. The Jarl then said: ‘I will first take that one where we saw an oak with small green acorns, with the old and large ones underneath. That I think must foretell a change of belief which will come over these lands, which will flourish more, and the fine acorns foretell that; but the present belief is betokened by the old acorns on the ground, and they will rot and become mere dust; this belief will also fall and be destroyed when the new one rises. The second wonder was when we heard the whelps bark in the bitches. That I think must foretell that young men will take the words from the mouths of the older, and become so reckless that they will have no less to say, though the older are oftener wiser in counsels. And I think that those of whom this will be true have not yet come into the world, for the whelps which barked while the mothers were silent were yet unborn.

“‘The third, when we saw the waves, one from the outer part, and the other from the inner part of the fjord, meet midways and fall each on the other’s neck, and the water become bloody from the disturbance therefrom forebodes, I think, that some enmity will arise between great men within the country, whence will come fights and much disturbance. It is very likely that some offshoot of this war will take place at the Limafjord, because it is there we have seen these wonders of which I have spoken.’

“King Gorm was satisfied with the words of the Jarl, and thought him wise; he gave him peace, and his anger departed. It is said that before they went into the speech-room the King had set men to slay the Jarl, if haughtiness and disrespect were the only reasons for his not coming to the feast when invited; but the King now thought he had good cause for not coming. They went away from the speech-room, and the Jarl remained with him for a while. They then separated in peace, and the Jarl received good gifts. He left with his followers, and had a good journey home.

“A short time after Klakkharald gave his foster-son and kinsman Knut all his realm, and Knut took the rule of Holtsetaland and all the realms of Harald Jarl.

“The Jarl made ready to leave, and began his journey southward to Valland. He there embraced Christianity, and never returned to Denmark” (FlateyjarbÓk, vol. i.).