and submitted to their losses with impatience. In winter they gathered together in a great force to go against King Erling, just as he was at a feast; and they gave battle to him, and he with the most of his men fell.
Chapter XVII.
Of the seasons in Norway at this time.
While Gunhild's sons reigned in Norway the sea¬ sons were always bad, and the longer they reigned the worse were the crops; and the bonders laid the blame on them. They were very greedy, and used the bonders harshly. It came at length to be so bad that fish, as well as corn, were wanting. In Halogaland there was the greatest famine and distress; for scarcely any corn grew, and even snow was lying, and the cattle were bound in the byres all over the country until midsummer. Eyvind Skaldaspiller describes it in his poem, as he came outside of his house and found a thick snow-drift at that season:—
"Tis midsummer, yet deep snows rest
On Odin's mother's frozen breast:
Like Laplanders, our cattle-kind
In stall or stable we must bind."
Chapter XVIII.
Of the Icelanders and Eyvind Skaldaspiller
Eyvind composed a poem about the people of Iceland, for which they rewarded him by each bonder giving him three silver pennies, of full weight and white in the fracture [1] And when the silver was brought together at the General Thing, the people resolved to have it purified, and made into a row of clasps; and after the workmanship of the silver was paid, the row of clasps was valued at fifty marks. This they sent to Eyvind; but Eyvind was obliged to separate the clasps from each other, and sell them to
- ↑ These are curious circumstances of the importance of the art of the scald in the estimation of the Iceland people, of the state of their money, and of their. dress. The row of clasps was probably similar to the rows of buttons still used by the Friesland fishermen for ornaments on their jackets.
