IV. ON SOME RUINS AT ELLIDA VATN AND KJALARNES IN ICELAND. BY R. ANGUS SMITH, PH.D., F.E.S., &c. (PLATE II.) n Jun I Juld f thian eo y s yea privilege rth (1872d f sailinha o e I ) g in the yacht Nyanza, belonging to my friend Mr Young, and of float- e harbouth in n f gi Reykjavio r a coupl r fo weeksf keo . During this time we found long journeys unpleasant and too laborious to make, and, 2 15 PROCEEDING THF SO E SOCIETY, MARC , 1873H10 .
unlike tourists generally confinee w , d ourselve milesw circuia fe a o .st f o t One of the first sights that caught my eye, after gazing in a bleak morning on black shores and unclad hills, was a small island, almost approachable wit feey hdr t fro towe mth n durin calles wateri w t glo I d. Effersey, because s supposei r Thorsteinsens a ,M y b d e Sheriffth ,s i t i , just beyond the reach of an arrow from the mainland. There were two ruinous heaps upon it visible from the vessel, but the island was unin- habited. I had frequent opportunities of-going there. We let down the gigwerd an , e rowed ove n fivi r e minutes. Somfishes u f eo d roune th d shores, and looked after a seal which sometimes showed itself, or looked at the solitary nest of an eider duck, the last of the season. In these hours it was easy to become acquainted with ground about one quarter of a mile long and not so much broad. I fear it is not even recognisable on the large Danish map. There are on it several remains of houses, having the thick walls of the Iceland fashion, and small interiors. These, I was told by the Sheriff, had been fishing-stations—places for the abodes of fishermen saltinr fo dryin d d gan an g fish—not later than last century. Five rings or circles of stones, set apart, particularly fixed my attention. They were like the stone circles of the West of Scotland, made with very small stones, but still more like those figured by Waring as in Sweden. I did t measurno e each circl t thee ;bu y 1o wert 5 0 fee e1 diametern i te on d ,an a good deal more. They were clear and unbroken. In speaking of stone l decideal t a whay t b d circlesno t s nami t shoule i , ew d describe them. To be more precise, people generally say circles such as are called Druidical. Now s bettei t i ,havo t r propeea suco rn wor hd perian d - phrasis suggestive of a theory which seems untenable ; and after trying many I ,hav e conclusio e comth o et n that stone circlesimplese th s d si an t best compound. closenese Th f thesso e circle fishina o t s g establishment alsa d o an ,t kind of landing-place, suggested something connected with drying ; but although this fancy came intIcelany e headm th o f o sd friends, none could explain how the circle could be used. No erection could be put over the stones; they had not sufficient surface above, and no traces of such a foundation as could support an erection could be seen. I opened the ground in the centre of one, but found nothing but earth. This, however, proves nothing stonee Th .s fooa wer t t eno abov e groundth e , ON3 SOM15 E RUIN ICELANDN SI .
an somn di e cases nearly level with t theritbu ; e they were, making stone circles. Som thesf eo e circle eact cu sh othethin o sI hav: r remarko en . Allowin a momen r fo g t that some easy explanation might occurI , wandere otheo extreme dt th r t a a parts ese d weste an ,d clos th an ,o t e wher t rolli e n towardi s e bayth s , wero cairnstw e . Cairns they were unmistakably • one becomes used to the appearance of such even in decay. Every perso towne I spokthef th o nmn o i et stoutl y deniee th d existence of any such thing close to Eeykjavik ; but they were easy to distinguish, from the great heaps of stone that seem to have been driven far up the shore by violent waves. One of these cairns was almost levelled wite groundth h , scarc wreca e k remaining t aboveye d an ; d beewha en t i coulhigher e se d , perhap e swoul on opened do N . t obtainehavno eI believed ha abundant e m d proofremovinn O . g a few stones, it became clear that not only had it been a cairn, but it containe a dston e kist, proving fulle correctnesth y e diagnosisth f o s . This cist or kist was rude enough, because it had been made with stone t sbee no tha nd I tsawsubjected ha s wer a t flat,d r no ean fa , o s , to any process of flattening. It was small, and no cover was upon d nothinan t , stoneit bu g n it,i s — desecrated long, long ago, before the fishing-station became large, in all probability. I am exceedingly sorry tha photograpa t h whic hI attempte f thido s place with great care has not turned out well. I give a rude sketch instead. The other cairn was close to this, but much more decided in its external appearance, although hitherto unobserved openintoldn m A a , mads . it I , gn wa i e t nothinbu s foundstonee gwa Th .s around seeme indicato t d rude eth e remain a circl f f o mucso e h highe mord an r e pointed stones than those before mentioned, which being low and of the boulder class, had not been disturbed I conclud .bee d ha cairna t ei n wit circleha I coul. d not be sure that the cairn with the kist in it had had a circle round rougA . h it sketch e timtake th s given i et a n I feae diggin; th r g somewhat disturbed the appearance. On opening this latter cairn, a bone was found of about 7 inches in length, having an aperture through its diameter, carefully made, at one end near the joint, whilst the whole d beeha n carefully cleaned,—the core e wholcleareth t e ou dlength . It was not old, and had not been buried in the cairn, but it was a novelty e townth o I took.t d t i Inquirinan , t ome a gentlema f go n theres hi , 4 15 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1873H10 .
wife said nothing t wenbu , t outbroughd an , exactle on t samee yth , with thread wound roun . dit Woo s scarci dhave w eeo s bonhere d ean , r Io. e HjaltaliholM nA th instruments e? y wh n t kindlBu , y writes an explanation :—" Usually they havo holes—ontw e e endd th an ,n i e another right through the bone, near the joint. These holes are made to
marrowe th suc t kou ,transvers e whicende Th on . t takenhs i a t e holou t s ei merel mako yt draughtea . Sometimes als boneoe theth needler e sfo y us - cases, putting the needles in through the hole in the end, and then putting a stopper into it. There is a superstition connected with these sheep bones. You must get the marrow out either by sucking it or by splitting the bones longitudinally; but if you break them right across, your sheep will break their legs." firse Thith t s si tim e tha I havtt wit e practicme eth h splittinf eo g bone Europeaa s sa n habit, althoug hav o ht I believ t e no cease n t ei a t da early time, seein gproved tha ha resulte I tlakth d a n esi dwelling which did not speak of high antiquity. cemetere th n I Eeykjavit ya kI observe d several circles ove gravese rth , made of small stones, which seemed to be like drawings I had seen of Swedish burying-places, and very like the habit, very old and wide- spread makinf o , g circle whitf so e pebbles Hjaltalir M . n tell thae e sm tth habit has come from Denmark, and that these small circles are made to imitate garlands, which indeed they much resemble. Circular heaps are sometimes found in churchyards marking the graves of criminals or suicides, and may suggest heathen burials, although not so. This littl little e th fin en do islan not-uninstructives di t showI . s that misy we objectema sth s befor facer thad neee eou t despisan ,w t dno e eth smallest spots. But it also tells us that this mode of burying is as late as the ninth century at any rate, if we did not know it from history. At this time a cistvaen was made rudely, a cairn was built, and a circle of pointed stones was put round it. If we take Burnt Njal, we find that after Iceland had been well colonised a larger cairn was made, and, as a mark of honour, Gunnar was buried sitting. Still later, Grettir the Strong went int caire Norwegiaa o th f no n king found sittingan m , hi d . From all this I simply conclude that large, cairns, small kists, and stone circles are not necessarily very old. I dare say this is well known to the members, but I believe the knowledge not to be widespread, and that the ON SOME RUINS IN ICELAND. 155
observation worte sar h recording nothind ha I provo g.t e these remains e oldeb o rt than Norwegian occupation. Poo s thea r y are, thee ar y greater than the mass of the people could obtain, and the poorest may exist contemporaneous with the richest, as we see at this day. When making inquiries at Reykjavik, I was told of an old Thingstead t Ellida a Vatn a smal, milelw lakfe sa e off. "We , decidego o t d havin a gguide , Zoeg e dark-hairedth e a fin, e man t lesbu ,s known than the brother, and having also the company of Mr Gudmundsson, the artist and keeper of the museum. The ride is often taken by pleasure e farthepartiesth n O r . margi e laksmala th s ei f no l peninsul nessr ao , nece collectioa th s ki t a f d ruinsseee no e foundation an th sOn . f o s many dwellings, oblong like houses or booths, whilst there are many standing stones not very high, and a round wall or foundation of a round building r GudmundssoM . s beenha n good enoug mako ht drawingea , or rather plan, for me (see Plate II., and the annexed plan). There are foundations of eighteen so-called booths. Close to them and amongst them is a round wall, levelled now with the surface of the grass, but t knono wo d wha I t dept havr y heighho ema ratet beey i t t an i ,n t ;a is about 5 feet in thickness, and the space enclosed is 22 Danish ells in diameter, each equal to two Danish feet. I had never seen a cir- cular wal t appear(i l n survee ovalo sb f suco o )t y h dimensionsd an , marvelled Gudmundssor M . n calle Domriaga t di I coul .t contra dno - diet t wonderebu , d ignorance y agaim t a n . This circl buils ewa t solid, —it was not an open or so-called Druid's circle; it was like the other house walls of Iceland, to all appearance made to hold a roof and to keep out bad weather. If a Court, or Thing, or Domring, surely it must be different from others. e surpriseThisth l ,al however t , becausno s wa , e in the middle of this large circle was another circle about 12 feet in diameter. kine Thiath s ndf o swa ope calle e non d Druid's. Although imperfect doubo n , t enterefore th m miny o s t intendedd m s wa da t i d an , as unexpected as bewildering. In the very middle, again, was a large stone s placeit ,t somewha f ratheo bu , t rou t tabular. Here, then, was a stone circle enclosed with a strong wall such as people build to hold roofs. Surely this stone circle must have bee f valueno . (See plan, p. 156.) o grean t t A distance were thre r fouo e r places which showed stone 156 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY,, MA.BCH 10, 1873.
circles in decay. I say three or four—I think four—but there were only two which appeared decidedly to have circles in the eyes of my com- panions I shal d lan , therefor insist sammoree no n o th t et a time; , they had not before seen stone circles, and could not recognise them when in ruin easil thero o I s believ s tw yea e appeareI eth could f O .d little thesf o doubte e On les. s distinct smalplacea d lha s circl anothed ean r concentric, and I believe a third outside, but so much in ruins that I am willing to leave part uncertain. They were small, and stood on a small eminence. Another of these places with uncertain circles could be seen below.
•
Ground Plan of Domring (so called) and the nearest booths.
The booths or houses were in some cases 17 yards by 5. The whole would see o havmt e bee a collection f importanno t public places with booths near. I suppose it is agreed that there were several courts near- supposo t y wa e e thesth eacf eo hconcentrit t otherseemi ou d t an s,no c circle havo st e marked such places I kno . reasonine wth g against this ; but I must ask, Why the carefully-enclosed circle and centre stone, clear enough to see? and why the other concentric circle, if less clear? T ON SOME KUINS IN ICELAND. 157
never befor d see ha eso-callea n d Druid's circle insid ehousea , because thi s probabli s reae th yl meanin thice th kf o genclosin s g wa wall t I . also unlike anythin inquirn o w gd sa eithe yan I , rme seey b rear no f do it necessary to look up a number of points. these ar ey boothWh sman o theree s the y ar n yr i o wh ,booth d an s1 this sequestered place ? Inquiry showed that history could not assist. e plac Th s callei e d Krossnef o e largp d Thingnesth an sema n o d an , Iceland, Kjalarnesthing. Are we to disbelieve these names except the first, whic s theshowp s descriptivhi wa n ma I s e ?e land th th s f a ,eo referred to the Saga regarding Kjalarnes, but then it seemed clear that onl limitee yth d Kjalarnes, under Mount Esjaalludes wa , . dHerto e w e are some miles away from Esja. Again t seemei , e belieth d f thae th t whole of the circle of the bay of Reykjavik was called Kjalarnes at times, l lane beinal th dn gi wher firse eth t keel landed—the namee origith f no , some people say, is "the promontory of the keel." Not findin recordee th g d history muse w , t pursu e naturaeth l history of the subject; and so it seemed next right to go to Kjalarnes, and find out what remaine than di t place ,tole wherar d e thaw e t bot htempla e an a courd t were erected. Doe e placth s e suie descriptionth t e W ? accordingly decided to sail to Kolla Fiord; and before going there I may give a part of the Saga, to show the nature of the interest to be had in looking in that direction. The translation is made by Mr Hjaltalin, of the Advocates' Library, who kindly undertook to read out a few chapters in English, translating every word carefully, whilst I was careful to write down every word as we went on, receiving his comments and explana- tions, for which I am certainly much indebted, as my readers will be, since thi t hitherts no Sag s aha o been publishe Englishn di .
Kjalnesing Saga. I.—Helgi Bjdk, the son of Ketill Flatnefr, took possession of the whole of Kjalernes between Leyruvog t Kjalarnesa Botnsa'd f ran lived Ho e an t ,H da . wagreaa t versa tno ys religiond usefu durinwa ol n e e e ma timlH th g th .f eo worshipper, but quiet and gentle towards all. Helgi married Thdrny, the daughte f Ingolfro r t Reykjavika , firso twh , settle Icelandn di . Their sons were Thorgrim Arngrimrd an r . They were bot mose d stronghth an t largd n an , eme active-looking men. Helgi distribute lan e d takewhicth df do ha ne h h posses- 158 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 10, 1873.
sion amon crewThrandghis To . gavhe r e Thranderstad Bylifrto e; , Eylifsdal; to Hsekingr, Hikinigsthal (Haekingsdalr); to Tindr, Tindstadir; and to every one he gav place eth e whic likee hh d most. A man is named Erlig (Orlygr), an Irishman both by his father and mother. Ireland was Christian at that time, and was ruled over by Konfogr, the king of the Irish. Erlig (Orlygr) offended the king, and then he went to see his kins- man, Bishop Patrick, and asked for his advice what he should do. But he told o Irelandt o g hi mo t , for ,a grea sai, dhe t numbe f powerfuo r havn me el gone there. But I would advise you to take with yon three things—consecrated earth, whic shal u t undehyo pu lcornere th r churche pillath f o r cross e mara , th f ka ,o plenarium consecratea d an , d iro nwilu bell lYo sout e com.th Icelandf ho o et , and then you shall sail round to the west. A large fiord goes into the country from the west, and far in the firth you will see- three lofty mountains divided by valleys. You shall direct your course to the last mountain, where you will gooa t dge harbour therd an , e live wissa e chief called Helgi Bjola wilo lwh , receive you, because he is not a great worshipper. He will give you a dwelling- place unde mountaie th r whicf no hI told'yo u before. Buil dchurca h thered ,an bury your men d dedicatan , e churct Columbaeth S o t h . Now, farewell, said the bishop, and take good care of your faith, though you will be living among heathens. After thas hi te sai b f Orlyg o t di iso t ' d r an prepare , go o t d voyage that everything went as the bishop had told him. He landed in the Therneyarsund, and went then to see Helgi Biola, who received him well. Orlygr erected a farmhouse and church under the mountain of which the bishop had told him, and lived there afterwards to old age.
II.—During the latter portion of the reign of Konfogr, the king of the Irish, a vessel with Irishme n boaro n d arrive t s namei Leyrufvagra d n dma A . Andridr, a young man and unmarried, large and strong; with them (the Irishmen) was a woman, by name Esja, a very wealthy widow ; there was also a man, by name Kolli. Helgi receive f themo l dal . Koll placee h i Kolln di a Fiort bu d; d withouan d ol s tErli a s childrengwa s lan fard hi e gav Esj h ,dan o m t p u ea who took up her residence at Esjuberg. All these people were said to be baptised t manye , y said that Esja knew man tricksd yol . Andridr weno t t spend the winter at Hof, and he and Helgi's sons became foster-brothers. Andridr asked Helgi to procure him a dwelling-place and a wife. He was very wealthy. At that time the whole of Kjalarnes was overgrown with wood, thosd an e wer onle eth y clearings wher e peopleth e cleare e placa farmd th r efo - hous roada largn A eo . e road went alon e hilgth l from e sprinHofth n gI . Helg Andridd an i r went there whed an , n they arrivee hillth ,t Helgda i said, Andridr, here I will give you land, and I wish you to build a farmhouse here. ON SOME RUINS IN ICELAND. 159
thae t sonseemy I m m ts o t swis preso ht s you. After that Andridr buila t farmhouse across the road, and called it Brautaholt, because the wood was so thick that they though t lesi t s troubl builo et farmhousda e theree th (i.e., n o road). Andridi made ther esplendia d farmhousenames i n dma ThormothrA . , who live Thormddsdaln di ; witlivem sisters hhi d hi namy ,b e s Thordrwa o wh , good-looking and wealthy. Helgi wooed this woman for Andridr, and she was betrothe himo dt . This summer also Arndys daughtee th , f Thdrdrro , Skeggi's son t Skeggjastadira , s betrothewa , f o HelgiThorgrimrdt o n .so e Botth , h weddings were to take place" together at Hof, and the guests were treated with great energy. There wer a greae t many people. Afte e weddingth r , Thuridr went to Brautaholt and took the management of the household duties, and it soon became evident that she was a very pushing woman. They had a large number of live stock, and the sheep went in the wood by themselves, over the nesa. This autumn Andridr missed a dark grey heifer, three winters old, which was called Maus. This heifer was found three winters afterwards on a ness west from Brautaholt, and then she had two calves, one a year old, another six months old, They therefore calle e nesdth s Musarnes e firsTh t .winte r that Andridr lived in Brautaholt, Helgi Biola died, and it was thought the greatest loss, for he was very popular. In the spring the brothers divided their patri- mony; Thorgrimr retained the paternal seat and the chieftainship, because he was the elder of the two, bvit Arngrimr got the outlying farms. He began farming close to the fiord, and called the place Saurbaer. He married a woman by name Olb'f, from Borgarfiord. They had two sons : one was named Helgi, the other "Vakr. They became brav ea largmen f o t ewer t ,bu stature no e . Thorgrimr began farming in the spring at Hof. His farm soon became very magnificent, as there were many thing supporo st t him, also friend d kinsmenan s e becamH . e a powerful man in the district, and ruled over the whole, all the way to Minna- hraun thid s callean s,wa d Bruimdeela-godord (chieftainship) s callewa de H . Thorgrimrgothi greaa s twa worshippere H . d builan , ta templs farhi m a n eo hundred feet lonsixtd gan y fee towardpeoplx e t ta broath a l eal y sd; wer pa o et it. Thorr was most worshipped there. It was made round within like a skull- hunwas g cap It wit. h tapestry therand , e were window it. Tho in s was r standin middleothee e th th n d rgi godan , botn so h sides fronn I Thof . o t r stood an altar, finely made, and covered on the top with iron. There was to be the fire which should never go out—we call that consecrated fire. On that altar a large ring, made of silver, was lying. The temple priest wore it on his hand at all public l peoplmeetingsal t i ey werB . sweao et givinn o r g evidence than O t. altar stood a large bowl of copper, into which the blood of cattle or men sacri- ficed to Thor was to be poured. This they called hlaut (blood), and hlautbolli (blood-bowl). From thicattld san bowen whicme l h were sacrifice feasted dan d 160 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAECH 10, 1873.
on were to be besprinkled, when there were sacrificing feasts. But the men who were sacrificed were thrown down into a pool close to the door. This they called blotkelda. The cross beams which were in the temple were put in the hall whef Ho n t the d Olafa ha l splitm al e t r the H builye , y . wertit e thick enough. Thorgrim institute dsprina g meetin Kjalarnest ga ruine th ,sea se d closth ,an y eb of the booths may still be seen. All minor matters were to be decided there, and only such cases were to be brought to the Althing as could not be decided or compromised here. Thorgrim Arndyd ran sona namy d ,b s ha e Thorsteinne H . was soon a very violent man, and considered everything low beside himself. Kolli live Kolln di a s beeFiordha n s saia , d before e marrieH . da woma namy b n e Thorgerdr, the daughter of ByUfr, in Bylifsdal. They had a daughter, by name beautr he Olaf d y an ,becam ecommoa therefors wa n e talkeSh calle. d Olae th f Beautiful.
III.—When Andridr and his wife had lived some winters at Brautaholt, they poures wa o d ovewh n r so wit a hd wateha called ran d greatlBuie H . y surpassed other young men, was larger and stronger, and finer to look at. Esja lived at Esjvberg bees ha ns a sai, d before oiferee Sh foste. o Andridrdf t o n r so Bui e ,,th and he grew up with her. He was called somewhat wayward in his youth; he would never worship, and said it was not manly to bend knees to such things woule H t carr. dno yweapona slinga t bu ,, whic tiee hh d round himself. womanThera s e wa nam y b , e Thorgerdr liveo t Vatn,dwh a , whic afterwards hwa s called Ellid hersf ao Vatn namy n ,b so e;a Kolvidr (Coalwood) gre witp wu h her; soos h enlargwa a e man, with black hair uglyd laie ,H an d .himsel f dowe th n ni kitchen gnawed an , e bar th df wood ko d tooan ,k s mother' hi car f o e s cattle. Thorgerdr was very sorry for this, yet Coalwood had his way. Thorgrimgothi took much noticwoulo t worshipthoswh f eo dno n etheme d an ,y were severely treated Thorsteinn so s hi d nb yan spok hime H e. threateningly concerning Buie h s ,a would not worship, and called him the dog Bui. Bui was then twelve winters oldThorsteind an , n eighteen. Thorsteinn summone Kjalarnesthino t i dBu r fo g heresy (wrong faith) r whic fo e ,penalt th h y shoul e outlawryb d . Thorstein carried out the case, and Bui became an outlaw. Bui pretended not to know of it, and went about as before. He went frequently to Brautaholt to see his father and mother, and still he did so. From all this, great coldness arose between the people. Once in the spring, Bui, it is said, went to Brautaholt: he always went alone, and did not carry more weapons than before. He had his sling tied round himself. Thorsteinn saw where Bui went, and recognised him. Then he went to his fathefathe, saidd on lon an w ro ,who s g thig ?—tha i " Ho o t sdo m I e th t mad outlan ea w last summer shall pas fare sth m her fuld n ei lha libertye w f i s ,a no charge against him. I think if your neighbours are suffered to do this, that ON SOME RUINS IN ICELAND. . 16l others will not think much of breaking your commands, and will care nothing for wha say.e w t " Thorgrimr said, " t wha Therbu t; mucs wilei y sa whal n hi u yo t you do now ?" Thorsteinn replied, " It is a plain thing to me: I wish you to give me men, and I will slay Bui when he goes home, because I think it'will be a long time till his father offers to make a compensation for him." Father and son agreed about this, and they kept watch when Bui went home. Bui staid some night t Brautaholt,a s d whe an e prepare h n homeo g s motheo dt hi , r Thuridr saidd an , m "incautiouslcam o I wish hi s son o y woulo et u g m , t ,m yo a dno I y; told that Thorsteinn has been threatening you. I wish you would take with you t leasmen a o carrd tw tan , y some weapons. i replied o duty d Bu "m o y t s ,i "t I you t r wil i foster-mothe difficuly wille t b lm bu ,r fo t keeo t r p more sucI s ha difficuls i whic e Thorsteinwils o t t i u ablse e , s f b lo ha o o t e tt am me t d bu ; nan tell the news, even if he has a larger attendance, and this time I shall go as I intended." Then Bui went his way along the sea-shore, and Thorsteinn became aware of it. He and eleven others took their weapons. When Bui saw the pursuit, he was on a hill, and there he stopt and gathered together some stones. Thorsteinn and his men ran over a brook when they heard the sound of Bui's sling, and a stone soon hit one of Thorsteinn's men on the breast and killed him on the spot. Bui sent some more stones, and killed a man with each. Then they were close to him, and he left the hill and walked down on the opposite side. An eminence separate e samth d t ethema timd an ,e darkness an, feldon l they could not see farther than their toes. Thorsteinn said, "Here is a heavy road to pull when we have to fight against a dog and a witch, and let us return this time, but I should wish that I and Bui should meet in that way another time, so tha coul e tels e news.t botu w t lth f d no o h " Then they turned back, carrying the men with them, and were very badly satisfied with their trip. It was also tale peoplf th ko e that the succeeded yha d very poorly.
IV.—Bui now went home, and Esja his foster mother was at the door and salute receivede h himd greetinr an , dhe g well. Esja said thint , "Dino ku dyo i saiwhila tha wero u d?Bu fen " o emor ag yo wt e to me e wer wantedt eno . Esja said, "You were not quite alone in the play." Bui said, "I am glad to enjoy good health." Esja said t thin wil, u no tiree "D b yo ku lf Thorsteinn' o doyo s pursuit ?" Bui said, " That would be known if I could expect any assistance." Esja said, "We must often venture many things." Thu tale sth k e endedth d an , winter passed on. Late one evening Bui went to Brautaholt and spent the night there. In the morning, before daybreak, he was up and turned, to the east of the hill. He could clearly see the farm-house at Hof. The sky was clear and bright. He saw a man dressed in linen clothes only come out of the house at Hof. He turnee gate walked th o an ,t d d alone temple roae th i though gth o dt Bu . e h t VOL . PARx . . TI i' 162 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 10, 1873.
recognised Thorsteinn, and went to the temple; and when he came there he saw temple th tha yar e d th te dan wer i went shuteBu no t. int w templee osa th d an , that Thorstein facs dowy hi nla e n beforno e Thorr i wenBu .t slowl himo t p yu , and took nold of him in this way: one hand he placed under Bis knees and the other under his shoulders, and lifted him up, and drove his head down on a stone so hard that the brain was scattered about the floor, and he died instantly. Bui carried him out of the temple and threw him into the yard. Then he turned back into the temple, and took the consecrated fire and made it burn up. Then he carried it about the temple and set fire to the tapestry, and the flames spread rapidl shoranothera yo t n froi e t md on tim templan e whol,e n i e th th s f eo ewa flames. Then Bui went out, locked the temple and the yard, and flung the keys into the flames; then he went his way. Thorgrimr awoke in the morn- ing, and looked out and perceived the flames in the temple. He called on his servants womenand , bot brin,hto men g pail wate sof sav templeand rethe He . als o Thorsteinnnowhern s calleso wa found s e e b d hi h o et d . ,an When they came e yarth do t gate, they coul t easil e lockeds d no t th through wa yge d t i an , s a , templ wells ea t the bu , y coul t finkeye no dth d s anywhere. breao t The d kyha the gate open, becaus higo s impossiblwalhs s e thath ewa wa lt ovet i tge t i ro t e anywhere. When they had broken open the gate and were inside the yard, they saw Thorsteinn lying deadtemple lockedTh s . ewa d nothinan , g coul seee db n that was within. Then they made hooks, and at last the temple was pulled to pieces therebd an , y e timbersomth f eo s were saved.
Now, it is to be told of Bui, that he came to a farm called Holar and declared slayee himselth Thorsteinn,f e ro b o t f thed wene an n h 1 t homee th .n o Esjs awa west side of the farm, and saluted Bui, who received her greetings well. She said, "Hav u beeyo en chase y Thorsteinb d n this morningw no r havo u , yo e thought of my egging ?" Bui said he would not deny that the Hof people might think thesuffered yha d some loss. Esja said, " Hav declareu eyo killing?e dth " He said he had done so. Esja said, " I am not powerful enough to"- keep you here without hiding, becaus I ekno w Thorgrimr wil here b l e to-day. i saidBu ," " I suppose you had better do as you wish." Then they walked from the farm up to the mountain and across the river; then they went up a narrow path to a peak called Laug ar-gnipa (Bath-peak). There they came upon a fine cave; there wa beautifua s e cavl brooka th room s e n unde d I therwa .an , t i re were pro- visions, drink, and clothing. Esja said, " You will have to be here for a while," i ansaidBu d woule "h so.o dd " Esja went hom madd ean house th fire n ei s with wet sweepings, which made a great deal of smoke,
It a man told within the next two farms that he slew a man, it was a homicide ; 1 otherwise murdera s wa t i ., ON3 SOM16 E BUIN ICELANDN SI .
Sage Th a intereso continuesn rese s ur thin th si ha t fo t t s inquirybu , . Bui leaves the country, and goes through many adventures. There are said not to be the remotest signs of the temple spoken of in shore wene th t lookw Kollf o eo t t no thid bu ,a di s e Sagw t Hofa d an , Fiord under Esja, which is in a small degree a jokull, and showed deep ridges filled with snow, and no doubt also with ice. There was a little grass on the shore, and at the extreme head of the fiord a good deal, and a farm-house, but the upper land, and much of the lower was almost as voi vegetatiof do pana s nglasssoutf a shoree e eo th Th hn .s o wer e heaps of large gigantin stonesi f i s a ,c cartload norte th n ho sid s; e a ther s ewa littl evidentls e levewa a lse ygrounde diminishin th fla w d tlo an , A . git shinglplace th shows s ea ewa wher s nu e once stoo Kjalarnee dth s Thing, as smooth now as any shingle is whereon the waves have acted for many yearse e stonepasse th W found f . an sof d littla d e grass under the hill, and here were the remains of what might have been, and what consideree ar havo dt e been boothso tw , . suppose w f Sagae I absolutele eb th o st y correct, tha t Krossnea t s wa s not alluded to. That is on the shores of a lake, this is on the sea. In minute details, they do not correspond. I should certainly conclude that the Saga did not relate to Ellida Vatn. Let us see what is to be learned from it. cleas i t I r that sacrifices were animals d made th an n d e botan ,me f ho remains wer clears i edoore t burietemplth e I ,t th .a also n r di o e , that the temples were made with a round portion, if all were not round. We must conclude, therefore, that to find remains within or at the cir- cumferenc circla f eo ns ei o proo f ordinaro f y burial. Eemain victimf so s thrown into holes in the rough manner alluded to might account for many cases where the bones lie in great disorder, and are not found within the circle. In the Eyrbyggia a temple is described as built by Thorolf, and of a great size (" ingentis magnitudinis"), whic centre th h n note s I thi.wa s waPulvinae sth placa ( r holdinr efo images)e gth altaria ar , "c sa instar," altae sacrificr th rfo e probably n Smith'I . s "Dictionar f Antiquitiesyo " we are told that "ara" and "altare" were often used as the same, but "altare greatea d "ha r importance, properly speaking t thiA s. templf eo Thorolfs was an aspergillum for sprinkling the blood of animals, while 164 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 10, 187?.
blood was held in a bowl; and there was also a ring, which was held by the person taking an oath. Wit l theshal e facts conjunction i , n wit narrationse h th fairl y ma y e w , conclude— 1st, That open circles were buila perio e t Nors a th ts lat a ds ea occupation of Iceland. 2d, Tha charactee th t f thao r t Krossnea t sremarkabl o isto alloo t e w us to suppose that the place was unimportant. 3d, That if the open circles were not considered symbolical, they were at least held as very important. 4th, That the stone in the centre, in conjunction with the other details,- seems to answer the description of the Blood Stone. 5th, Tha fino t t d human remain proo o regulaa n f s so i f r burying-place; but if the remains have been thrown down irregularly, they point to the rough usage given them after sacrifice. 6th, Many places whic cale hw l burial-places havonly yema been places of sacrifice, and this may account for the irregularity in the disposition of the remains. On the other hand, it may be that in all the cases the burial was the chief point and the sacrifice only an accompaniment. If the body for burial be lost, the circle may still exist with the sacrificial remains only, whether -huma notr no , whic beed hha n tossed aside. Much interesting matter on this subject is to be found in Dr Thurman's " Ancient British Barrows," Society of Antiquaries, London, 1869. With these ideas, and the facts before us, it was difficult to resist the opinion, when looking at the large saucer-like stones in New Grange, in Boyne th e valley, that they were intende r blooddfo y r ritesliquiFo .d they are apparently intended. Then, what liquid 1 They are not such larga r woule efo a son e amoun dus f liquido t t quitbu , e suc wouls a h d be found convenient for retaining a small amount, whereas the surface being large leads us to suppose it was required to hold a large oliject. fructifd idead t ideaan ol bu t ,Thin ya sro s anewsi , when ther lifs ei n ei them. When opposing many absur d unfoundean d d legends r perhapo , s fabrications abou Druide th t s -ansupposee th d d Druidica f circleso e lus , e on n oppositioy a an religiouy r l an fo s idearise al f ha e no a o us st n of that clas f buildingso r monumentsso d whilsan ; t many false views ON SOME RUINS IN ICELAND. 165
have been thrown down, it may happen that a good deal of sound material has also fallen in the confusion of the struggle. Man has no doubt spent much tim puttinn ei s deaghi d into lasting resting-places, an thin di s showin greas ghi relativess t lovhi f speciesey o sa I wil,t no ,l t that distinguishebu t no t a lovs r s o muclovo ha , es hi of es m ha hi d least attention to, spiritual beings. For this he has not spared any even moss ohi f t intimate friends vers i t yI har. supposo t d e thaideae on t , the love of friends, so much weaker than the other at certain stages of civilisation, should hav outliveo s e . dit However argun a t ,- thino s i s mentconnectioe Th . f boothno d temples mighe san w f d o t an ,als d oad round buildings s interestingi , . Although Stukel havy yma e first con- necte idee df templeth a o Druidicaa f so l kind with certain remainse h , o bmeann y s introduce e opinioth d n that stone circles were temples. This is very old indeed, and if Hector Boece is put out of court as a f cour o e distinctla gossiphistorian h t s a td ou an t , cannoe ypu h , e b t says it was the vulgar idea of his time :—" Enormous stones placed in circles, and vulgarly called the ancient temples of the gods,"—" Ingentia ea saxa ducta in circos, prisca deorum Fana vulgus appellat." "Whatever he may say, the Iceland Sagas seem clear enough on the circula objece r on formthif o d t san ,pape shoo t s wi r tha e opeth t n stone circle, our common one, is found conjoined with the closed one as well as not conjoined, and may be seen in Iceland to-day. I never travelled ove t knor no s antiquitie Icelandwit o d d an , s ; I.give wha I sawt d an , connect it with what I know elsewhere. We need not attempt to make very early times refined. Having advanced this length, I had the fortune of some guidance from two great Icelandic authorities, who will keep me right, at least in the history, althoug stilm ha I fea l I rincline opinioy keeo m t d o t pn that these accumulations represent the ruins of either courts or temples, at least one of them being the remains of a very important place, throwing light on our own stone circles. And first let me quote Mr Yigfussen, joint-author of the " Icelandic Dictionary," p. 101 :— " Dom-hringr, m., doom-ring, judgment-ring (compare also ve-bond, the sacred bound e court barr so Th f )heathes o n times were surroundey b d the dom-hringr, about a bowshot from the centre, where the benches were placed; no evil-doer might enter this hallowed ring, or commit an act of 6 16 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARC , 1873H10 .
calles violencwa vargda e h , i rveue so withimd di (lupu ne h it n f si i ; sanctis). The English law term ' bar' answers'to this old word ; compare Gieek, 8pv
of several men of great standing as antiquaries for thinking differently from them, when the subject is so new to me and foreign to those things on which I have all my life been writing.
Letter from Professor Maurer,E. of Munchen. " Kjalarnes is now and was in old times that piece of land which lies nort southere Reykjavikf ho th n d westero an nd an , n side f Esjao sI . leave the question whether a smaller part of this district ever bore the name. Not onl e Kjalarneyth e sIslending th Saga t bu , e ath Bod kan Landnama, the most trustworthy sources for the history of Iceland, tell Kjalarnee oth f s tru i e accounts t ei th Thin t bu g ; st quit dno o e agree. Accordin e Islendingaboth o t g d Landnama,kan f o Thorstein n so e th , Ingolf, established the Thing at Kjalarnes, and associated with him are put Helgi Bjola, who lived at Hof, and Orlygr Gamli, who lived at Esju- berg. Althoug t sayhi s also that Thorstei fathes hi d r ns an Ingolf hi d an , sou, Thorkell Mani, live t Eeykjavikda e othe e chiefo th th tw rd n si an , circl Kjalarnesf o e , therrooo n unquestionable ms eth i r leffo t e asser- tion thae courestablishes th t wa t t Kjalarnesa d Kjalarnee Th . s Saga, on the other hand, makes the establishment to be by Thorgrim Godi, and differs so far from the first description that it may be a later remembranc e circumstanceth f o e , which might become necessary when the Eeykjavik people transferre authorite Thinth de th go yt Vall t bu a; even this Saga places the court at Kjalarnes, and when it is added, " Sudr vedisjoinn," it is meant that it is south of the.temple at Hof, in the direc- seae tioth .f no source founNod e Kjalarnee b ol trac a tth o n dt i f ss eo i s court having been held elsewhere than at this place, and the name would be unintelligible if this were not tho case. " Till lately no one has doubted this, since the very well-informed Lbgmadr Eggert Olaffson, in the journey of himself and Bjarni Palsson, p. Ill, speake Thingstea Kjalarnen th i f f so establishe n a Ho s t a da s d •fact (1752-57, Eesp. 1772). It first occurred to the known poet, Jonas Hallgrimsson worke a descriptiowho , on d Icelannof d never published, and took the idea that the Kjalarnes Thing might have been at Elli- davatn, becaus mano s there eh w y esa boot perhaps h wa remains e h s d an , inclined to this by the belief that the place must be sought nearer to Eeykjavik. This, if I am not mistaken, was told me in Iceland by the 168 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 10, 1873.
Conferenz Bath Bjarni Thorsteinson tol e Brynjulfsoy ar b dals o s e ; ow n s memoihi n i r (sufficiently uncritical), um godord fornb'ld buaaskipua n Thingvbllum ISTy Felagsrit, xiii. § 38. On this mere suspicion of a late time evidencstande th l Thingsteaa sal f eo d bein Ellidt ga a Vatne Th . reputed remain f thio s s Thingstea y opiniond m are n i , , only thosf o e stable housed san s which were kep te Baro herth y enb Hastfe 1758n i r . s modehi t a l sheep farm (Erz. lohnse laardata Islandia l , seite xciv. anm. 2, dofter.) True, one can no more see with certainty the remains at Kjalarnes, which, however, would sink rapidl n marshyi y groundr o , easily be washed away if near the sea. " This is. my opinion, drawn from old sources, so far as I know them, and also by actually seeing the places and making inquiries there. That under such circumstances I think it hopeless to look for a temple or a Dom-ring at Ellida Vatn is easily understood. " P.S.—I may remark that the name Kjalarnesthing on the map is founded only on the conjecture of lonas Hallgrimson."
Finding that Hallgrimsson had written on the subject, and that his work was only in MS., I asked Mr Hjaltalin for advice, and he wrote to Denmark, receiving a copy of the part alluded to from the President of Althinge th . Thi alse sh o kindly translated fro Danise mth h :—
From Autographe th Diary f lonaso Hattgrimmsson, 1841. Communi- cated by H. Ion Sigurdsson, President of the Althing and the Icelandic Literary Society at Copenhagen. Translated by Mr Ion A. Hjaltalin, Advocates' Library. " Last winter, whe nI bega earnesn ni inquiro t e afte place th r e where the old Kjalarnesthing had been, there was no one who could give-me information about it. People said, indeed, that there were remains of a Thingstead somewhere on the Kjalarnes, to the west of the farm Moar near the sea-shore, but that no ruins of booths were to he seen there. Besides t remarkedi e b , e placth , calles ei d Leidvollr (thee Plaith f o n districe Leidth r o , t meeting afteThing)e th r . This naturallo t e m d yle think that the Kjalarnesingar had in their time held the yearly Leidar- thing on this spot, but that it was not therefore decided that the district Thing (court or meeting) had ever been there. About the same time I ON SOME RUINS IN ICELAND. 169
learned that at Ellida Vatn (an inland lake full of fish, situated above e Seltjarnarnes th d boundarieol e th f n Kjosarsyslo o s, d Gullhringan a u Sysla, and in the centre of the district Kjalarnesthing) there were to be found man d importanyan t ruina nes n sso going inte above-menoth - tioned lake, half-way betwee e farmth n s Yatnsend Vatnd ean . iAfter previous inquiry, I went from Reykjavik to this place in the evening of the 20th of June, as I intended next day to do some digging, hoping by such means to attain some result with respect to the original purpose of the ruins. " Next morning, the '21st .June, I began the work, assisted by four hired labourers attendanty m , coupla d friends—eighf an ,eo t in. all. " The owner of the ground, Ion lonsson, of Vatn, was present himself and gave me permission to dig where and how I liked, limited only by reasonable th e condition tha himsele h t f shoult liberta e b ddisposo yt e of what migh foune b t f antiquitiesdo . Ther s thereforewa e nothino gt hinde succese wore th r th f kso accordin smale th o glt powedisposaly m t ra . apparentls firswa e booth d "p tTh u indeeol f d ruio g n an ye ,a n du d on e largesth t tha I remembet havo t r Thingsteay e seean t na Icelandn di . Its dimensions were as follows :— Length, ... feet2 3 . . Breadth, (inside) . . . 14 „ at lower end. t uppea , , r end 3 1 . . . . . do Do. Thickness of Wall, . 6 „ buils f goodwa o t t I , partly selected t rougbu , h stones e entrancTh . e at the lower end on the middle of the cross wall was about three feet. Fro quantite mth stonef yo s fallen down cone heighb e wale y ,th - th f lma to cluded to have been about three ells, or six feet. The inside area of this ruin is therefore somewhat about 100 square ells. It is at least the hroadest booth that is to be found at any of the old Thingsteads of Iceland. I say booth, for so it is without any doubt. The digging has show demonstratioo nt t beebuildiny no an ns n ha tha gt i tintende r dfo animals I too. k wit specimene m h e harth df o strodden-dow n crusf o t flooe th provo t r e this assertion. " Then the work was begun immediately on the north-west side of the ruins, elevateon na d spot (poll), where heaa ther s stonef po e wa sucf so h a shape as to induce me to believe that it was the work of man. By 170 PEOCEEDING8 OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 10, 1873.
joint efforts large stones were removed, but this toilsome labour led to no results. " From thi removee sw tho dt e most remarkabl Thingnese spoth n to — a circle of stones—the Doniring (or court ring). The circle must have been nearly correct s ruin it e stils ar sa , le diameterroundth d an , s from north to south and from east to west are equal, namely, 43 feet. At the bottom, the wall has been two ells (four feet) broad, and, to judge from the quantity of stones fallen down, of about the same height; or, in other words, it would have reached a man of middle stature to the breast. Thialss e propeth oswa r height, in order thawale th t l without being easily jumped over, shoul t obstrucno d e publith t c (from seeing). "We can fancy them standing round the circle, leaning with their arms round e sacreth d hedge within which laws were read (aloud), public infor- mation promulgated d judgmenan , t pronounce n mani d y case whicn si h l presenal t took livela remarkee b y y interestma dt I tha. t this Domring contiguous i boothso tw thao o st e above-mentiones , th t d ruin whice hw dug up forms a part of the north side of the ring, whilst the side walls of three united ruin ssouth-ease enclosth n o t centre e i tth th sidef n eo I . court ring there is a heap of stones, which cannot have come from the surrounding walls: its purpose is uncertain, and will remain so until a complet d carefuan e e attemptl th e digginmade b y B n s. ca galread y made about one-third of an inner stone circle .have appeared, which seems to indicate thae circl th s beet ha e n complet n oldei e ns timeswa d an , then probably the seat -of the judge. . "After this, at the request of the landowner, the upper ruin, a little above those already described e weroutg t successfuW du e.no s wa , n i l finding antiquities. The only .thing found was a small sharp-edged basaltic stone, which certainly does not belong to the basaltic masses of neighbourhoode th . " Beside wore sth k mentioned, some other ruins were hastily examined, orden i f possibli r discoveo t e fire-placea r t withoubu , t success careA . - fu lgroune digginth f o dp gnexu largee th t r booth (Butharhladid, booth- wished-foe th t lea o no yardt d d rthoughdi s ) resultswa t I t . probable tha t e sweepingsomth e f booto eth f ho s might have contained some' article about whic s formehit r inhabitants were indifferent, whils , undeI t r e presenth t circumstances, would have receive t i witd h eagernesa s a s ON SOME RUIN ICELANDN SI . 171
proof of the correctness of my subjective conviction. One thing, how- ever, has been completely and abundantly disproved by this work, viz., the possible use of these ruins for stables, or at any rate for night quarters for sheep or cattle; for it is well known throughout Iceland that no such house does exist without a dunghill (" havgur ") immediately before the door or the entrance j but no vestiges of such were to be dis- covered. "Altogether the ruins are about twenty, and the above-mentioned circles besides. What could their purpose have been ? Their number, shape, the quality of the floor, &o., all indicate that they must have been abode th manf eo y mensituatioe Th placee . th name f no th , e Thingnes, stone th e circle, &c., seem furthe indicato rt bees e tims thaha it n a t e n i i t Thingstead othee th n r O hand. t wili , difficule b l shoo t othety wan r o r reasonable purpose which these ruins served. But if it has been a Thingstead, it must have been an important one, and probably no less than a considerable district Thing ; it will not be possible in the whole of Iceland to show such ruins where the district Things were held formerl}', Thinge n Skjalfandaflyoyi t alone excepted. Now, thers wa e not in the whole district any Thing except Kjalarnes Thing. The con- clusion is—Kjalarnes Thing has been held sooner or later, perhaps always, in Thingnes, at Ellida Vatn. " I very much regret that from the want of the most simple instruments unablf s thio sp wa mak o t eremarkablI ma ea e place. Continued rain throughou e afternooth t n prevente e from dm makin a gpreliminar y sketch. ownee " Th willins i r undertakeo gt , or undertakene causb o et , further explorations, if the necessary expenses are paid by some one." e samcopth A f eyo documen s correctlwa t y d partlwrittean t y ou n rewritte thy nb e author himself s seconit . n i Her ds i for t ei m :—
' " Thingnes in Ellida Vatn (Monday, 2lst Jane 1841), where the old Kjalarnes Thing is supposed to have been.
" Afte previoua r s inquiry whicy b , hI becam e subjectively convinced of the correctness of my supposition, I have now arrived at the spot with my attendant engaged for the summer, student Guunar Hallgrimsson, and 1.72 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 10, .1873.
four labourers, in order to try "by digging whether I should succeed in gaining any result, either finding antiquities, or, by clearing out the ruins, formin iden g a theif ao r for shaped man , obtai knowledgna theif eo r former purpose I mysel .partl y da f describinn ywile i th lf mako supe e gth eus - posed Thingstead, to which great historical interest is attached, as it is . the oldest one in the country. " The work is in full progress, and the landowner, Mr Ion lonsson of Vatn, is present, and has given an unlimited permission to dig where and how I please, on condition—a matter of course—that he shall be at libert disposo yt foune b whaf y eo d ma 'ot f antiquities ; ther therefors ei e nothing to hinde the work progressing well in proportion to the small means at my disposal. ruialreads e n"ha On ; fro p ym u bee g than du t appeari t demono t s - stration that it has not at any time been a sheep-pen, or in any way a building intende animalsr dfo I too. k wit specimene hm troddene th f so - down floor, which are to prove-my assertion. What, then, could"these eightee r tweno n t enclosures1 have been intende ]r standindfo n a n gi outfield provee b , whern dca thert ei e farnevea s m ; further rwa nesa n so , going out into a lake full of fish, and this ness called even to-day Thingness, and been called so from time immemorial. No one who has seen the older Thingsteads of Iceland will doubt that these are booths— dwelling-places for those who frequented the Things, over which they use stretco dt h o many s o s a d a y roo ten f an wadmel,r o wh fo tt Bu . t I largmus - e1 t have bee a districn t Thing d thean ,n undeniably Kjalarnes Thing otheo n s ra , district Thin gwhole th heleves n edi wa r of this district." (Here follow the measures exactly as in the former description.) bega e w north-wes th worno o n t e n o "kW e ruinsn t a th sid n f o ,o e elevated spot, where there was a heap of stones, which seemed likely to be a cairn. A row of stones continued about seventy'feet, and vestiges of a side wall led us to believe that the whole was the work of men. By joint efforts large stones were removed, but this toilsome labour led to no result. Such places require great labour.' With some hesitation ,I concu r . opinioHakonsoe inHr th d f Directoo nan nn thaIo r t this deceptive heap of stones was possibly produced by the frost from one year to 1 Enclosure—Danish Tomt, Icelandish Topt, a building without a roof. ON SOME RUINS IN ICELAND. 173
another. The stone is dolerite (the newer lava found in ravines). From want of time and labour, this work could not be continued. As I do not ventur naturay m o expenf t eo l y historan d yn antiquaria a fun r fo d n research, I must trust to the assistance of some friends "—and so on. (The rest is nearly word for word as before, and need not be repeated.) As to a farm, we learn'in lohnsen's " lardatal," lib. xcvii. 214—Ellida Vatn :—"Her a eshee p farm (Schasferi s establishewa ) n 1758i d t I . was formerly a king's farm, from the monastery of Vithey."
I shall not attempt to dispute, but I think that I saw the place in a condition more favourable than had been seen by any of the gentlemen mentioned. A good deal of material must have been removed, since I saw wha tplace decidedlthes notd Th ewa ydi l .appearanc al o yt t soleleno y for animals, although animal havy sma e bee ne booths kepth t a t . They could not have required the making of the ring. It is a remarkable spot. It is clear also that the idea of its being a Thingstead is not new, from commoe th nams it d ean n reports, whic Hallgrimssod hle , exactlit o nt y as they did me. bees ha n t I remarked that Kjalarne s exactli s y Callernish—the same word; but it is curious that there should be a cross at both,—one natural, however, and the other artificial. The name of that in Lewis is evidently Nors supposI e; e col e "th d promontory. crose Th s "accidenta n ma a e yb l circumstance, but it shows at least that when the Norse came to Lewis they did not use any word to designate the stones there standing, taking the natural rather than the artificial appearances as marks. It opens another question regarding sacred buildings, and there is in my opinion muc learno ht I canno. t preten teacho dt t accidenbu , s ha t thrown this and some other things in my way, and I do not think it right to let the matter pass without calling the attention of abler Scandi- navian investigator prevalence Th spreten n . tha ca f curvibe eno I o dt - linear line sacren si d building Ease th mentiones i tn si Fergussoy db n ni s "Trehi d Serpenean fintn Worship,ca d ever e an man , yon 81 y . "p example e caushimselfr th s fo , ef so thiI wil e .s b l probabl foune yb n i d s bein it face f earliese th o gth t t shap f buildingso e sacrer fo d d an ,pur - pose kee e e anciensw th p s approachina t e reverene sacreth th g y b d d character given by age. My belief is, that the round form may therefore 174: PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , MARCH 10, 1873.
have been used for all purposes in early times, and that it would probably be kept longe sacrer rfo d purposes. Thi sI woul d conclud reasoniny eb g chiefly, but obsefva'tion does not appear against it. However, on the chief point of this paper tradition speaks, but history is silent, and my observations seem to favour the first. Who will decide ? After returning from Iceland, it appeared desirable to have a more com- plete I requesteplan d an , r SigurddM r Gudnrandsson f Eeykjaviko , , to prepare one. He has done so, and sends the following letter with it:— " I hereby send you an accurate plan of Thingnes, which is very near to the farm of Ellida Vatn. The plan is all made trigometrically. At first I thought the scale would be too small " (the lithograph makes it still smaller), " but it could not be larger, as the ground is so. extensive; otherwis I ethin t everi t ki sufficientln o ye wholse n eca y e exacton s a , and even a half-fathom. It is impossible to measure the Buthir more exactly than from the middle of one wall to the middle of the other; this would at most make a difference of one fathom to a fathom and a half if the foundations of the booths were dug up. The paper in the gooo I woul s s a t d pladno s wisni , becaushit e drafe th thi ts i s itself e draft e Th alway ar sspote . made mosth th s&c n , eo t exact, although they are not so fine. " To compensate for the small scale, I have made another plan of the Domhringu thref o d e ran Buthir Domhringue walle th th : f so mostle ar r y a fathom in breadth, made of small stones, three to four in the breadth of the wall, and sometimes five. Some of these stones are scarcely to be seen, being covered with (eart t possibl ) grassno h or I thins i .o t e t ki mora eget accurate measuremen Domhringuthe of t up. dug r unlesall is sit " I have measured the distance of all the larger stones on the spot, and made a red line between those which I thought most remarkable. You likeu canyo , f taki , e linth ee away. (Se . 156.ep t woulI ) bettee b d r if I sent you the whole plan of the territory of Ellida Vatn. e followin"Th g passage will e contaihistoricath l al n l information belongin thio gt s oldest Thing-plac f Icelandeo sagad , ol fro se m:th — " I shall make a few remarks about this place, which is, historically speaking, covered wit hveia al obscuritr f o lfo thaprobabls i t t i tbu y; e that this is the oldest Thing-place (place of assembly) in the country. proveis old dTha T>omrin is numbebotthe the it t hby boothsgand of r . ON 5 SOM17 E RUIN ICELANDN SI .
Thern obvioua s i e s confoundin e Thingplacth f o g Landnarnabokn i e , namely, Kjalarnesthing and Krossnesthing. (See p. 38.) ' Peirra son (5 Tngolfs Arnassonar og Hallceigar) var Thorsfceinn er thing let setja a Kjalarnesi (variant Krossnesi) adr althing var sett.' Another recension of Landnama says Thorsteinn Ingolfsson was the first who, before the Althin establisheds gwa , Kjalarnescausen i t se dThin a e b ,o gt accordin g counsele th o t Helgf so i Biol Erygd aan Esjubergf ro othed an , r wise men; wherefore (!) the hallowing of Althing is attached to that Godord (p. 335.) vers i "t yI improbable firsthae th so ta t f Landnamsmano n shoulo dg instituto t s a r s e oThinefa districa th n gi t (Godord f anotheo ) r chief, consequence th whicf eo tha s himsele h wa t f could scarcely hallow (i.e., solemnl whico y considered s openo t hwa , it ) greada t honou r; secondly . ,it scarcels i y said tha hallowine tth g belonge Godore th o dt d here mentioned, viz., the Kjalnesinga or the Bryndolagodord, for it is notorious that this honour belonge successore th o t d f Ingolso n Seltjarnarneso f . Thor- modur Thorkelsso ne principa Manth s wa i le yeaGodth rn i 1000i d ,an Magnu f Gudmundo e Good th sn so , r Griss s chiewa ,f e th God n i i thirteenth century resided an , n Seltjarnarnesi d . Her therefors ei e evi- dently some discrepancy, and likewise, too, in Kjalnesinga saga and Hardar worts i saga t I h. noticing thapromontore th t vers yi y lik ecrossa d an , may have been named from that; it is probable also that it is the very thing mentioned in Gretti's saga, p. 15 (ch. x.). t whethe"Bu e cas rr notth o thie s i I s,conside r oldese thith s t Thing-place, and the next in time to be that at Kjalarnes, on Kollafiord. t woulI desirable db havo et smale eth l sketch printed alreads i , t bui f i ty done s necessari t i , s unde i stato t yt I er wher. Kleifnris t i e , beneath Mogitza, at Kollafjordur. From the point where the remains are to he seen, a considerable part has been taken away in the memory of the living—Yours faithfully, " SIGURDR GUDMTJNDSSON."
These remarks by Mr Gudmundsson must be revised by the light of the observations of Professor Maurer. I am not interested in knowing which is oldest, but only in knowing that such a circle was important and enclosed, and that there were several places around which see o havmt e been stone circles, and, 176 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 10, 1873.
besides, straight lines also of open stone, parts being apparent for a short way. One of these apparently elaborate circles, with parts of straight lines, is on a rising ground suited for circles, most unsuited, and indeed impossible r cattlfo , e booth n suci s a hclimate , where protection from wind mus soughte b t . I shall conclude with the remark. HjaltalinA n Io s r ,mad M him y eb - self an Icelander and a scholar :— miny e strongesm th do " T t proo f thero f e having been a Thint ga Ellidavat name n th lie en si Thingnes have W Icelann ei . greada t many local names composed of ' thing,' e.g., Thing-eyrar, Thing-vellir, Thiiig- skali knoe ,w &c.wl d suc al thaan , hn i tplace s Things were hel t ona d e time or another. If a Thing had never been held at the Thingnes in question, it would be the only exception. " The evidence of the Sagas aginst Thingnes as a Thingstead does not appear to me in any way conclusive; and if was a Thingstead at all it was tha Kjalarnef o t s Thing. " In order to make the following remarks clearer, it is perhaps not unnecessar observo yt e tha Thinga t mean Icelandic—(1.n si assemblyn )A , gathering, meeting; (2. distric)A countr to y over whic authorite hth r yo jurisdiction of such .an assembly extends. Thus Kjalarnes. Thing may 1 >e—(«), An assembly/meeting at Kjalarnes; (b), An assembly for the county of Kjalarnes, meeting anywhere within the boundaries of the district or county over whic e jurisdictiohth f thino s assembly extended; (c),e Th county of Kjalarnes. The Kjalarnes Thing in the last sense extended much further than the peninsula of Kjalarnes. " The Icelandic Sagas which mention Kjalarnes Thing are—the Islen- dinga-b6k, the Landnama-b6k, and the Kjalnesinga Saga. Even in these it is mentioned only in a very brief manner. Their statements do not at all disprove a supposition which to me seems a probable one, viz., that the Kjalarnes Thing might actually have been at Ellidavatn, and after- wards removed to Kjalarnes. " The Islendinga-bok was not written till late in the eleventh century, o re e suppostwelfth earlw th f n yI e i Thingstea eth . removes dwa o dt Kjalarnes shortly after the establishment of the Althing (928), we can easily imagin authoe eth r talking of'thn i e s localit Thine wa t th i f s yo ga s dayshi , without -mentionin s formeit g r removal, especially whene w - ON7 SOM17 E RUIN ICELANDN I S . remember e Islendinga-hdthae copth th tf yo k hande, dis s dowu o t n accordin o severat g l trustworthy authorities, onl a ycondense d epitome of a larger work. Besides, the author may have been misled by the name Kjalarnes Thing (the county of Kjalarnes), and taken it for granted tha Thingsteae th t d must have bee t Kjalarnesna , becaus counte eth s ywa so calledr instancefo , as ,e count th , f Th6rsneyo s callewa s d TWrsnes Thing, becaus Thingsteae th e t Thdrsnesa s dwa . alsThiy oma saccoun t e facfoth rt that Icelandic scholars, wit e exceptioth h f J<5nao n s Hall- grfmsson, have always granter takefo t i nd thae Thingsteath t t a s wa d Kjalarnes, and never troubled themselves about the place at Ellidavatn. "The Landnama-bo'k f mucio s h late s rstatemen it date d an , t about Kjalarnes Thing is a mere repetition of Islendinga-Wk. " Kjalnesing acannoe e latesw Sag th f all d s o ti at an ; wonde s it f i r t acquainteno autho s wa r d wit e Thingsteath h t Ellidavatna d , even althoug beed ha n t hi ther e originally." I trust the description of the place and the collection of these authori- ties will not be found uninteresting. Troceedmg e :Spcietth f o sf Antiquarie o j f Scotlando s . Vol. X PLate II.
PLAN OF
THE 'THINGNES T ELLIDAVATA " N