CHAPTER X TALK BETWEEN GUNNAR AND SIGRID
Gunnar was a friendly man and made himself pleasant about the place. He used to sit out in the sun and converse with the village people. He told tales to the children and played games with them. The old man who had been wishful to sacrifice him bore him no malice; but Gunnar told him plainly that he did not approve his practices. "In my country, and in Iceland also, there has been much devotion to Frey, who is a great God; but human sacrifice is not required by him, nor are we profaned with it. Prisoners of war may not be used that way. We think it barbarous and abominable."
"Well," the old man said, "it has always been the custom here. And you must remember the services Frey performs. He is resting now. His work is over. But when the spring comes there will be no man in the country busier than Frey. There is not a tilled field he must not visit; and the grass-lands and the gravid sheep, and the lambs and sucklings of all sorts; the sick draught-animals; the ewes who are to go under the rams; the bulling cows; the reindeer—well, you can see for yourself that he must be propitiated. And how else, pray, would you have it done?"
"The Christians, who are to the fore in Norway just now," replied Gunnar, "have a God who has given them another law altogether. Their God had a Son Who said to His Father, 'Enough of these human sacrifices. I detest them and will have nothing to say to them.' 'What will you do then?' his Father asked. 'Why,' said He, 'I will be made man myself. I will be born of a woman, and put to death. That will be a sufficient sacrifice for every one in the world.' And so it was, they say, and their God accepted it as sufficient. But the Christians have a strange power which is resident in their priests; and that is, that the priest does sacrifice every day, and makes anew the Son of God into a man of body and blood. Every day he offers it on the altar. So the prime sacrifice is every day renewed, and all goes well. That is what they say."
The old man was very much astonished. "You are speaking of marvellous things," he said. "It is the way of you travellers. But I do not believe that the Swedes would be content with such a sacrifice, and I am sure that Frey would not."
"We shall see," Gunnar said, but said no more at the time. He was determined that while he remained in Frey's house Frey would go without human blood upon his altar-stone.
Sigrid liked him to be there. She found him very good company. He made her laugh, which Frey, she said, had never done yet. "He will though," Gunnar told her, but she shook her head.
At the end of three days, he asked her what he was to do about staying on. They sat together under the gallery outside the house. Frey was inside behind his curtains. It was the hour before the sacrifice, when his curtains would be opened, and himself shown in his fine new cloak. So far there had been no attempt made to sacrifice a man or child, which Gunnar was glad of, because he was not yet sure enough of his footing.
She frowned and nursed her chin. "Why," she said, "I don't know what is to be done. Frey doesn't like you at all; I can see that."