“Ragnar (the son of Sigurd Hring) grew up in his father’s hird; he was taller and handsomer than any man people had seen, and like his mother and her kin to look at, for it is known from all old sayings about the people that are called Alfar that they were much finer than other kinds of men in the northern lands. The parents of his mother Alfhild and all her kin sprung from Alf the old” (Sögubrot, c. 10).
“The land which King Alf ruled was called Alfheim, and all the people that spring from him are of the Alfa-kin; next after the Risar they were finer than other people. King Alf was married to Bryngerd, daughter of King Raum, in Raumariki; she was tall but not handsome, for Raum was ugly;[[333]] the men who are tall and ugly are called raumar” (Thorstein’s Saga Vikingssonar, c. 1).
The people thought that the spirits of the Alfar sometimes lived not far from human habitations.
Kormak and Thorvard had fought, and the latter had been wounded; he recovered slowly, and as soon as he could get on his feet went to find Thordis (a Volva), and inquired how he could best recover his health. He replied:—
“A short distance from here there is a hill, in which Alfar live. Thou must get the bull, which Kormak killed, and with its blood redden the outside of the hill, and make a feast for the Alfar of the meat, and thou wilt recover” (Kormak’s Saga, c. 22).
Disa-blót.—The sacrifices offered to the Disir, or genii who specially guarded men and families and appeared when important events happened,[[334]] seem to have been performed by women only, and to have been usually made in the autumn or winter nights; sometimes human sacrifices were made to them.
This worship from its very nature was probably of great antiquity, and belonged to the religion practised by the Asar.
The earliest account of a Disa-blót is in Hervarar Saga.
“A man named Arngrim was a Risi and mountain dweller, who took Ama Ymi’s daughter from Ymisland, and married her; their son was Hergrim, called half-Tröll. He was sometimes with the mountain Risar, and sometimes with men; he had the strength of a Jötun; was much skilled in witchcraft and a great Berserk;[[335]] he carried off Ogn Alfasprengi from Jötunheim and married her; they had a son called Grim. Starkad then lived at Ölfossar; he was by kin a Thurs, and like them in strength and nature; his father was Störkvid. Ogn Alfasprengi was betrothed to Starkad, but Hergrim took her from him while he was travelling north over Elivágar; when he came back he asked him to give him back his wife, and at the same time challenged him to ‘holmganga.’[[336]] They fought at the uppermost waterfall at Eydi. Starkad had eight hands, and fought with four swords at once. He won the victory, and Hergrim fell. Ogn was looking on, and when Hergrim had fallen she stabbed herself and would not marry Starkad. Starkad took all the property of Hergrim with him, and also his son Grim, who grew up with him, and was both tall and strong. King Alf, who ruled in Alfheimar, had a daughter Alfhild. At that time the land between Gautelf and Raumelf was called Alfheimar. One autumn there was a great disablót (sacrifice to the Disir)[[337]] at King Alf’s, and Alfhild went to it; she was more beautiful than any other woman, and all the people in Alfheimar were handsomer than other people at that time; but in the night, as she was reddening the hörg with blood, Starkad Aludreng took her away to his home. Then King Alf invoked Thor to seek for Alfhild, and Thor killed Starkad, and made Alfhild go home to her father, and Grim the son of Hergrim with her. When Grim was twelve winters old he went into warfare and became one of the greatest warriors; he married Bauggerd, the daughter of Alfhild and Starkad. He settled on an island in Halogaland called Bólm, and was therefrom called Eygrim Bólm; their son was Arngrim Berserk, who afterwards lived in Bólm, and was a most famous warrior” (Hervarar Saga, c. 1).
“King Eirik Bloodaxe and Gunnhild came the same evening to Atli, where Bard had prepared a great feast for him, and there was to be a disablót. There was much drinking and feasting in the hall. The king asked where Bard was, for he saw him nowhere. A man replied: ‘Bard is outside helping his guests.’ ‘Who are those guests,’ inquired the king, ‘that he thinks it more his duty to be there than inside with us?’ The man told him they were the huskarlar (servants) of Thorir hersir. The king added: ‘Go to them as speedily as possible, and call them in here.’ When they came, the king received Ölvir well, and made him sit opposite him in the high-seat, and his men on both sides of him. Egil was next to Ölvir; then ale was brought in, and many memorial toasts were drunk, a horn to be emptied at each. As the evening was drawing to a close many of Ölvir’s men became drunk; some of them vomited in the hall, but others went outside” (Egil’s Saga, c. 44).