“It happened that the son of a high-born woman lost his memory, as if he was insane. His mother came to King Harald, and asked him for good advice. The king advised her to go and see King Magnus, for he knew there was none better in the land, and he would give counsel. She went to King Magnus accordingly, who said, ‘Did you not see King Harald?’ ‘I did,’ answered she, and told him what he said. King Magnus added, ‘Nobody is wiser than King Harald in this land, and he can give some advice if he have the will.’ King Harald, on hearing this, said: ‘Then I shall give some. I think I see what ails thy son: he is draumstoli,[[444]] for it is not the nature of a man that he dream not. I advise thee to go to where King Magnus has washed his hands, and let the boy drink from the water. Then you shall make him sing. Though he is struck by sleepiness and yawning, you shall not let him sleep, but take him to where the king has rested himself, and let him fall asleep there, and then it is most likely that a dream will appear to him.’ She did all as she had been told, and her son slept there a while; and when he awoke he smiled and said, ‘I dreamed, mother. It seemed as if the Kings Magnus and Harald came to me, and each spoke in one of my ears.’ ‘Rememberest thou, my son,’ asked she, ‘what each one of them said?’ ‘I do,’ he said. ‘King Magnus said, “Be as good as you can.” Not long after, King Harald said, “Be most quick at learning, and retain in your memory what you learn as best you can.”’ This boy afterwards became a remarkable man.”

“King Halfdan (the Black) never dreamt. He sought advice from Thorleif the Wise what to do. The latter told the king what he himself used to do when he wanted to know something beforehand. He used to lay himself to sleep in a pigsty, and was then always sure of a dream. The king in consequence did the same, and also had a dream” (Halfdan the Black, c. 7).

There was supposed to be a kind of magical sleep which came over any one who was stung by a sleep-thorn (svefn-thorn) placed in the ear. This magical sleep could not be broken until the sleep-thorn fell out of the ear of the person under the spell.

“The king (Helgi) had drunk so heavily that he at once fell asleep on the bed, and the queen seized her opportunity and stung him with a sleep-thorn; when all was quiet she rose, shaved off all his hair and besmeared him with tar, then she took a leather bag and put some cloth in it in which she wrapped him up, and bade some men take him down to his ships. She roused his men, saying that their king had gone on board and wished to sail, as there was a fair wind. They all jumped up as quickly as they could, but as they were drunk did not know what they were doing; they went to the ships, and saw no king but a very large leather bag. They wanted to see what was in it and wait for the king, as they thought he would come later on. When they untied it they found the king inside. The sleep-thorn dropped down and he awoke from a bad dream, and was enraged with the queen” (Hrólf Kraki’s Saga, c. 7).[[445]]

CHAPTER XXXIII.
THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN PAGANISM AND CHRISTIANITY.

The old Asa belief and Christianity—Clinging to the old faith—King Hakon the Christian and the heathen bœndr—Mixture of the two creeds—Hakon attempts to Christianize the people—Their opposition—Performance of ancient rites in secret after the introduction of Christianity—Sceptics—Adaptation of Christian ideas to the old belief—Cruelty of the earlier Christian kings.

In the following accounts we see the struggle between Christianity and the old Asa belief. Hakon, the foster-son of Athelstan, so named because he had been fostered by that king in England, came back to Norway a Christian, but his people clung to the old faith, and to strengthen himself in the country he at first found it necessary to observe the tenets of his religion in secret. He ordered the Yule-feast to be celebrated at Christmas, and persuaded some of his best friends to adopt Christianity.

“Hakon was a good Christian when he came to Norway; but as all the land was heathen, and there were much sacrificing and many chiefs, and he much needed the help and friendship of the people, he decided to conceal his Christianity, and kept Sundays, and fasting on Fridays, and the greatest festivals. He made it a law that the Yule should begin at the same time as that of the Christians, and that every man should have a certain measure of ale, or pay a fine, and keep the days holy while Yule lasted. It formerly began on hökunótt (the midwinter-night), and it was kept for three nights. He wanted to make the people Christians, when he got established in the land and had fully subjected it to himself. He sent to England for a bishop and other priests. When they came to Norway, Hakon made known that he would try to Christianize the land” (Hakon the Good’s Saga, c. 15; Fornmanna Sögur, 1).

“Wise men say that some of those who settled in Iceland had been baptized, and that most of those who came from the West (British Islands) had been baptized. Among them are named Helgi the Lean, Örlyg the Old, Helgi Bjóla, Jörund the Christian, Aud the Deep-minded, Ketil, and others who came from the West; and some of them kept Christianity well till their death-day; but their families seldom preserved it, for some of their sons raised temples and sacrificed, and all the land was heathen for nearly one hundred winters” (Landnáma, v., c. 15).

Sigurd Thorisson, when a heathen, was accustomed to keep the three feasts held during the year; he afterwards adapted them to the new religion, which was destined finally to oust paganism.