The following passage shows how firmly rooted amongst the people was the belief in the power of Thor, the sight of whose image was alone sufficient, in their minds, to make the God of the Christians vanish before it, and how hard was the struggle when they had to give up that belief.
“Olaf had all the most prominent men there (in Upplönd) taken, both in Lesjar and in Dofrar, and they were forced to accept Christianity or suffer death, or, if able, flee away. Those who received Christianity gave into the hands of the king their sons as hostages and pledges of their faith. The king stayed overnight at Bœar in Lesjar, and left priests there. Then he went through Lorodal and came to Stafabrekka. The river Otta runs through the valley, and the fine district on both sides is called Lóar. The king could look over the whole length of the district. ‘It is a pity that we must burn a district so fine,’ said the king. He came down into the valley with his men, and they stayed overnight at the farm Nes, and the king chose a loft as his sleeping-room, which is there still (Snorri’s time) and has not been changed since. He stayed there five nights, and cut a Thing-summons, summoning men from Vagar, Lóar, and Hedal, and at the same time let them know that they should either fight battles against him and suffer from his ravages, or accept Christianity, and bring him their sons as hostages. Thereafter they came to him and obeyed, but some fled south to Dalir.
“Dala-Gudbrand was the name of a man who ruled like a king over the Dalir, and was Hersir by title. Sigvat Scald compared him in regard to power and large possessions to Erling Skjálgsson. Gudbrand had a son who is mentioned here. When he heard that King Olaf had come to Lóar and forced men to accept Christianity he cut a war arrow and summoned all the men of Dalir to the farm Hundthorp to meet him. They all came, and it was a multitude of men, because the lake Lög lies near there, and they could come as well by water as by land. Gudbrand held a Thing, and said: ‘A man, by name Olaf, has come to Lóar, and wants us to take a new belief and break all our gods asunder, and says he himself has a much greater and mightier god. It is a wonder that the earth does not burst asunder under him when he dares speak such things, or that our gods allow him to live any longer. I expect if we carry Thor out of our temple at the bœr where he is, and if he looks on Olaf and his men, Olaf’s god and himself and his men will melt and vanish, for this has always helped us.’ They all shouted at once that Olaf should never escape thence if he came to them, and they said he would not dare to advance farther south in the Dalir. They sent seven hundred men north to Breida to spy, with the son of Gudbrand, eighteen winters old, as leader, and many other prominent men. These men came to the farm Hof and remained there three nights, and many who had fled from Lesjar and Lóar and Vagar, unwilling to adopt Christianity, joined them there. King Olaf and Sigurd, the bishop, left teachers in Lóar and Vagar.
“The king went to the bœndr and held the Thing with them. The day was very wet. When the Thing was opened the king rose and told them that the men of Lesjar, Lóar and Vagar had accepted Christianity and torn down their sacrificing-houses, and now believed in the true God, who shaped heaven and earth and knew all things. The king sat down, and Gudbrand answered: ‘We do not know about whom thou art talking; dost thou call him God whom neither thou nor any other can see? We have a god whom we may see every day, but he is not out to-day because the weather is wet. He will look terrible and great to you. I expect that fear will creep into your breasts if he comes to the Thing. But as thou sayest that thy God is so powerful, then let him make the weather to-morrow cloudy, with no rain, and we will meet here.’ Thereupon the king went home to his room, and with him Gudbrand’s son as a hostage, while the king gave them another man in his place. In the evening the king asked Gudbrand’s son how their god was made. He answered he was made after Thor (his likeness); had a hammer in his hand; was of a large size, and hollow inside; that a platform was made under him, on which he stood when outside the temple; that he did not lack gold and silver on him: that four loaves of bread were brought to him every day, and as much meat. Then they went to bed. But the king was awake all that night and prayed. When it was day he went to mass, then to his meal, and then to the Thing. The weather was as Gudbrand had said. The bishop rose in his gown with a mitre on his head and a crozier in his hand, and preached to the bœndr and told them many tokens which God had shown, and ended his speech well. Thórd Istrumagi (paunch-belly) answered: ‘This horned man with a staff in his hand with a top like a crooked ram’s horn talks much. As you, comrades, say that your god works so many tokens, then ask him to-morrow before sunrise to let the weather be bright and sunny, then we will meet and do one of two things—agree on this matter, or fight a battle.’ They parted for a time.
“Kolbein the Strong, who was with King Olaf, had his kinsmen in the Fjords. He was always so dressed that he was girt with a sword, and had a large stick in his hand which some call ‘club.’ The king told him that he should stand next him that morning, and then said to his men: ‘Go this night to the boats of the bœndr and bore holes in all of them, and take away their horses from the farms where they are and ride on them. This was done. The king stayed all night at the farm, and prayed God to clear this difficulty with His mercy and grace. After the matins, about daybreak, he went to the Thing. When he came some of the bœndr had arrived. They saw a large crowd of bœndr coming to the Thing, carrying a large image, ornamented all over with gold and silver. When the bœndr present saw it, they all rushed up and bowed to the monster. Then it was placed on the middle of the Thing-plain. On one side sat the bœndr, on the other the king and his men. Then Dala-Gudbrand rose and said: ‘Where is your god now, king; I think he now carries his chin rather low. It seems to me that your boasting, and that of the horned man whom you call bishop, sitting at your side, is less than yesterday. It is because our god, who rules all, has come, and looks on you with keen eyes; and I see that you are full of terror now, and dare scarcely look up with your eyes. Now throw off your superstition and believe in our god, who has you altogether in his power.’ He ended his speech. The king said to Kolbein the Strong, so that the bœndr did not hear: ‘If during my speech it happens that they look away from their god, then strike him as hard a blow as thou art able with the club.’ Then he rose and said: ‘Many things hast thou (Gudbrand) spoken to us this morning; thou wonderest that thou art not able to see our God, but we expect He will soon come to us. Thou dost threaten us with thy god, who is blind and deaf, and can neither help himself nor others, and can move nowhere from his place unless he is carried: I expect that in a short time evil will happen to him. Now look into the east; there comes our God with great light.’ The sun was rising, and all the bœndr looked towards it. At the same moment Kolbein struck their god so that he burst all asunder, and mice large as cats, and vipers and worms, ran out. The bœndr were so frightened that they fled, some to their ships; but when they launched them they were filled with water, and they could not get on them. Those who ran to their horses found them not. The king had them called to him, and said he wished to speak with them, and they came back to the Thing. Then the king rose and said: ‘I do not know why you make this tumult and uproar; now you can see what power your god had to whom you brought gold and silver, food and provisions; you saw what beings had eaten him, mice and worms, vipers and adders. Those who believe in such things, and will not leave off their folly, are the worse for it. Take your gold and costly things scattered on the plain; bring them home to your wives, and never hereafter ornament tree or stones with them. Now here are two choices: either you accept Christianity now, or fight a battle against me to-day, and may those get the victory whom the God in whom we believe wills.’ Dala-Gudbrand rose and said: ‘A great loss have we suffered in our god, but as he could not help us we will now believe in the God in whom thou believest.’ They all accepted Christianity, and the bishop baptized Gudbrand and his son. King Olaf and Sigurd the bishop left teachers there; and those who were foes parted as friends, and Gudbrand had a church made in the Dalir” (St. Olaf, Heimskringla, 117–119).
But even in early times, before Christianity had made any advance among the Northmen, there were sceptics such as Hrolf Kraki, Orvar Odd, and others, who had little or no belief. Examples are given in the Sagas of others in later times, when Christianity had gained a footing in the country, who also had no belief. When King Olaf Tryggvason asked Eindridi what was his religious belief, the latter answered:—
“‘I have made up my mind never to believe in logs or stones, though they be in the shape of fiend or man, whose power I don’t understand; and though I have been told that they have great power, it seems to me very unlikely, for I find that those images which are called gods are in every way uglier and less powerful than myself.’ The king asked: ‘Why dost thou then not believe in the true God, who is all powerful, and let thyself be baptized in his name?’ ‘Because,’ Eindridi replied, ‘it has never before been put before me, and no one on your behalf has told me about this God, whom you call almighty; but another more important reason is that, as I would not believe what my father and kinsmen told me about their gods, I have decided never to hold that belief which is in every way so unlike theirs, unless I am fully convinced that your God is as almighty as you call him’” (Fornmanna Sögur).
When Christianity predominated among the people, we find that sacrifices and worship of heathen gods were forbidden.
“When Harald Gormsson the Dana king had become a Christian, he sent an order throughout his realm that all the people should get baptized and be converted to the true faith. He went round himself, and punished and forced those who were unwilling. He sent two jarls to Norway with many men to preach Christianity there; their names were Urguthrjót and Brimisskjar. Many people were baptized in the Vikin which belonged to King Harald. After Harald’s death his son Svein Tjúguskegg (forked beard) soon went on an expedition to Saxland and Frisland, and later to England. The Northmen who had adopted Christianity turned again to their sacrifices as before, like the people did in the northern part of the country (Norway). Olaf Tryggvason said he would christianize the whole of Norway or lose his life. ‘I will make you all great and powerful men, for I trust you best for the sake of kinship and other relationship.’ They all consented to do whatever he commanded, and follow him in all that he wished, with all those who would take their advice. Then Olaf made known to the people that he would preach Christianity to all men in his realm” (Olaf Tryggvason, Heimskringla, c. 59).
“Blót (worship by sacrifice) is forbidden to us—we shall neither worship heathen vœttir (guardian spirits), nor gods, nor mounds (haugar), nor altars (horgs). If a man is known and convicted of secretly throwing up a mound, or making a house and calling it hörg, or raising a pole and calling it skaldstong (i.e., imprecation-pole), he shall thereby forfeit every penny of his property” (King Sverri’s Kristinrétt).[[449]]