In Tune, Norway, about five miles from the river Glommen, were found in 1867, in a mound, the remains of a viking ship, now in Christiana. This mound lay on a hill not far from the Visterflö, one of the branches of the river Glommen. It was about 24 feet in height, and 500 feet in circumference. Behind the mast lay the unburned corpse of a man, with part of the skeleton of a horse at his side. At the stern were the remains of ring armour.
At Lackalänga, near Lund, there are several earth-mounds. In one of these were found—fragments of a ship, the wood being incrusted with iron rust; an urn of clay, with burned bones and coal; fragments of weapons, &c.; at least 100 clinch-nails of iron, and some other pieces of the same metal, probably originally belonging to a vessel buried in the mound; two larger buckles of iron, like those used on saddles; two stirrups, bits for a bridle, &c.
[217]. According to Herodotus, i. 212, Tomyres, queen of the Massagetæ, whose son had been taken prisoner by Cyrus, sends to him the following message:—“Restore my son; depart out of the country, unpunished.... But if you do not do this, I swear by the sun, the Lord of the Massagetæ, that insatiable as you are, I will glut you with blood.”
[218]. “East of Tanakvisl (Tanais, Don) in Asia was Asaland, or Asaheim, and the head-burgh (chief town) in the land was called Asgard. In the burgh was a chief called Odin; it was a great sacrificing-place (blótstad). It was customary there that twelve temple-priests (hofgodar) were the foremost, and had charge of the sacrifices and judged between men. They were called diar or drottnar; all the people were bound to give them service and reverence” (Ynglinga Saga, c. 2).
[219]. Vetrarblót = winter-sacrifice; from vetr = winter, and blót = sacrifice. The milky way is called vetrarbraut = winter way, because people thought that the appearance of the milky way predicted the course of the winter.
[220]. The people counted by nights instead of days.
[221]. This was also sometimes called Thor’s sacrifice.
[222]. It seems that at this season other sacrifices than those to Frey were sometimes offered. Cf. Hálfdán the Old. Skaldskaparmal, c. 13.
[223]. Cf. Ynglinga Saga, 8; St. Olaf, 115.
[224]. Cf. also Hörd’s Saga and Hervarar Saga, c. 14. The boar was consecrated to Frey.