It is a tempting folly I admit for an idle hour, and I must plead guilty to having (in consequence of MR. BREEN'S letter) wasted nearly a whole evening in discovering that
"NOTES AND QUERIES"
"Enquires on Dates!"
and also offers the following warning to its contributors—
"Send quite Reason;"
while as an encouragement it observes (so an ingenious friend informs us)—
"O send in a Request."
HERMES.
Battle of Brunanburgh (Vol. iv., p. 249.).
—The Egils Saga describes the duel between the armies of Olaf and Athelstan to have been fought in a champ clos, inclosed with branches of hazel, upon a space called the Vinheidi, or heidi of Vin, situate near (vid) or in (á) the Vinskogr, or forest of Vin. Heidi is a rough open space, with scrubs or bushes, such as furze, juniper, broom, &c. The heidi and the skogr were distinct, the latter affording shelter to the fugitives from the former, p. 290. The text, both Norse and Latin, says, "Then he brought his army to the Vin-heidi. A certain town stood towards the north of the heidi." But a various reading in the note says, "to the town of Vinheidi, which was to the north of the heidi." But it seems as unreasonable for the town to be called Vinheidi, as Vinskogr. Vin should be taken for the name of the town, and the root of the other phrases. The downs or brakes called Vinheidi were inclosed with hazel, and lay between the forest, or skogr, and some river. The town, being Olaf's head quarters, lay north of them. Athelstan occupied the nearest town to the south of the heidi. [Query, whether south of the river?] The northern town Vin is no doubt the Weon from which the Weon-dune (downs of Weon, or heidi of Vin) was called. The other name given by Simeon Dunelmensis to that space is curious, as showing how well the spot was adapted for attack and pursuit, "eth-runnan-werc," that is, "facilis-ad-opus-currendi." The name Brunanburg, probably signifying "the town of bourns," or watercourses, is unequivocally that of a town. Since Olaf or Arlaf had his quarters at Vin, it was probably at that place where Athelstan was stationed. Find these two places, Vin the northern-most of the two, and find the river. The heidi and the skogr are probably grubbed and ploughed up.