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303
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts
·
Andrew Lang
273
During
the
winter,
a
little
before
Christmas,
Thorodd
went
out
to
Ness
for
the
fish
he
had
there;
there
were
six
men
in
all
in
a
ten-oared
boat,
and
they
stayed
out
there
all
night.
The
same
evening
that
Thorodd
went
from
home,
it
happened
at
Froda,
when
folk
went
to
sit
by
the
fires
that
had
been
made,
that
they
saw
a
seal's
head
rise
up
out
of
the
fireplace.
A
maid-servant
was
the
first
who
came
forward
and
saw
this
marvel;
she
took
a
washing-bat
which
lay
beside
the
door,
and
struck
the
seal's
head
with
this,
but
it
rose
up
at
the
blow
and
gazed
at
Thorgunna's
bed-hangings.
Then
one
of
the
men
went
up
and
beat
the
seal,
but
it
rose
higher
at
every
blow
until
it
had
come
up
above
the
fins;
then
the
man
fell
into
a
swoon,
and
all
those
who
were
present
were
filled
with
fear.
Then
the
lad
Kjartan
sprang
forward,
took
up
a
large
iron
sledge-hammer
and
struck
at
the
seal's
head;
it
was
a
heavy
blow,
but
it
only
shook
its
head,
and
looked
round.
Then
Kjartan
gave
it
stroke
after
stroke,
and
the
seal
went
down
as
though
he
were
driving
in
a
stake.
Kjartan
hammered
away
till
the
seal
went
down
so
far
that
he
beat
the
floor
close
again
above
its
head,
and
during
the
rest
of
the
winter
all
the
portents
were
most
afraid
of
Kjartan.
Next
morning,
while
Thorodd
and
the
others
were
coming
in
from
Ness
with
the
fish,
they
were
all
lost
out
from
Enni;
the
boat
and
the
fish
drove
on
shore
there,
but
the
bodies
were
never
found.
When
the
news
of
this
reached
Froda,
Kjartan
and
Thurid
invited
their
neighbours
to
the
funeral
banquet,
and
the
ale
prepared
for
Christmas
was
used
for
this
purpose.
The
first
evening
of
the
feast,
however,
after
the
folk
had
taken
their
seats,
there
came
into
the
hall
Thorodd
and
his
companions,
all
dripping
wet.
The
folk
greeted
Thorodd
well,
thinking
this
a
good
omen,
for
at
that
time
it
was
firmly
believed
that
drowned
men,
who
came
to
their
own
funeral
feast,
were
well
received
by
Ran,
the
sea-goddess;
and
the
old
beliefs
had
as
yet
suffered
little,
though
folk
were
baptised
and
called
Christians.
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