The Story of Burnt Njal Part 97

[Footnote 69: "Sand," Skeidara sand.]

[Footnote 70: "Sand," Maelifell's sand.]

[Footnote 71: "Nones," the well-known canonical hour of the day, the ninth hour from six A.M., that is, about three o'clock P.M., when one of the church services took place.]

[Footnote 72: "Son of Gollnir," Njal, who was the son of Thorgeir Gelling or Gollnir.]

[Footnote 73: "My friends," ironically of course.]

[Footnote 74: "Helmet-hewer," sword.]

[Footnote 75: John for a man, and Gudruna for a woman, were standing names in the Formularies of the Icelandic code, answering to the "M or N" in our Liturgy, or to those famous fictions of English Law. "John Doe and Richard Roe".]

[Footnote 76: "Gossipry," that is, because they were gossips, _G.o.d's sib_, relations by baptism.]

[Footnote 77: "Swinestye," ironically for Swinefell, where Flosi lived.]

[Footnote 78: This is the English equivalent for the Icelandic Hrepp, a district. It still lingers in "the Rape of Bramber," and other districts in Suss.e.x and the south-east.]

[Footnote 79: "With words alone," The English proverb, "Threatened men live long".]

[Footnote 80: "Sea crags." Hence Thorgeir got his surname "Craggeir".]

[Footnote 81: "Pilgrimage to Rome." This condition had not been mentioned before.]

[Footnote 82: "s.h.i.+eldburg" that is, a ring of men holding their s.h.i.+elds locked together.]

[Footnote 83: "Thy dog," etc. Meaning that he would go a third time on a pilgrimage to Rome If St. Peter helped him out of this strait.]

[Footnote 84: "Helmgnawer," the sword that bites helmets.]