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182 EELIGION OF THE NOETHMEN.
wounded. He related his vision, and died in the
morning. The wise Thorhalli explained this whole
occurrence to. be a warning of a change of Faith.
The women had been the Disir of his family ; those
in black had favored the ancient faith, which was
now soon to be forsaken. They had wished to ob-
tain a tribute from the family before they left it,
therefore had they slain Thi5randi, whom the light
Disir had sought in vain to defend. But these same
light Disir were to protect the race, when they
should have accepted the new faith.*
The Icelander Gisli Sursson related of himself,
that he had two Draum-konur ; the one was ever
friendly toward him, the other always foretold him
evil. When he roved about outlawed and unfor-
tunate, the latter made her appearance the oftenest,
and would sprinkle him with blood ; but occasionally
the former consoled him, and once she showed
him his place of abode, where she promised him a
happy sojourn after death.f
When a person's good , fortune was on the wane,
it was ascribed to the anger or imbecility of his
Disir ; and then it was also said that his Disir were
dead or had foraaken him. .
In Hdlfs Saga, in the
poetic altercation between Half's champion tlt-
steinn and the Dane, Ulf the Red, the former says :
" Up Bhould -we rise,
Forth should we go,
And loudly make
Our shields resound
* 01. Tr. S. in. Fornm. S. 215.
t Gfeli Sure. S. 22, 24, 30, 33.
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