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DUELS. 251
Saga, may be considered to approach more nearly
the einvigi.
., The peculiarities of the einvigi, in its more
limited sense, were doubtless these : that the space
allotted to the combatants for action was not so
limited, that they had liberty to use more kinds of
weapons than the sword alone, and that they held
their own shields. But the peculiarities of the com-
plicated holmgang were : that the combat should
take place iipon a 'Felld or a kind of mantle, that
the combatants were allowed to use three shields
apiece, and in general did not themselves bear
them, but each one had one of his friends tc^ hold
the shield' before him, who was thence called his
Shield-bearer (skjaldsveinn), that they fought with
swords only and those of a certain length, and that
they regularly exchanged blows.
Both kinds of duel, when resorted to for justice,
were regulated by certain laws, which were recited
by the challenger before the fight began ; both conveyed
the right of -the challenged to strike the first
blow, and to appoint a man in his stead, if he him-
self should feel any hesitation to meet his antag-
onist ; both were accompanied with the sacrifice of
one or two oxen, which the victor butchered ; and
finally, the holm-fine or ransom of the vanquished
for a certain sum fixed beforehand (three marks of
silver, or more), appears to have been common to
both. Sometimes the challenger, when the duel
was to decide the possession of property, in order to
show his disinterestedness, would stake as much
value in money as was risked by the party against
whom he made his claims.