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SOBCEET. 271
it was thouglit, could not be released so long as the
thorn remained lying on the body of the spellbound
person, or clinging to his clothes.
Some magicians were believed to have so great
power in their eyes that by the mere glance they
could turn the edge of a sword in battle, and also
with an eye-glance taake the earth tremble and
be convulsed, scorch the grass, and frighten their
enemies out of their wits, so that they would run
like hunted beasts, and even become changed into
brutes (in the Old-Norse, ver5a at gjallti, become
swine). In order to make this last-named sorcery
very effectual, it was necessary to throw their bodies
into the most unnatural positions, so that their
appearance should be the more frightful ; and their
success then depended very much on whether the
person who practiced the sorcery got to see his an-
tagonist first; if the contrary happened, then the
charm lost all power. In the Yatnsdsela Saga, an
Icelandic sorceress named Ljot is described in an
undertaking of this kind. Her son HroUeif had
killed the chieftain Ingemund of Hof. The sons of
Ingemund, wishing to avenge their father's death,
set out for Ljot's abode with that intention. They
arrived just as the witch was busied in preparing a
sacrifice for the protection of her son, and they suc-
ceeded in capturing HroUeif as he was leaving the
dwelling house to" go into the house of sacrifice.
WhUe they were making ready to slay him, one of
their company became aware of Ljot, whom he saw
coming toward them in the most hideous form. She
had thrown one foot over her head and went back-