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272 EELIGION OF THE NORTHMEN.
wards upon one hand and foot, with her face stick-
out behind ; her eyes were hideous and demon-like.
This appearance did not, however, prevent the
brothers from putting Hrolleif to death. Lj6t her-
self was immediately seized. She now confessed
that it had been her intention to go in this manner
over the whole neighborhood and to drive the sons
of Ingemund out of their senses, so that they would
run crazy about the roads with the wild-beasts ; and
this would have happened if she had only seen them
before they got sight of her ; but now their attendant
spirit had been too powerful for her., They put Ljot
to death.* When the Icelandic chieftain Olaf Pa
surprised the dangerous sorcerer Stigandi sleeping,
he caused & skin to be drawn over his head in order
that his sight, when he awoke, should do no harm to
any one. But there happened to be a little hole in
the skin, and Stigandi cast his eyes out through this
over a beautiful, grassy mountain-slope which was
opposite. Instantly it appeared as though a whirlwind
had broken loose upon this spot and turned the
earth up-side-down in such a manner that from that
time there was never any more grass grew upon it.
Stigandi was stoned to death by Olaf and his men.f
The same precaution as that here mentioned was
employed by the renowned sorceress GunhUda,
afterward the queen of Eirik Blood-axe, when she
betrayed the two Finns who had instructed her in
magic arts, and whose sight, it was said, was so
* Vatnad. S. 26 ; compare Gull])6ris Saga.
,tJLaxd.S. 88.