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316 RELIGION OF THE NOETHMEN.
" Bear thyself irreproacliably toward thy kinsfolk
be slow to avenge thyself on them, even though they
injure thee : this, it is said, will profit thee in
death."
A careful treatment of the bodies of the dead.
" Carefully gather up the dead wherever on earth
thou may find them, whether they have died by
sickness, by the sea, or by arms. Raise up a mound
for ,the departed, wash the hands and head, comb
and dry it before it is laid in the cofiSn, and pray for
it to sleep in peace."
The remembrance that earthly riches are perish-
able, and in connection therewith, the struggle to
gain a good reputation and a renown which shall
reach beyond this life and be cherished and honored
by posterity.
" Wealth is like the glance of the eye, it is a most
unstable friend."
"Eiehes depart, kindred die, man himself dies
also; but a good name dies never for him who
gained it."
"Eiehes depart, kindred die, man himself dies
also; but one thing I know of which never dies:
the Judgment of the Dead."
These rules of life were variously understood, and
as variously carried out into practice. But on the
whole we find them reflected in the popular charac-
ter of the Northmen, such as history teaches it to us
during heathendom. Bravery, prudence, and a love
of independence are its bright features, although
bravery often degenerated into warrior-fierceness,
prudence into dissimulation, and the love of inde-
;