-hand fight of the wager of battle with sword
and shield, and the fighting in ranks and the wedge-column at close
quarters, show that the close infantry combat was the main event of the
battle. The preliminary hurling of stones, and shooting of arrows,
and slinging of pebbles, were harassing and annoying, but seldom
sufficiently important to affect the result of the main engagement.

Men ride to battle, but fight on foot; occasionally an aged king is
car-borne to the fray, and once the car, whether by Saxo's adorning
hand, or by tradition, is scythe-armed.

The gathered host is numbered, once, where, as with Xerxes, counting was
too difficult, by making each man as he passed put a pebble in a pile
(which piles survive to mark the huge size of Frode's army). This is,
of course, a folktale, explaining the pebble-hills and illustrating the
belief in Frode's power; but armies were mustered by such expedients of
old. Burton tells of an African army each man of whom presented an egg,
as a token of his presence and a means of taking the number of the host.

We hear of men marching in light order without even scabbards, and
getting over the ice in socks.

The war equipment and habits of the Irish, light armoured, clipped at
back of head, hurling the javelin backwards in their feigned flight; of
the Slavs, small blue targets and long swords; of the Finns, with their
darts and skees, are given.

Watches are kept, and it is noted that "uht", the early watch
after midnight, is the worst to be attacked in (the duke's
two-o'clock-in-the-morning courage being needed, and the darkness and
cold helping the enemy).

Spies were, of course, slain if discovered. But we have instances of
kings and heroes getting into foeman's camps in disguise (cf. stories of
Alfred and Anlaf).

The order of battle of Bravalla fight is given, and the ideal array of a
host. To Woden is ascribed the device of the boar's head, hamalt fylking
(the swine-head array of Manu's Indian kings), the terrible column with
wedge head which could cleave the stoutest line.

The host of Ring has men from Wener, Wermland, Gotaelf, Thotn, Wick,
Thelemark, Throndham, Sogn, Firths, Fialer, Iceland; Sweden, Gislamark,
Sigtun, Upsala, Pannonia.

The host of Harold had men from Iceland, the Danish provinces, Frisia,
Lifland; Slavs, and men from Jom, Aland, and Sleswick.

The battle of Bravalla is said to have been won by the Gotland archers
and the men of Throndham, and