he ancient Norse language entitled "Nial's
Saga." {3} It was written in Iceland about the year 1200, and contains
the history of a certain Nial and his family, and likewise notices of
various other people. This Nial was what was called a spamadr, that is,
a spaeman or a person capable of foretelling events. He was originally a
heathen--when, however, Christianity was introduced into Iceland, he was
amongst the first to embrace it, and persuaded his family and various
people of his acquaintance to do the same, declaring that a new faith was
necessary, the old religion of Odin, Thor, and Frey, being quite unsuited
to the times. The book is no romance, but a domestic history compiled
from tradition about two hundred years after the events which it narrates
had taken place. Of its style, which is wonderfully terse, the following
translated account of Nial and his family will perhaps convey some
idea:--

"There was a man called Nial, who was the son of Thorgeir Gelling, the
son of Thorolf. The mother of Nial was called Asgerdr; she was the
daughter of Ar, the Silent, the Lord of a district in Norway. She had
come over to Iceland and settled down on land to the west of Markarfliot,
between Oldustein and Selialandsmul. Holtathorir was her son, father of
Thorlief Krak, from whom the Skogverjars are come, and likewise of
Thorgrim the big and Skorargeir. Nial dwelt at Bergthorshval in Landey,
but had another house at Thorolfell. Nial was very rich in property, and
handsome to look at, but had no beard. He was so great a lawyer, that it
was impossible to find his equal, he was very wise, and had the gift of
foretelling events, he was good at counsel, and of a good disposition,
and whatever counsel he gave people was for their best; he was gentle and
humane, and got every man out of trouble who came to him in his need.
His wife was called Bergthora; she was the daughter of Skarphethin. She
was a bold-spirited woman who feared nobody, and was rather rough of
temper. They had six children, three daughters and three sons, all of
whom will be frequently mentioned in this saga."

In the history many instances are given of Nial's skill in giving good
advice and his power of seeing events before they happened. Nial lived
in Iceland during most singular times, in which though there were laws
provided for every possible case, no man could have redress for any
injury unless he took it himself, or his friends took it for him, si