The Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus, Volume 1 |
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Common terms and phrases
Absalon Amleth archaic arms asked Athisl attacked avenge bade Balder banquet battle blade blood blow body brother challenge champions combat conquered Danes Danish daughter dead death declared deeds Denmark Edda Eddic Lays elder Edda enemy Eormenric Erik Erik the Red father fear feast Feng fight fire fleet fortune Fridleif Frode Frowin gave Gewar giant gift glory gods gold Grep Groa guile hand hero Hiartuar hide honour Horwendil Hothbrodd Hother Icelandic Ket and Wig king king's land maiden marvellous mind noble Norsemen Norway Odin passed punishment queen Ragnar Rolf Rorik Saga Saxo Saxo Grammaticus Saxo's Scandinavians shame shield ship slain slaughter slaves slaying slew soldiers spears spirit Starcad steel story strength Sweden Swipdag sword Teutonic thee things thou hast thought told took treachery treasure Uffe valour vengeance victory Vinland wanton warriors Wermund wife Woden woman wounds youth
Popular passages
Page iii - A multitude, like which the populous north Pour'd never from her frozen loins, to pass Rhene or the Danaw, when her barbarous sons Came like a deluge on the south, and spread Beneath Gibraltar to the Libyan sands.
Page 53 - It neither grew in syke nor ditch, Nor yet in ony sheugh; But at the gates o' Paradise That birk grew fair eneugh. "Blow up the fire, my maidens! Bring water from the well! For a' my house shall feast this night, Since my three sons are well.
Page 28 - I will not go out," said Njal, "for I am an old man, and little fitted to avenge my sons, but I will not live in shame.
Page 167 - Who can cast, who whirl the lance, save scions of kings? War springs from the nobly born: famous pedigrees are the makers of war. For the perilous deeds which chiefs attempt are not to be done by the ventures of common men.
Page xx - ... altered or abolished, have we not retained, in most things, the opinions, the customs, the manners which that government had a tendency to produce ? Is not this, in fact, the principal source of that courage, of that aversion to slavery, of that empire of honour which characterize in general the European nations; and of that moderation, of that easiness of access, and peculiar attention to the rights of humanity, which so happily distinguish our sovereigns from the inaccessible and superb tyrants...
Page xii - King Christian, calling it Nova Dania. The expedition was, however, a failure, and all but three of the party perished from disease and exposure to cold in the winter of 1620. The three survivors, among...
Page xxi - British constitution, representative legislature, the trial by jury, security of property, freedom of mind and person, the influence of public opinion over the conduct of public affairs, the Reformation, the liberty of the press, the spirit of the age — all that is or has been of value to man in modern times as a member of society, either in Europe or in the New World, may be traced to the spark left burning upon our shores by these northern barbarians.
Page xix - It is rather from the Northmen that we have derived our vital energy, our freedom of thought, and, in a measure, that we do not yet suspect, our strength of speech.
Page 212 - ... the stench of a human carcase, and were infected by a kind of smack of the odour of the charnel. He further said that the king had the eyes of a slave, and that the queen had in three ways shown the behaviour of a bondmaid. Thus he reviled with insulting invective not so much the feast as its givers. And presently his companions, taunting him with his old defect of wits, began to flout him with many saucy jeers...
Page xix - MALLET'S PREFACE. HISTORY has not recorded the annals of a people who have occasioned greater, more sudden, or more numerous revolutions in Europe than the Scandinavians *, or whose antiquities, at the same time, are so little known. Had, indeed, their emigrations been only like those sudden torrents of •which all traces and remembrance are soon effaced, the indifference that has been shown to them would have been sufficiently justified by the barbarism they have been reproached with. But, during...