EATERS OF THE DEAD

The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan, Relating His Experiences ith the !orth"en in A#D# $%%

MI&HAE' &RI&HTO!

(A''A!TI!E (OO)S * !E+ ,OR)

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The "aterial contained in the first three chapters is substantiall/ deri.ed fro" the "anuscript of Ibn Fadlan as translated b/ Robert 3# (la-e and Richard !# Fr/e, and b/ Albert Stanburrough &oo-; the Arabic <o-es are substantiall/ deri.ed fro" translations b/ Massud Far0an# All these scholarl/ or-s are gratefull/ ac-no ledged#

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To +illia" Ho ells &O!TE!TS

&O!TE!TS I!TROD:&TIO! 3ROAE!A!&E OF THE MA!:S&RI3T THE AI)I!4S A(O:T THE A:THOR THE DE3ART:RE FROM THE &IT, OF 3EA&E THE +A,S OF THE O4:E T:R)S FIRST &O!TA&T +ITH THE !ORTHME! THE AFTERMATH OF THE !ORTHME!FS F:!ERA' THE GO:R!E, TO THE FAR &O:!TR, THE E!&AM3ME!T AT TRE'(:R4 THE )I!4DOM OF ROTH4AR I! THE 'A!D OF AE!DE! THE EAE!TS THAT FO''O+ED THE FIRST (ATT'E THE ATTA&) OF THE 4'O++ORM DRA4O! )OR4O! THE DESERT OF DREAD THE &O:!SE' OF THE D+ARF THE EAE!TS OF THE !I4HT (EFORE THE ATTA&) THE TH:!DER &AAES THE DEATH THROES OF THE +E!DO' THE RET:R! FROM THE !ORTH &O:!TR, A33E!DIH= THE MIST MO!STERS SO:R&ES I# 3RIMAR, SO:R&E II# SE&O!DAR, SO:R&ES III# 4E!ERA' REFERE!&E +OR)S

A FA&T:A' !OTE O! EATERS OF THE DEAD About the Author

13raise not the da/ until e.ening has co"e; a o"an until she is burnt; a s ord until it is tried; a "aiden until she is "arried; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drun-#2 IAI)I!4 3ROAER(

1E.il is of old date#2 IARA( 3ROAER( I!TROD:&TIO! THE I(! FAD'A! MA!:S&RI3T RE3RESE!TS THE earliest -no n e/e itness account of Ai-ing life and societ/# It is an extraordinar/ docu"ent, describing in .i.id detail e.ents hich occurred "ore than a thousand /ears ago# The "anuscript has not, of course, sur.i.ed intact o.er that enor"ous span of ti"e# It has a peculiar histor/ of its o n, and one no less re"ar-able than the text itself# 3ROAE!A!&E OF THE MA!:S&RI3T In Gune, A#D# $%6, the &aliph of (agdad sent a "e"ber of his court, Ah"ad Ibn Fadlan, as a"bassador to the )ing of the (ulgars# Ibn Fadlan as gone three /ears on his <ourne/ and ne.er actuall/ acco"plished his "ission, for along the a/ he encountered a co"pan/ of !orse"en and had "an/ ad.entures a"ong the"# +hen he finall/ returned to (agdad, Ibn Fadlan recorded his experiences in the for" of an official report to the court# That original "anuscript has long since disappeared, and to reconstruct it e "ust rel/ on partial frag"ents preser.ed in later sources# The best9-no n of these is an Arabic geographical lexicon ritten b/ ,a-ut ibn9 Abdallah so"eti"e in the thirteenth centur/# ,a-ut includes a do0en .erbati" passages fro" Ibn FadlanFs account, hich as then three hundred /ears old# One "ust presu"e ,a-ut or-ed fro" a cop/ of the original# !e.ertheless these fe paragraphs ha.e been endlessl/ translated and retranslated b/ later scholars# Another frag"ent as disco.ered in Russia in 6D67 and as published in 4er"an b/ the St# 3etersburg Acade"/ in 6D%B# This "aterial includes certain passages pre.iousl/ published b/ G# '# Ras"ussen in 6D6C# Ras"ussen or-ed fro" a "anuscript he found in &openhagen, since lost, and of dubious origins# There ere

also S edish, French, and English translations at this ti"e, but the/ are all notoriousl/ inaccurate and apparentl/ do not include an/ ne "aterial# In 6D7D, t o ne "anuscripts ere disco.ered in the pri.ate antiJuities collection of Sir Gohn E"erson, the (ritish A"bassador in &onstantinople# Sir Gohn as apparentl/ one of those a.id collectors hose 0eal for acJuisition exceeded his interest in the particular ite" acJuired# The "anuscripts ere found after his death; no one -no s here he obtained the", or hen# One is a geograph/ in Arabic b/ Ah"ad Tusi, reliabl/ dated at A#D# 6>C7# This "a-es the Tusi "anuscript chronologicall/ closer than an/ other to the original of Ibn Fadlan, hich as presu"abl/ ritten around A#D# $%C9$%8# ,et scholars regard the Tusi "anuscript as the least trust orth/ of all the sources; the text is full of ob.ious errors and internal inconsistencies, and although it Juotes at length fro" one 1Ibn FaJih2 ho .isited the !orth countr/, "an/ authorities hesitate to accept this "aterial# The second "anuscript is that of A"in Ra0i, dating roughl/ fro" A#D# 6?D?96?$?# It is ritten in 'atin and according to its author is translated directl/ fro" the Arabic text of Ibn Fadlan# The Ra0i "anuscript contains so"e "aterial about the Ogu0 Tur-s, and se.eral passages concerning battles ith the "ist "onsters, not found in other sources# In 6$BC, a final text in Medie.al 'atin as found in the "onaster/ of H/"os, near Thessaloni-a in northeastern 4reece# The H/"os "anuscript contains further co""entar/ on Ibn FadlanFs relations ith the &aliph, and his experiences ith the creatures of the !orth countr/# The author and date of the H/"os "anuscript are both uncertain# The tas- of collating these "an/ .ersions and translations, ranging o.er "ore than a thousand /ears, appearing in Arabic, 'atin, 4er"an, French, Danish, S edish, and English, is an underta-ing of for"idable proportions# Onl/ a person of great erudition and energ/ ould atte"pt it, and in 6$?6 such a person did# 3er Fraus9Dolos, 3rofessor e"eritus of &o"parati.e literature at the :ni.ersit/ of Oslo, !or a/, co"piled all the -no n sources and began the "assi.e tas- of translation hich occupied hi" until his death in 6$?7# 3ortions of his ne translation ere published in the 3roceedings of the !ational Museu" of Oslo= 6$?$96$8>, but the/ did not arouse "uch scholarl/ interest, perhaps because the <ournal has a li"ited circulation# The Fraus9Dolos translation as absolutel/ literal; in his o n introduction to the "aterial, Fraus9Dolos re"ar-ed that 1it is in the nature of languages that a prett/ translation is not accurate, and an accurate translation finds its o n beaut/ ithout help#2 In preparing this full and annotated .ersion of the Fraus9Dolos translation, I ha.e "ade fe alterations# I deleted so"e repetiti.e passages; these are indicated in the text# I changed paragraph structure, starting each directl/ Juoted spea-er ith a ne paragraph, according to "odern con.ention# I ha.e o"itted the diacritical "ar-s on Arabic na"es# Finall/, I ha.e occasionall/ altered the original s/ntax, usuall/ b/ transposing subordinate clauses so that the "eaning is "ore readil/ grasped#

THE AI)I!4S Ibn FadlanFs portrait of the Ai-ings differs "ar-edl/ fro" the traditional European .ie of these people# The first European descriptions of the Ai-ings ere recorded b/ the clerg/; the/ ere the onl/ obser.ers of the ti"e ho could rite, and the/ .ie ed the pagan !orth"en ith special horror# Here is a t/picall/ h/perbolic passage, cited b/ D# M# +ilson, fro" a t elfth9centur/ Irish riter=

In a ord, although there ere an hundred hard9steeled iron heads on one nec-, and an hundred sharp, read/, cool, ne.er rusting, bra0en tongues in each head, and an hundred garrulous, loud, unceasing .oices fro" each tongue, the/ could not recount or narrate, enu"erate or tell, hat all the Irish suffered in co""on, both "en and o"en, lait/ and clerg/, old and /oung, noble and ignoble, of the hardships and of in<uring and of oppression, in e.er/ house, fro" those .aliant, rathful, purel/ pagan people#

Modern scholars recogni0e that such bloodcurdling accounts of Ai-ing raids are .astl/ exaggerated# ,et European riters still tend to dis"iss the Scandina.ians as blood/ barbarians, irrele.ant to the "ain flo of +estern culture and ideas# Often this has been done at the expense of a certain logic# For exa"ple, Da.id Talbot Rice rites=

Fro" the eighth to the ele.enth centuries indeed the role of the Ai-ings as perhaps "ore influential than that of an/ other single ethnic group in +estern Europe# ### The Ai-ings ere thus great tra.ellers and the/ perfor"ed outstanding feats of na.igation; their cities ere great centres of trade; their art as original, creati.e and influential; the/ boasted a fine literature and a de.eloped culture# +as it trul/ a ci.ili0ationK It "ust, I thin-, be ad"itted that it as not# ### The touch of hu"anis" hich is the hall"ar- of ci.ili0ation as absent#

This sa"e attitude is reflected in the opinion of 'ord &lar-=

+hen one considers the Icelandic sagas, hich are a"ong the great boo-s of the orld, one "ust ad"it that the !orse"en produced a culture# (ut as it ci.ili0ationK ### &i.ili0ation "eans so"ething "ore than energ/ and ill and creati.e po er= so"ething the earl/ !orse"en hadnFt got, but hich, e.en in their ti"e, as beginning to reappear in +estern Europe# Ho can I define it#K +ell, .er/ shortl/, a sense of per"anence# The anderers and in.aders ere in a continual state of flux# The/ didnFt feel the need to loo- for ard be/ond the next March or the next .o/age

or the next battle# And for that reason it didnFt occur to the" to build stone houses, or to rite boo-s#

The "ore carefull/ one reads these .ie s, the "ore illogical the/ appear# Indeed, one "ust onder h/ highl/ educated and intelligent European scholars feel so free to dis"iss the Ai-ings ith no "ore than a passing nod# And h/ the preoccupation ith the se"antic Juestion of hether the Ai-ings had a 1ci.ili0ation2K The situation is explicable onl/ if one recogni0es a long9standing European bias, springing fro" traditional .ie s of European prehistor/# E.er/ +estern schoolchild is dutifull/ taught that the !ear East is 1the cradle of ci.ili0ation,2 and that the first ci.ili0ations arose in Eg/pt and Mesopota"ia, nourished b/ the !ile and the Tigris9Euphrates ri.er basins# Fro" here ci.ili0ation spread to &rete and 4reece, and then to Ro"e, and e.entuall/ to the barbarians of northern Europe# +hat these barbarians ere doing hile the/ aited for the arri.al of ci.ili0ation as not -no n; nor as the Juestion often raised# The e"phasis la/ on the process of disse"ination, hich the late 4ordon &hilde su""ari0ed as 1the irradiation of European barbaris" b/ Oriental ci.ili0ation#2 Modern scholars held this .ie , as did Ro"an and 4ree- scholars before the"# 4eoffre/ (ibb/ sa/s= 1The histor/ of northern and eastern Europe is .ie ed fro" the +est and South, ith all the preconceptions of "en ho considered the"sel.es ci.ili0ed loo-ing upon "en ho" the/ considered barbarians#2 Fro" this standpoint, the Scandina.ians are ob.iousl/ the farthest fro" the source of ci.ili0ation, and logicall/ the last to acJuire it; and therefore the/ are properl/ regarded as the last of the barbarians, a nagging thorn in the side of those other European areas tr/ing to absorb the isdo" and ci.ili0ation of the East# The trouble is that this traditional .ie of European prehistor/ has been largel/ destro/ed in the last fifteen /ears# The de.elop"ent of accurate carbon9dating techniJues has "ade a "ess of the old chronolog/, hich supported the old .ie s of diffusion# It no appears indisputable that Europeans ere erecting huge "egalithic to"bs before the Eg/ptians built the p/ra"ids; Stonehenge is older than the ci.ili0ation of M/cenaean 4reece; "etallurg/ in Europe "a/ ell precede the de.elop"ent of "etal or-ing s-ills in 4reece and Tro/# The "eaning of these disco.eries has not /et been sorted out, but it is certainl/ no i"possible to regard the prehistoric Europeans as sa.ages idl/ a aiting the blessings of Eastern ci.ili0ation# On the contrar/, the Europeans see" to ha.e had organi0ational s-ills considerable enough to or- "assi.e stones, and the/ see" also to ha.e had i"pressi.e astrono"ical -no ledge to build Stonehenge, the first obser.ator/ in the orld# Thus, the European bias to ard the ci.ili0ed East "ust be called into Juestion, and indeed the .er/ concept of 1European barbaris"2 reJuires a fresh loo-# +ith this in

"ind, those barbaric re"nants, the Ai-ings, ta-e on a ne significance, and e can reexa"ine hat is -no n of the Scandina.ians of the tenth centur/# First e should recogni0e that 1the Ai-ings ere ne.er a clearl/ unified group# +hat the Europeans sa ere scattered and indi.idual parties of seafarers ho ca"e fro" a .ast geographical areaIScandina.ia is larger than 3ortugal, Spain, and France co"binedIand ho sailed fro" their indi.idual feudal states for the purpose of trade or pirac/ or both; the Ai-ings "ade little distinction# (ut that is a tendenc/ shared b/ "an/ seafarers fro" the 4ree-s to the Eli0abethans# In fact, for a people ho lac-ed ci.ili0ation, ho 1didnFt feel the need to loo- ### be/ond the next battle,2 the Ai-ings de"onstrate re"ar-abl/ sustained and purposeful beha.ior# As proof of idespread trading, Arabic coins appear in Scandina.ia as earl/ as A#D# 8$%# During the next four hundred /ears, the Ai-ing trader9pirates expanded as far est as !e foundland, as far south as Sicil/ and 4reece L here the/ left car.ings on the lions of DelosM, and as far east as the :ral Mountains of Russia, here their traders lin-ed up ith cara.ans arri.ing fro" the sil- route to &hina# The Ai-ings ere not e"pire builders, and it is popular to sa/ that their influence across this .ast area as i"per"anent# ,et it as sufficientl/ per"anent to lend placena"es to "an/ localities in England, hile to Russia the/ ga.e the .er/ na"e of the nation itself, fro" the !orse tribe Rus# As for the "ore subtle influence of their pagan .igor, relentless energ/, and s/ste" of .alues, the "anuscript of Ibn Fadlan sho s us ho "an/ t/picall/ !orse attitudes ha.e been retained # to the present da/# Indeed, there is so"ething stri-ingl/ fa"iliar to the "odern sensibilit/ about the Ai-ing a/ of life, and so"ething profoundl/ appealing# A(O:T THE A:THOR A ord should be said about Ibn Fadlan, the "an ho spea-s to us ith such a distincti.e .oice despite the passage of "ore than a thousand /ears and the filter of transcribers and translators fro" a do0en linguistic and cultural traditions# +e -no al"ost nothing of hi" personall/# Apparentl/ he as educated and, fro" his exploits, he could not ha.e been .er/ old# He states explicitl/ that he as a fa"iliar of the &aliph, ho" he did not particularl/ ad"ire# LIn this he as not alone, for the &aliph al9MuJtadir as t ice deposed and finall/ slain b/ one of his o n officers#M Of his societ/, e -no "ore# In the tenth centur/, (agdad, the &it/ of 3eace, as the "ost ci.ili0ed cit/ on earth# More than a "illion inhabitants li.ed ithin its fa"ous circular alls# (agdad as the focus of intellectual and co""ercial excite"ent, ithin an en.iron"ent of extraordinar/ grace, elegance, and splendor# There ere perfu"ed gardens, cool shad/ arbors, and the accu"ulated riches of a .ast e"pire# The Arabs of (agdad ere Musli" and fiercel/ dedicated to that religion# (ut the/ ere also exposed to peoples ho loo-ed, acted, and belie.ed differentl/ fro" the"# The Arabs ere, in fact, the least pro.incial people in the orld of that ti"e, and this "ade the" superb obser.ers of foreign cultures#

Ibn Fadlan hi"self is clearl/ an intelligent and obser.ant "an# He is interested in both the e.er/da/ details of life and the beliefs of the people he "eets# Much that he itnessed struc- hi" as .ulgar, obscene, and barbaric, but he astes little ti"e in indignation; once he expresses his disappro.al, he goes right bac- to his unblin-ing obser.ations# And he reports hat he sees ith re"ar-abl/ little condescension# His "anner of reporting "a/ see" eccentric to +estern sensibilities; he does not tell a stor/ as e are accusto"ed to hearing one# +e tend to forget that our o n sense of dra"a originates in an oral traditionIa li.e perfor"ance b/ a bard before an audience that "ust often ha.e been restless and i"patient, or else sleep/ after a hea./ "eal# Our oldest stories, the Iliad, (eo ulf, the Song of Roland, ere all intended to be sung b/ singers hose chief function and first obligation as entertain"ent# (ut Ibn Fadlan as a riter, and his principal ai" as not entertain"ent# !or as it to glorif/ so"e listening patron, or to reinforce the "/ths of the societ/ in hich he li.ed# On the contrar/, he as an a"bassador deli.ering a report; his tone is that of a tax auditor, not a bard; an anthropologist, not a dra"atist# Indeed, he often slights the "ost exciting ele"ents of his narrati.e rather than let the" interfere ith his clear and le.el9headed account# At ti"es this dispassion is so irritating e fail to recogni0e ho extraordinar/ a spectator he reall/ is# For hundreds of /ears after Ibn Fadlan, the tradition a"ong tra.elers as to rite ildl/ speculati.e, fanciful chronicles of foreign "ar.elsI tal-ing ani"als, feathered "en ho fle , encounters ith behe"oths and unicorns# As recentl/ as t o hundred /ears ago, other ise sober Europeans ere filling their <ournals ith nonsense about African baboons that aged ar ith far"ers, and so on# Ibn Fadlan ne.er speculates# E.er/ ord rings true; and hene.er he reports b/ hearsa/, he is careful to sa/ so# He is eJuall/ careful to specif/ hen he is an e/e itness= that is h/ he uses the phrase 1I sa ith "/ o n e/es2 o.er and o.er# In the end, it is this Jualit/ of absolute truthfulness hich "a-es his tale so horrif/ing# For his encounter ith the "onsters of the "ist, the 1eaters of the dead,2 is told ith the sa"e attention to detail, the sa"e careful s-epticis", that "ar-s the other portions of the "anuscript# In an/ case, the reader "a/ <udge for hi"self# THE DE3ART:RE FROM THE &IT, OF 3EA&E 3RAISE (E TO 4OD, THE MER&IF:', THE co"passionate, the 'ord of the T o +orlds, and blessing and peace upon the 3rince of 3rophets, our 'ord and Master Muha""ad, ho" 4od bless and preser.e ith abiding and continuing peace and blessings until the Da/ of the FaithN This is the boo- of Ah"ad ibn9Fadlan, ibnal9Abbas, ibn9Rasid, ibn9Ha""ad, a client of Muha""ad ibn9Sula/"an, the a"bassador fro" al9MuJtadir to the )ing of the SaJaliba, in hich he recounts hat he sa in the land of the Tur-s, the Ha0ars, the SaJaliba, the (as-irs, the Rus, and the !orth"en, of the histories of their -ings and the a/ the/ act in "an/ affairs of their life#

The letter of the ,ilta ar, )ing of the SaJaliba, reached the &o""ander of the Faithful, al9MuJtadir# He as-ed hi" therein to send so"eone ho ould instruct hi" in religion and "a-e hi" acJuainted ith the la s of Isla"; ho ould build for hi" a "osJue and erect for hi" a pulpit fro" hich "ight be carried out the "ission of con.erting his people in all the districts of his -ingdo"; and also for ad.ice in the construction of fortifications and defense or-s# And he pra/ed the &aliph to do these things# The inter"ediar/ in this "atter as Dadir al9Hura"i# The &o""ander of the Faithful, al9MuJtadir, as "an/ -no , as not a strong and <ust caliph, but dra n to pleasures and the flattering speeches of his officers, ho pla/ed hi" the fool and <ested "ightil/ behind his bac-# I as not of this co"pan/, or especiall/ belo.ed of the &aliph, for the reason that follo s# In the &it/ of 3eace li.ed an elderl/ "erchant of the na"e ibn9Oarin, rich in all things but lac-ing a generous heart and a lo.e of "an# He hoarded his gold and li-e ise his /oung ife, ho" none had e.er seen but all bespo-e as beautiful be/ond i"agining# On a certain da/, the &aliph sent "e to deli.er to ibn9Oarin a "essage, and I presented "/self to the house of the "erchant and sought entrance therein ith "/ letter and seal# :ntil toda/, I do not -no the i"port of the letter, but it does not "atter# The "erchant as not at ho"e, being abroad on so"e business; I explained to the door ser.ant that I "ust a ait his return, since the &aliph had instructed I "ust deli.er the "essage into his hands fro" "ine onl/# Thus the door ser.ant ad"itted "e into the house, hich procedure too- so"e passing of ti"e, for the door to the house had "an/ bolts, loc-s, bars, and fasteners, as is co""on in the d ellings of "isers# At length I as ad"itted and I aited all da/, gro ing hungr/ and thirst/, but as offered no refresh"ents b/ the ser.ants of the niggardl/ "erchant# In the heat of the afternoon, hen all about "e the house as still and the ser.ants slept, I, too, felt dro s/# Then before "e I sa an apparition in hite, a o"an /oung and beautiful, ho" I too- to be the .er/ ife no "an had e.er seen# She did not spea-, but ith gestures led "e to another roo", and there loc-ed the door# I en<o/ed her upon the spot, in hich "atter she reJuired no encourage"ent, for her husband as old and no doubt neglectful# Thus did the afternoon pass Juic-l/, until e heard the "aster of the house "a-ing his return# I""ediatel/ the ife arose and departed, ha.ing ne.er uttered a ord in "/ presence, and I as left to arrange "/ gar"ents in so"e haste# !o I should ha.e been apprehended for certain ere it not for these sa"e "an/ loc-s and bolts hich i"peded the "iserFs entr/ into his o n ho"e# E.en so, the "erchant ibn9Oarin found "e in the ad<oining roo", and he .ie ed "e ith suspicion, as-ing h/ I should be there and not in the court/ard, here it as proper for a "essenger to ait# I replied that I as fa"ished and faint, and had searched for food and shade# This as a poor lie and he did not belie.e it; he co"plained to the &aliph, ho I -no as a"used in pri.ate and /et co"pelled to adopt a stern face to the public# Thus hen the ruler of the SaJaliba as-ed for a "ission fro" the &aliph, this sa"e spiteful ibn9Oarin urged I be sent, and so I as#

In our co"pan/ there as the a"bassador of the )ing of SaJaliba ho as called Abdallah ibn9(astu al9Ha0ari, a tedious and ind/ "an ho tal-ed o.er"uch# There as also Ta-in al9Tur-i, (ars al9SaJlabi, both guides on the <ourne/, and I, too# +e bore gifts for the ruler, for his ife, his children, and his generals# Also e brought certain drugs, hich ere gi.en o.er to the care of Sausan al9Rasi# This as our parr/# So e started on Thursda/, the 66th of Safar of the /ear B>$ PGune %6, $%6Q, fro" the &it/ of 3eace P(agdadQ# +e stopped a da/ in !ahra an, and fro" there ent s iftl/ until e reached al9Das-ara, here e stopped for three da/s# Then e tra.eled straight on ard ithout an/ detours until e reached Hul an# There e sta/ed t o da/s# Fro" there e ent to Oir"isin, here e re"ained t o da/s# Then e started and tra.eled until e reached Ha"adan, here e re"ained three da/s# Then e ent farther to Sa a, here e re"ained t o da/s# Fro" there e ca"e to Ra/, here e re"ained ele.en da/s aiting for Ah"ad ibn9Ali, the brother of al9Rasi, because he as in Hu ar al9Ra/# Then e ent to Hu ar al9Ra/ and re"ained there three da/s#

This passage gi.es the fla.or of Ibn FadlanFs descriptions of tra.el# 3erhaps a Juarter of the entire "anuscript is ritten in this fashion, si"pl/ listing the na"es of settle"ents and the nu"ber of da/s spent at each# Most of this "aterial has been deleted# Apparentl/, Ibn FadlanFs part/ is tra.eling north ard, and e.entuall/ the/ are reJuired to halt for inter#

Our sta/ in 4urgani/a as length/; e sta/ed there so"e da/s of the "onth of Ragab P!o.e"berQ and during the hole of Saban, Ra"adan, and Sa al# Our long sta/ as brought about b/ the cold and its bitterness# Aeril/, the/ told "e that t o "en too- ca"els into the forests to get ood# The/ forgot, ho e.er, to ta-e flint and tinder ith the", and hence slept in the night ithout a fire# +hen the/ got up the next "orning, the/ found the ca"els had been fro0en stiff fro" the cold# Aeril/, I beheld the "ar-etplace and streets of 4urgani/a co"pletel/ deserted because of the cold# One could stroll the streets ithout "eeting an/one# Once as I ca"e out of "/ bath, I entered "/ house and loo-ed at "/ beard, hich as a lu"p of ice# I had to tha it out before the fire# I li.ed night and da/ in a house that as inside another house, in hich a Tur-ish felt tent as pitched, and I "/self as rapped up in "an/ clothes and fur rugs# (ut in spite of all this, "/ chee-s often stuc- to the pillo at night# In this extre"it/ of cold, I sa that the earth so"eti"es for"s great crac-s, and a large and ancient tree "a/ split into t o hal.es fro" this# About the "iddle of Sa al of the /ear B>$ PFebruar/, $%%Q, the eather began to change, the ri.er tha ed, and e got oursel.es the necessar/ things for the <ourne/#

+e bought Tur-ish ca"els and s-in boats "ade out of ca"el hides, in preparation for the ri.ers e ould ha.e to cross in the land of Tur-s# +e laid in a suppl/ of bread, "illet, and salted "eat for three "onths# Our acJuaintances in the to n directed us in la/ing in gar"ents, as "uch as as needed# The/ depicted the co"ing hardships in fearful ter"s, and e belie.ed the/ exaggerated the stor/, /et hen e under ent this, it as far greater than hat had been told to us# Each of us put on a <ac-et, o.er that a coat, o.er that a tulup, o.er that a bur-a, and a hel"et of felt out of hich onl/ the t o e/es could loo-# +e also had a si"ple pair of underdra ers ith trousers o.er the", and house shoes and o.er these another pair of boots# +hen one of us got on a ca"el, he could not "o.e because of his clothes# The doctor of the la and the teacher and the pages ho tra.eled ith us fro" (agdad departed fro" us no , fearing to enter this ne countr/, so 6, the a"bassador, his brother9in9la and t o pages, Ta-in and (ars, proceeded#P6Q The cara.an as read/ to start# +e too- into our ser.ice a guide fro" the inhabitants of the to n hose na"e as Ola us# Then, trusting in the all9po erful and exalted 4od, e started on Monda/, the third of DulJada of the /ear B>$ PMarch B, $%%Q fro" the to n 4urgani/a# That sa"e da/, e stopped at the burg called Ea"gan= that is, the gate a/ to the Tur-s# The next "orning earl/, e proceeded to 4it# There so "uch sno fell that the ca"els plunged in it up to their -nees; hence e halted t o da/s# Then e sped straight into the land of the Tur-s ithout "eeting an/one on the barren and e.en steppe# +e rode ten da/s in bitter cold and unbro-en sno stor"s, in co"parison ith hich the cold in &h are0" see"ed li-e a su""er da/, so that e forgot all our pre.ious disco"forts and ere about at the point of gi.ing up# One da/ hen e under ent the "ost sa.age cold eather, Ta-in the page as riding next to "e, and along ith hi" one of the Tur-s, ho as tal-ing to hi" in Tur-ish# Ta-in laughed and said to "e, 1This Tur- sa/s, R+hat ill our 'ord ha.e of usK He is -illing us ith cold# If e -ne hat he anted, e ould let hi" ha.e it#F 2 And then I said, 1Tell hi" He onl/ ishes that /ou sa/, RThere is no 4od sa.e Allah#F 2 The Tur- laughed and ans ered, 1If I -ne it, I ould sa/ it#2 Then e ca"e to a forest here there as a large Juantit/ of dr/ ood and e halted# The cara.an lit fires, e ar"ed oursel.es, too- off our clothes, and spread the" out to dr/#

Apparentl/, Ibn FadlanFs part/ as entering a ar"er region, because he "a-es no further reference to extre"e cold#

+e set out again and rode e.er/ da/ fro" "idnight until the ti"e of the afternoon pra/erIhastening "ore fro" "idda/ onIand then e halted# +hen e had ridden fifteen nights in this "anner, e arri.ed at a large "ountain ith "an/ great roc-s# There are springs there, that <et out fro" the roc-s and the ater sta/s in pools# Fro" this place, e crossed on until e reached a Tur-ish tribe, hich is called the Ogu0# THE +A,S OF THE O4:E T:R)S THE O4:E ARE !OMADS A!D HAAE HO:SES OF felt# The/ sta/ for a ti"e in one place and then tra.el on# Their d ellings are placed here and there according to no"adic custo"# Although the/ lead a hard existence, the/ are li-e asses gone astra/# The/ ha.e no religious bonds ith 4od# The/ ne.er pra/, but instead call their head"en 'ords# +hen one of the" ta-es counsel ith his chief about so"ething, he sa/s, 1O 'ord, hat shall I do in this or that "atterK2 Their underta-ings are based upon counsel solel/ a"ong the"sel.es# I ha.e heard the" sa/, 1There is no 4od but Allah and Muha""ad is the prophet of Allah,2 but the/ spea- thus so as to get close to an/ Musli"s, and not because the/ belie.e it# The ruler of the Ogu0 Tur-s is called ,abgu# That is the na"e of the ruler and e.er/one ho rules o.er this tribe bears the na"e# His subordinate is al a/s called )udar-in and so each subordinate to a chieftain is called )udar-in# The Ogu0 do not ash the"sel.es after either defecation or urination, nor do the/ bathe after e<aculation, or on other occasions# The/ ha.e nothing hate.er to do ith ater, especiall/ in inter# !o "erchants or other Muha""adans "a/ perfor" ablution in their presence except in the night hen the Tur-s do not see it, for the/ get angr/ and sa/, 1This "an ishes to put a spell on us, for he is i""ersing hi"self in ater,2 and the/ co"pel hi" to pa/ a fine# !one of the Muha""adans can enter Tur-ish countr/ until one of the Ogu0 agrees to beco"e his host, ith ho" he sta/s and for ho" he brings gar"ents fro" the land of Isla", and for his ife so"e pepper, "illet, raisins, and nuts# +hen the Musli" co"es to his host, the latter pitches a tent for hi" and brings hi" sheep, so that the Musli" "a/ hi"self slaughter the sheep# The Tur-s ne.er slaughter; the/ beat the sheep on the head until it is dead# Ogu0 o"en ne.er .eil the"sel.es in the presence of their o n "en or others# !or does the o"an co.er an/ of her bodil/ parts in the presence of an/ person# One da/ e stopped off ith a Tur- and ere seated in his tent# The "anFs ife as present# As e con.ersed, the o"an unco.ered her pudendu" and scratched it, and e sa her doing so# +e .eiled our faces and said, 1I beg 4odFs pardon#2 At this her husband laughed and said to the interpreter, 1Tell the" e unco.er it in /our presence so that /ou "a/ see it and be abashed, but it is not to be attained# This is better than hen /ou co.er it up and /et it is attainable#2 Adulter/ is un-no n a"ong the"# +ho"soe.er the/ find to be an adulterer, the/ tear hi" in t o# This co"es about so= the/ bring together the branches of t o trees, tie

hi" to the branches, and then let both trees go so the "an ho as tied to the trees is torn in t o# The custo" of pederast/ is counted b/ the Tur-s a terrible sin# There once ca"e a "erchant to sta/ ith the clan of the )udar-in# This "erchant sta/ed ith his host for a ti"e to bu/ sheep# !o , the host had a beardless son, and the guest sought unceasingl/ to lead hi" astra/ until he got the bo/ to consent to his ill# In the "eanti"e, the Tur-ish host entered and caught the" in flagrante delicto# The Tur-s ished to -ill the "erchant and also the son for this offense# (ut after "uch pleading the "erchant as per"itted to ranso" hi"self# He paid his host ith four hundred sheep for hat he had done to his son, and then the "erchant hastil/ departed fro" the land of the Tur-s# All the Tur-s pluc- their beards ith the exception of their "ustaches# Their "arriage custo"s are as follo s= one of the" as-s for the hand of a fe"ale "e"ber of anotherFs fa"il/, against such and such a "arriage price# The "arriage price often consists of ca"els, pac- ani"als, and other things# !o one can ta-e a ife until he has fulfilled the obligation, on hich he has co"e to an understanding ith the "en of the fa"il/# If, ho e.er, he has "et it, then he co"es ithout an/ ado, enters the abode here she is, ta-es her in the presence of her father, "other, and brothers, and the/ do not pre.ent hi"# If a "an dies ho has a ife and children, then the eldest of his sons ta-es her to ife if she is not his "other# If one of the Tur-s beco"es sic- and has sla.es, the/ loo- after hi" and no one of his fa"il/ co"es near hi"# A tent is pitched for hi" apart fro" the houses and he does not depart fro" it until he dies or gets ell# If, ho e.er, he is a sla.e or a poor "an, the/ lea.e hi" in the desert and go on their a/# +hen one of their pro"inent "en dies, the/ dig for hi" a great pit in the for" of a house and the/ go to hi", dress hi" in a JurtaJ ith his belt and bo , and put a drin-ing cup of ood ith intoxicating drin- in his hand# The/ ta-e his entire possessions and put the" in this house# Then the/ set hi" do n in it also# Then the/ build another house o.er hi" and "a-e a -ind of cupola out of "ud# Then the/ -ill his horses# The/ -ill one or t o hundred, as "an/ as he has, at the site of the gra.e# Then the/ eat the flesh do n to the head, the hoo.es, the hide, and the tail, for the/ hang these up on ooden poles and sa/, 1These are his steeds on hich he rides to 3aradise#2 If he has been a hero and slain ene"ies, the/ car.e ooden statues in the nu"ber of those ho" he has slain, place the" upon his gra.e, and sa/, 1These are his pages ho ser.e hi" in 3aradise#2 So"eti"es the/ dela/ -illing the horses for a da/ or t o, and then an old "an fro" a"ong their elderl/ ones stirs the" up b/ sa/ing, 1I ha.e seen the dead "an in "/ sleep and he said to "e= RHere thou seest "e# M/ co"rades ha.e o.erta-en "e and

"/ feet ere too ea- to follo the"# I cannot o.erta-e the" and so ha.e re"ained alone#F 2 In this case, the people slaughter his steeds and hang the" up on his gra.e# After a da/ or t o, the sa"e elder co"es to the" and sa/s, 1I ha.e seen the dead "an in a drea" and he said= RInfor" "/ fa"il/ that I ha.e reco.ered fro" "/ plight#F 2 In this a/ the old "an preser.es the a/s of the Ogu0, for there "ight other ise be a desire for the li.ing to retain the horses of the dead# P%Q At length e tra.eled on in the Tur-ish -ingdo"# One "orning one of the Tur-s "et us# He as ugl/ in figure, dirt/ in appearance, despicable in "anner, and base in nature# He said= 1Halt#2 The hole cara.an halted in obedience to his co""and# Then he said, 1!o single one of /ou "a/ proceed#2 +e said to hi", 1+e are friends of the )udar-in#2 He began to laugh and said, 1+ho is the )udar-inK I defecate on his beard#2 !o "an a"ong us -ne hat to do at these ords, but then the Tur- said, 1(e-end2; that is, 1bread2 in the language of &h are0"# I ga.e hi" a fe sheets of bread# He too- the" and said, 1,ou "a/ go further# I ta-e pit/ upon /ou#2 +e ca"e to the district of the ar"/ co""ander hose na"e as Etre- ibn9al9 Oatagan# He pitched Tur-ish tents for us and had us sta/ in the"# He hi"self had a large establish"ent, ser.ants and large d ellings# He dro.e in sheep for us that e "ight slaughter the", and put horses at our disposal for riding# The Tur-s spea- of hi" as their best horse"an, and in truth I sa one da/, hen he raced ith us on his horse and as a goose fle o.er us, he strung his bo and then, guiding his horse under it, shot at the goose and brought it do n# I presented to hi" a suit fro" Mer., a pair of boots of red leather, a coat of brocade, and fi.e coats of sil-# He accepted these ith glo ing ords of praise# He re"o.ed the brocade coat that he ore in order to don the gar"ents of honor I had <ust gi.en hi"# Then I sa that the JurtaJ hich he had underneath as fra/ing apart and filth/, but it is their custo" that no one shall re"o.e the gar"ent that he ears next to his bod/ until it disintegrates# Aeril/ also he pluc-ed out his entire beard and e.en his "ustache, so that he loo-ed li-e a eunuch# And /et, as I ha.e obser.ed, he as their best horse"an# I belie.ed that these fine gifts should in his friendship to us, but such as not to be# He as a treacherous "an# One da/ he sent for the leaders close to hi"; that is, Tarhan, ,anal, and 4l/0# Tarhan as the "ost influential a"ong the"; he as crippled and blind and had a "ai"ed hand# Then he said to the"= 1These are the "essengers of the )ing of the Arabs to the chief of the (ulgars, and I should not let the" pass ithout ta-ing counsel ith /ou#2 Then Tarhan spo-e= 1This is a "atter that e ha.e ne.er /et seen# !e.er has the a"bassador of the Sultan tra.eled through our countr/ since e and our ancestors ha.e been here# M/ feeling is that the Sultan is pla/ing us a tric-# These "en he reall/ sent to the Ha0ars to stir the" up against us# The best is to he these a"bassadors in t ain and e shall ta-e all the/ ha.e#2

Another counselor said= 1!o, e should rather ta-e hat the/ ha.e and lea.e the" na-ed so that the/ "a/ return thither hence the/ ca"e#2 And another said= 1!o, e ha.e capti.es ith the )ing of the Ha0ars, so e ought to send these "en to ranso" the"#2 The/ -ept discussing these "atters a"ong the"sel.es for se.en da/s, hile e ere in a situation si"ilar to death, until the/ agreed to open the road and let us pass# +e ga.e to Tarhan as a gar"ent of honor t o caftans fro" Mer. and also pepper, "illet, and so"e sheets of bread# And e tra.eled forth until e ca"e to the ri.er (agindi# There e too- our s-in boats hich had been "ade fro" ca"el hides, spread the" out, and loaded the goods fro" the Tur-ish ca"els# +hen each boat as full, a group of fi.e, six, or four "en sat in the"# The/ too- birch ood branches in their hands and used the" li-e oars and -ept on ro ing hile the ater carried the boat do n and spun it around# Finall/ e got across# +ith regard to the horses and ca"els, the/ ca"e s i""ing across# It is absolutel/ necessar/ hen crossing a ri.er that first of all a group of arriors ith eapons should be transported across before an/ of the cara.an, in order that a .anguard be established to pre.ent attac- b/ (as-irs hile the "ain bod/ is crossing the ri.er# Thus e crossed the ri.er (agindi, and then the ri.er called 4a", in the sa"e a/# Then the Odil, then the Adrn, then the +ars, then the Ahti, then the +bna# All these are big ri.ers# Then e arri.ed at the 3ecenegs# These had enca"ped b/ a still la-e li-e the sea# The/ are dar- bro n, po erful people and the "en sha.e their beards# The/ are poor in contrast to the Ogu0, for I sa "en a"ong the Ogu0 ho possessed 6>,>>> horses and 6>>,>>> sheep# (ut the 3ecenegs are poor, and e re"ained onl/ a da/ ith the"# Then e started out and ca"e to the ri.er 4a/ih# This is the largest, idest, s iftest that e sa # Aeril/ I sa ho a s-in boat o.erturned in it, and those on it ere dro ned# Man/ of the co"pan/ perished and a nu"ber of the ca"els and horses ere dro ned# +e crossed the ri.er ith difficult/# Then e ent a fe da/s farther on and crossed the ri.er 4aha, then the ri.er A0hn, then the (agag, then the S"ur, then the )nal, then the Sub, and then the ri.er )iglu# At length e arri.ed in the land of the (as-irs#

The ,a-ut "anuscript contains a short description of Ibn FadlanFs sta/ a"ong the (as-irs; "an/ scholars Juestion the authenticit/ of these passages# The actual descriptions are unusuall/ .ague and tedious, consisting chiefl/ of lists of the chiefs and nobles encountered# Ibn Fadlan hi"self suggests the (as-irs are not orth bothering ith, an uncharacteristic state"ent fro" this relentlessl/ curious tra.eler#

At length e left the land of the (as-irs, and crossed the ri.er 4er"san, the ri.er :rn, the ri.er :r", then the ri.er +tig, the ri.er !basnh, then the ri.er 4a sin# (et een the ri.ers that e "ention, the distance is a <ourne/ of t o, three, or four da/s in each case# Then e ca"e to the land of the (ulgars, hich begins at the shore of the ri.er Aolga# FIRST &O!TA&T +ITH THE !ORTHME! I SA+ +ITH M, O+! E,ES HO+ THE !ORTHME!PBQ HAD arri.ed ith their ares, and pitched their ca"p along the Aolga# !e.er did I see a people so gigantic= the/ are tall as pal" trees, and florid and rudd/ in co"plexion# The/ ear neither ca"isoles nor caftans, but the "en a"ong the" ear a gar"ent of rough cloth, hich is thro n o.er one side, so that one hand re"ains free# E.er/ !orth"an carries an axe, a dagger, and a s ord, and ithout these eapons the/ are ne.er seen# Their s ords are broad, ith a./ lines, and of Fran-ish "a-e# Fro" the tip of the fingernails to the nec-, each "an of the" is tattooed ith pictures of trees, li.ing beings, and other things# The o"en carr/, fastened to their breast, a little case of iron, copper, sil.er, or gold, according to the ealth and resources of their husbands# Fastened to the case the/ ear a ring, and upon that a dagger, all attached to their breast# About their nec-s the/ ear gold and sil.er chains# The/ are the filthiest race that 4od e.er created# The/ do not ipe the"sel.es after going to stool, or ash the"sel.es after a nocturnal pollution, an/ "ore than if the/ ere ild asses# The/ co"e fro" their o n countr/, anchor their ships in the Aolga, hich is a great ri.er, and build large ooden houses on its ban-s# In e.er/ such house there li.e ten or t ent/, "ore or fe er# Each "an has a couch, here he sits ith the beautiful girls he has for sale# He is as li-el/ as not to en<o/ one of the" hile a friend loo-s on# At ti"es se.eral of the" ill be thus engaged at the sa"e "o"ent, each in full .ie of the others# !o and again, a "erchant ill resort to a house to purchase a girl, and find her "aster thus e"bracing her, and not gi.ing o.er until he has full/ had his ill; in this there is thought nothing re"ar-able# E.er/ "orning a sla.e girl co"es and brings a tub of ater and places it before her "aster# He proceeds to ash his face and hands, and then his hair, co"bing it o.er the .essel# Thereupon he blo s his nose, and spits into the tub, and, lea.ing no dirt behind, con.e/s it all into this ater# +hen he has finished, the girl carries the tub to the "an next to hi", ho does the sa"e# Thus she continues carr/ing the tub fro" one to another, till each of those ho are in the house has blo n his nose and spit into the tub, and ashed his face and hair#

This is the nor"al a/ of things a"ong the !orth"en, as I ha.e seen ith "/ o n e/es# ,et at the period of our arri.al a"ong the", there as so"e discontent a"ong the giant people, the nature of hich as thus= Their principal chieftain, a "an of the na"e +/glif, had fallen ill, and as set up in a sic-9tent at a distance fro" the ca"p, ith bread and ater# !o one approached or spo-e to hi", or .isited hi" the hole ti"e# !o sla.es nurtured hi", for the !orth"en belie.e that a "an "ust reco.er fro" an/ sic-ness according to his o n strength# Man/ a"ong the" belie.ed that +/glif ould ne.er return to <oin the" in the ca"p, but instead ould die# !o , one of their nu"ber, a /oung noble called (uli /f, as chosen to be their ne leader, but he as not accepted hile the sic- chieftain still li.ed# This as the cause of uneasiness, at the ti"e of our arri.al# ,et also there as no aspect of sorro or eeping a"ong the people enca"ped on the Aolga# The !orth"en place great i"portance on the dut/ of the host# The/ greet e.er/ .isitor ith ar"th and hospitalit/, "uch food and clothing, and the earls and nobles co"pete for the honor of the greatest hospitalit/# The part/ of our cara.an as brought before (uli /f and a great feast as gi.en us# O.er this (uli /f hi"self presided, and I sa hi" to be a tall "an, and strong, ith s-in and hair and beard of pure hite# He had the bearing of a leader# Recogni0ing the honor of the feast, our part/ "ade a sho of eating, /et the food as .ile and the "anner of the feast contained "uch thro ing of food and drin-, and great laughing and "erri"ent# It as co""on in the "iddle of this rude banJuet for an earl to disport ith a sla.e girl in full .ie of his fello s# Seeing this, I turned a a/ and said, 1I beg 4odFs pardon,2 and the !orth"en laughed "uch at "/ disco"fiture# One of their nu"ber translated for "e that the/ belie.e 4od loo-s fa.orabl/ upon such open pleasures# He said to "e, 1,ou Arabs are li-e old o"en, /ou tre"ble at the sight of life#2 I said in ans er, 1I a" a guest a"ong /ou, and Allah shall lead "e to righteousness#2 This as reason for further laughter, but I do not -no for hat cause the/ should find a <o-e# The custo" of the !orth"en re.eres the life of ar# Aeril/, these huge "en fight continuall/; the/ are ne.er at peace, neither a"ong the"sel.es nor a"ong different tribes of their -ind# The/ sing songs of their arfare and bra.er/, and belie.e that the death of a arrior is the highest honor# At the banJuet of (uli /f, a "e"ber of their -ind sang a song of bra.er/ and battle that as "uch en<o/ed, though little attended# The strong drin- of the !orth"en soon renders the" as ani"als and stra/ asses; in the "idst of the song there as e<aculation and also "ortal co"bat o.er so"e intoxicated Juarrel of t o arriors# The bard did not cease his song through all these e.ents; .eril/ I sa fl/ing blood spatter his face, and /et he iped it a a/ ithout a pause in his singing#

This i"pressed "e greatl/# !o it happened that this (uli /f, ho as drun- as the rest, co""anded that I should sing a song for the"# He as "ost insistent# !ot ishing to anger hi", I recited fro" the )oran, ith the translator repeating "/ ords in their !orse tongue# I as recei.ed no better than their o n "instrel, and after ard I as-ed the forgi.eness of Allah for the treat"ent of His hol/ ords, and also for the translation,PCQ hich I sensed to be thoughtless, for in truth the translator as hi"self drun-# +e had sta/ed t o da/s a"ong the !orth"en, and on the "orning e planned to lea.e, e ere told b/ the translator that the chieftain +/glif had died# I sought to itness hat then befell# First, the/ laid hi" in his gra.e, o.er hich a roof as erected, for the space of ten da/s,P?Q until the/ had co"pleted the cutting and se ing of his clothes# The/ also brought together his goods, and di.ided the" into three parts# The first of these is for his fa"il/; the second is expended for the gar"ents the/ "a-e; and ith the third the/ purchase strong drin-, against the da/ hen a girl resigns herself to death, and is burned ith her "aster# To the use of ine the/ abandon the"sel.es in "ad fashion, drin-ing it da/ and night, as I ha.e alread/ said# !ot seldo" does one die ith a cup in his hand# The fa"il/ of +/glif as-ed of all his girls and pages, 1+hich of /ou ill die ith hi"K2 Then one of the" ans ered, 1I#2 Fro" the ti"e she uttered that ord, she as no longer free; should she ish to dra bac-, she is not per"itted# The girl ho so spo-e as then co""itted to t o other girls, ho ere to -eep atch o.er her, acco"pan/ her here.er she ent, and e.en, on occasion, ash her feet# The people occupied the"sel.es ith the dead "anIcutting out the clothes for hi", and preparing hate.er else as needful# During the hole of this period, the girl ga.e herself o.er to drin-ing and singing, and as cheerful and ga/# During this ti"e, (uli /f, the noble ho ould next be -ing or chieftain, found a ri.al hose na"e as Thor-el# Hi" I did not -no , but he as ugl/ and foul, a dar"an a"ong this rudd/ fair race# He plotted to be chieftain hi"self# All this I learned fro" the translator, for there as no out ard sign in the funeral preparations that an/thing as not according to custo"# (uli /f hi"self did not direct the preparations, for he as not of the fa"il/ of +/glif, and it is the rule that the fa"il/ prepares for the funeral# (uli /f <oined the general "erri"ent and celebration, and acted no part of -ingl/ conduct, except during the banJuets of the night, hen he sat in the high seat that as reser.ed to the -ing# This as the "anner of his sitting= hen a !orth"an is trul/ -ing, he sits at the head of the table in a large stone chair ith stone ar"s# Such as the chair of +/glif, but (uli /f did not sit in it as a nor"al "an ould sit# Instead he sat upon one ar", a position fro" hich he fell hen he dran- o.er"uch, or laughed ith great excess# It as the custo" that he could not sit in the chair until +/glif as buried#

All this ti"e, Thor-el plotted and conferred a"ong the other earls# I ca"e to -no that I as suspected as so"e sorcerer or itch, hich distressed "e "uch# The translator, ho did not belie.e these tales, told "e that Thor-el said I had caused +/glif to die, and had caused (uli /f to be the next chief, /et .eril/ I had no part in an/ of this# After so"e da/s, I sought to lea.e ith "/ part/ of ibn9(astu and Ta-in and (ars, and /et the !orth"en ould not per"it us to lea.e, sa/ing that e "ust sta/ to the funeral, and threatening us ith their daggers, hich the/ al a/s carried# Thus e sta/ed# +hen the da/ as co"e that +/glif and the girl ere to be co""itted to the fla"es, his ship as dra n ashore on the ban-s of the ri.er# Four corner bloc-s of birch and other oods had been positioned around it; also large ooden figures in the se"blance of hu"an beings# In the "eanti"e the people began to al- to and fro, uttering ords that I did not understand# The language of the !orth"en is ugl/ to the ear and difficult to co"prehend# The dead chief, "ean hile, la/ at a distance in his gra.e, fro" hich the/ had not /et re"o.ed hi"# !ext the/ brought a couch, placed it in the ship, and co.ered it ith 4ree- cloth of gold, and pillo s of the sa"e "aterial# There then ca"e an old crone, ho" the/ call the angel of death, and she spread the personal articles on the couch# It as she ho attended to the se ing of the gar"ents, and to all the eJuip"ent# It as she, also, ho as to sla/ the girl# I sa the crone ith "/ o n e/es# She as dar-, thic-set, ith a lo ering countenance# +hen the/ ca"e to the gra.e, the/ re"o.ed the roof and dre out the dead "an# Then I sa that he had turned Juite blac-, b/ reason of the coldness of that countr/# !ear hi" in the gra.e the/ had placed strong drin-, fruits, and a lute; and these the/ no too- out# Except for his color, the dead "an +/glif had not changed# !o I sa (uli /f and Thor-el standing side b/ side, "a-ing a great sho of friendship during the burial cere"on/, and /et it as apparent that there as no truth to their appearances# The dead -ing +/glif as no clothed in dra ers, leggings, boots, and a caftan of gold cloth, and on his head as placed a cap "ade of gold cloth, tri""ed in sable# Then he as carried to a tent in the ship; the/ seated hi" on a Juilted couch, supported hi" ith pillo s, and brought strong drin-, fruits, and basil, hich the/ placed alongside hi"# Then the/ brought a dog, hich the/ cut in t o, and thre into the ship# The/ laid all his eapons beside hi", and led up t o horses, hich the/ chased until the/ ere dripping ith s eat, hereupon (uli /f -illed one ith his s ord and Thor-el -illed the second, cutting the" into pieces ith their s ords and flinging the pieces forth into the ship# (uli /f -illed his horse less s iftl/, hich see"ed to ha.e so"e i"port to those ho atched, but I did not -no the "eaning#

T o oxen ere then brought for ard, cut into pieces, and flung into the ship# Finall/ the/ brought a coc- and a hen, -illed the", and thre the" in also# The girl ho had de.oted herself to death "ean hile al-ed to and fro, entering one after another of the tents that the/ had there# The occupant of each tent la/ ith her, sa/ing, 1Tell /our "aster I did this onl/ for lo.e of hi"#2 !o it as late in the afternoon# The/ led the girl to an ob<ect the/ had constructed, hich loo-ed li-e the fra"e of a door# She placed her feet on the extended hands of the "en, ho raised her abo.e the fra"e or-# She uttered so"ething in her language, hereupon the/ let her do n# Then again the/ raised her, and she did as before# Once "ore the/ let her do n, and then lifted her a third ti"e# Then the/ handed her a hen, hose head she cut off and thre a a/# I inJuired of the interpreter hat it as she had done# He replied= 1The first ti"e she said, R'o, I see here "/ father and "otherF; the second ti"e, R'o, no I see all "/ deceased relati.es sittingF; the third ti"e, R'o, there is "/ "aster, ho is sitting in 3aradise# 3aradise is so beautiful, so green# +ith hi" are his "en and bo/s# He calls "e, so bring "e to hi"#F 2 Then the/ led her a a/ to the ship# Here she too- off her t o bracelets and ga.e the" to the old o"an ho as called the angel of death, and she as to "urder her# She also dre off her t o an-lets, and passed the" to the t o ser.ing "aids, ho ere the daughters of the angel of death# Then the/ lifted her into the ship, but did not /et ad"it her to the tent# !o "en ca"e up ith shields and sta.es, and handed her a cup of strong drin-# This she too-, sang o.er it, and e"ptied it# The interpreter told "e she said, 1+ith this, I ta-e lea.e of those ho are dear to "e#2 Then another cup as handed to her, hich she also too-, and began a length/ song# The crone ad"onished her to drain the cup ithout lingering, and to enter the tent here her "aster la/# (/ this ti"e, it see"ed to "e the girl had beco"e da0ed#P8Q She "ade as though she ould enter the tent, hen suddenl/ the hag sei0ed her b/ the head and dragged her in# At this "o"ent the "en began to beat upon their shields ith the sta.es, in order to dro n the noise of her outcries, hich "ight ha.e terrified the other girls and deterred the" fro" see-ing death ith their "asters in the future# Six "en follo ed her into the tent, and each and e.er/ one of the" had carnal co"panionship ith her# Then the/ laid her do n b/ her "asterFs side, hile t o of the "en sei0ed her feet, and t o the hands# The old o"an -no n as the angel of death no -notted a rope around her nec-, and handed the ends to t o of the "en to pull# Then, ith a broad9bladed dagger, she s"ote her bet een the ribs, and dre the blade forth, hile the t o "en strangled her ith the rope till she died# The -in of the dead +/glif no dre near and, ta-ing a piece of lighted ood, al-ed bac- ard na-ed to ard the ship and ignited the ship ithout e.er loo-ing at it# The funeral p/re as soon afla"e, and the ship, the tent, the "an and the girl, and e.er/thing else ble up in a bla0ing stor" of fire#

At "/ side, one of the !orth"en "ade so"e co""ent to the interpreter# I as-ed the interpreter hat as said, and recei.ed this ans er# 1,ou Arabs,2 he said, 1"ust be a stupid lot# ,ou ta-e /our "ost belo.ed and re.ered "an and cast hi" into the ground to be de.oured b/ creeping things and or"s# +e, on the other hand, burn hi" in a t in-ling, so that instantl/, ithout a "o"entFs dela/, he enters into 3aradise#2 And in truth, before an hour had passed, ship, ood, and girl had, ith the "an, turned to ashes# THE AFTERMATH OF THE !ORTHME!FS F:!ERA' THESE S&A!DI!AAIA!S FI!D !O &A:SE FOR 4RIEF I! an/ "anFs death# A poor "an or a sla.e is a "atter of indifference to the", and e.en a chieftain ill pro.o-e no sadness or tears# On the sa"e e.ening of the funeral of the chief called +/glif, there as a great feasting in the halls of the !orth"en enca"p"ent# ,et I percei.ed that all as not fitting a"ong these barbarians# I sought counsel ith "/ interpreter# He responded thusl/= 1It is the plan of Thor-el to see /ou die, and then to banish (uli /f# Thor-el has gathered the support of so"e earls to hi"self, but there is dispute in e.er/ house and e.er/ Juarter#2 Much distressed, I said, 1I ha.e no part in this affair# Ho shall I actK2 The interpreter said I should flee if I could, but if I ere caught, this ould be proof of "/ guilt and I ould be treated as a thief# A thief is treated in this fashion= the !orth"en lead hi" to a thic- tree, fasten a strong rope about hi", string hi" up, and let hi" hang until he rots to pieces b/ the action of the ind and the rain# Re"e"bering also that I had barel/ escaped death at the hands of ibn9al9Oatagan, I chose to act as I had before; that is, I re"ained a"ong the !orth"en until I should be gi.en free passage to continue on "/ <ourne/# I inJuired of the interpreter hether I should bear gifts to (uli /f, and also to Thor-el, to fa.or "/ departure# He said that I could not bear gifts to both, and that the "atter as undecided ho ould be the ne chieftain# Then he said it ould be clear in one da/ and night, and no longer# For it is true a"ong these !orth"en that the/ ha.e no established a/ of choosing a ne chief hen the old leader dies# Strength of ar"s counts high, but also allegiances of the arriors and the earls and noble"en# In so"e cases there is no clear successor to the rule, and this as one of such e.entualities# M/ interpreter said that I should bide "/ ti"e, and also pra/# This I did# Then there ca"e a great stor" on the ban-s of the ri.er Aolga, a stor" that persisted t o da/s, ith dri.ing rain and forceful inds, and after this stor" a cold "ist la/ on the ground# It as thic- and hite, and a "an could not see past a do0en paces# !o , these sa"e giant !orth"en arriors, ho b/ .irtue of their enor"it/ and strength of ar"s and cruel disposition, ha.e nothing to fear in all the orld, /et these "en fear the "ist or fog that co"es ith stor"s#

The "en of their race are at so"e pains to conceal their fear, e.en one fro" another; the arriors laugh and <o-e o.er"uch, and "a-e unreasonable displa/ of carefree e"otion# Thus do the/ pro.e the re.erse; and in truth, their atte"pt to disguise is childish, so plainl/ do the/ pretend not to see the truth, /et .eril/, each and all of the", throughout their enca"p"ent, are "a-ing pra/ers and sacrifices of hens and coc-s, and if a "an is as-ed the reason of the sacrifice, he ill sa/, 1I "a-e sacrifice for the safet/ of "/ fara a/ fa"il/2; or he ill sa/, 1I "a-e sacrifice for the success of "/ trading2; or he ill sa/, 1I "a-e sacrifice in honor of such or another deceased "e"ber of "/ fa"il/2; or he ill sa/ "an/ another reason, and then he ill add, 1And also for the lifting of the "ist#2 !o , I accounted it strange for such strong and arli-e people to be so fearful of an/thing as to pretend a lac- of fear; and of all the sensible reasons for fear, "ist or fog see"ed to "/ a/ of thin-ing .er/ greatl/ inexplicable# I said to "/ interpreter that a "an could fear ind, or blasting stor"s of sand, or ater floods, or hea.ing of the ground, or thunder and lightning ithin the s-/, for all of these could in<ure a "an, or -ill hi", or ruin his d elling# ,et I said that fog, or "ist, contained no threat of har"; in truth it as the least of an/ for" of changing ele"ents# The interpreter ans ered to "e that I as lac-ing the beliefs of a sailor# He said that "an/ Arab sailors agreed ith the !orth"en, in the "atter of uneasinessP7Q ithin the rapping of "ist; so, also, he said all seafarers are "ade anxious of an/ "ist or fog, because such a condition increases the peril of tra.el upon the aters# I said this as sensible, but that hen the "ist la/ upon the land and not the ater, I did not understand the reason for an/ fear# To this the interpreter replied, 1The fog is al a/s feared, hene.er it co"es#2 And he said that it "ade no difference, on land or ater, according to the !orth"an .ie # And then he said to "e the !orth"en did not, trul/, "uch fear the "ist# Also the interpreter said that he, as a "an, did not fear the "ist# He said that it as onl/ a "inor "atter, of slight conseJuence# He said, 1It is as a "inor ache inside a li"b <oint, hich "a/ co"e ith fog, but no "ore i"portant#2 (/ this I sa that "/ interpreter, a"ong the others, denied all "anner of concern for the fog, and feigned indifference# !o it happened that the "ist did not lift, although it abated and beca"e thin in the after9part of the da/; the sun appeared as a circle in the s-/, but also it as so eathat I could loo- directl/ to its light# In this sa"e da/ there arri.ed a !orth"an boat, containing a noble of their o n race# He as a /oung "an ith a thin beard, and he tra.eled ith onl/ a s"all part/ of pages and sla.es, and no o"en a"ong the"# Thus I belie.ed he as no trader, for in this area the !orth"en principall/ sell o"en# This sa"e .isitor beached his boat, and re"ained standing ith it until nightfall, and no "an ca"e near to hi", or greeted hi", although he as a stranger and in plain

sight to all# M/ interpreter said= 1He is a -in of (uli /f, and ill be recei.ed at the night banJuet#2 I said, 1+h/ does he sta/ at his shipK2 1(ecause of the "ist,2 ans ered the interpreter# 1It is the custo" he "ust stand in .ie for "an/ hours, so all can see hi" and -no he is no ene"/ co"ing fro" the "ist#2 This the interpreter said to "e ith "uch hesitation# At the night banJuet, I sa the /oung "an co"e into the hall# Here as he ar"l/ greeted and ith "uch displa/ of surprise; and in this "ost especiall/ b/ (uli /f, ho acted as if the /oung "an had <ust arri.ed, and had not been standing b/ his ship "an/ hours# After the se.eral greetings, the /outh spo-e a passionate speech, hich (uli /f attended ith unusual interest= he did not drin- and dall/ ith the sla.e girls, but instead in silence heard the /outh, ho spo-e in a high and crac-ing .oice# At the finish of the tale, the /outh see"ed about to ha.e tears, and as gi.en a cup of drin-# I inJuired of "/ interpreter hat as said# Here as the repl/= 1He is +ulfgar, and he is the son of Rothgar, a great -ing in the !orth# He is -in of (uli /f and see-s his aid and support on a heroFs "ission# +ulfgar sa/s the far countr/ suffers a dread and na"eless terror, hich all the peoples are po erless to oppose, and he as-s (uli /f to "a-e haste to return to the far countr/ and sa.e his people and the -ingdo" of his father, Rothgar#2 I inJuired of the interpreter the nature of this terror# He said to "e, 1It has no na"e hich I can tell#2PDQ The interpreter see"ed "uch disturbed b/ +ulfgarFs ords, and so also ere "an/ of the other !orth"en# I sa on the countenance of (uli /f a darand gloo"/ expression# I inJuired of the interpreter details of the "enace# The interpreter said to "e= 1The na"e cannot be said, for it is forbidden to spea- it, lest the utterance of the na"e call forth the de"ons#2 And as he spo-e I sa that he as fearful <ust to thin- upon these "atters, and his pallor as "ar-ed, and so I ended "/ inJuir/# (uli /f, sitting at the high stone throne, as silent# Aeril/ the asse"bled earls and .assals and all the sla.es and ser.ants ere silent, also# !o "an in the hall spo-e# The "essenger +ulfgar stood before the co"pan/ ith his head bo ed# !e.er had I seen the "err/ and ra"bunctious !orth people so subdued# Then into the hall entered the old crone called the angel of death, and she sat beside (uli /f# Fro" a hide bag she ithdre so"e bonesI hether hu"an or ani"al I do not -no Iand these bones she cast upon the ground, spea-ing lo utterances, and she passed her hand o.er the"# The bones ere gathered up, and cast again, and the process repeated ith "ore incantations# !o again as the casting done, and finall/ she spo-e to (uli /f# I as-ed the interpreter the "eaning of her speech, but he did not attend "e#

Then (uli /f stood and raised his cup of strong drin-, and called to the asse"bled earls and arriors, "a-ing a speech of so"e good length# One b/ one, se.eral arriors stood at their places to face hi"# !ot all stood; I counted ele.en, and (uli /f pronounced hi"self satisfied ith this# !o also I sa that Thor-el appeared "uch pleased b/ the proceedings and assu"ed a "ore -ingl/ bearing, hile (uli /f paid hi" no heed, or sho ed an/ hatred of hi", or e.en an/ interest, although the/ ere for"erl/ ene"ies a fe "inutes past# Then the angel of death, this sa"e crone, pointed to "e and "ade so"e utterance, and then she departed the hall# !o at last "/ interpreter spo-e, and he said= 1(uli /f is called b/ the gods to lea.e this place and s iftl/, putting behind hi" all his cares and concerns, to act as a hero to repel the "enace of the !orth# This is fitting, and he "ust also ta-e ele.en arriors ith hi"# And so, also, "ust he ta-e /ou#2 I said that I as on a "ission to the (ulgars, and "ust follo the instructions of "/ &aliph, ith no dela/# 1The angel of death has spo-en,2 "/ interpreter said# 1The part/ of (uli /f "ust be thirteen, and of these one "ust be no !orth"an, and so /ou shall be the thirteenth#2 I protested I as not a arrior# Aeril/ I "ade all the excuses and pleadings that I could i"agine "ight ha.e effect upon this rude co"pan/ of beings# I de"anded that the interpreter con.e/ "/ ords to (uli /f, and /et he turned a a/ and left the hall, sa/ing this last speech= 13repare /ourself as /ou thin- best# ,ou shall lea.e on the "orning light#2 THE GO:R!E, TO THE FAR &O:!TR, I! THIS MA!!ER +AS I 3REAE!TED FROM &O!TI!:I!4 "/ tra.els to the -ingdo" of the ,ilta ar, )ing of the SaJaliba, and thus as I unable to discharge the trust of al9MuJtadir, &o""ander of the Faithful and &aliph of the &it/ of 3eace# I ga.e such instructions as I could to Dadir al9Hura"i, and also to the a"bassador, Abdallah ibn9(astu al9Ha0ari, and also to the pages Ta-in and (ars# Then I too- "/ lea.e of the", and ho the/ fared further I ne.er -ne # For "/self, I counted "/ condition no different fro" a dead "an# I as on board one of the !orth"an .essels, and sailing up the Aolga Ri.er, north ard, ith t el.e of their co"pan/# The others ere na"ed thus= (uli /f, the chief, his lieutenant or captain, Ecthgo ; his earls and nobles, Higla-, S-eld, +eath, Roneth, Halga; his arriors and bra.e fighters, Helfdane, Edgtho, Rethel, Haltaf, and Herger#P$Q And also I as a"ong the", unable to spea- their language or to understand their a/s, for "/ interpreter had been left behind# It as onl/ happenstance and the grace of Allah that one of their arriors, Herger, should be a "an of parts and -no ing so"e of the 'atin tongue# Thus I could understand fro" Herger hat "eant the e.ents that transpired# Herger as a /oung arrior, and .er/ "err/; he see"ed to find <est in e.er/thing, and especiall/ in "/ o n gloo" at the departure#

These !orth"en are b/ their o n accounting the best sailors in the orld, and I sa "uch lo.e of the oceans and aters in their de"eanor# Of the ship there is this= it as as long as t ent/9fi.e paces, and as broad as eight and a little "ore than that, and of excellent construction, of oa- ood# Its color as blac- at e.er/ place# It as fitted ith a sJuare sail of cloth and tri""ed ith seals-in ropes#P6>Q The hel"s"an stood upon a s"all platfor" near the stern and or-ed a rudder attached to the side of the .essel in the Ro"an fashion# The ship as fitted ith benches for oars, but ne.er ere the oars e"plo/ed; rather e progressed b/ sailing alone# At the head of the ship as the ooden car.ing of a fierce sea "onster, such as appears on so"e !orth"an .essels; also there as a tail at the stern# In ater this ship as stable and Juite pleasant for tra.eling, and the confidence of the arriors ele.ated "/ spirits# !ear the hel"s"an as a bed of s-ins arranged upon a net or- of ropes, ith a s-in co.ering# This as the bed of (uli /f, the other arriors slept upon the dec- here and there, rapping s-ins about the", and I did as "uch also# +e tra.eled upon the ri.er for three da/s, passing "an/ s"all settle"ents at the edge of the ater# At none of these did e stop# Then e ca"e upon a large enca"p"ent in a bend in the ri.er Aolga# Here ere "an/ hundreds of peoples, and a to n of good si0e, and in the center of the to n a -re"lin, or fortress, ith earthen alls and all of i"pressi.e di"ensions# I as-ed Herger hat as this place# Herger said to "e, 1This is the cit/ of (ulgar, of the -ingdo" of the SaJaliba# That is the -re"lin of the ,ilta ar, )ing of the SaJaliba#2 I replied, 1This is the .er/ )ing I as sent to see as e"issar/ fro" "/ &aliph,2 and ith "an/ entreaties I reJuested to be put upon the shore to do the "ission of "/ &aliph; also I de"anded, and "ade a sho of anger, to the extent that I dared# Aeril/ the !orth"en paid "e no heed# Herger ould not repl/ to "/ reJuests and de"ands, and finall/ he laughed into "/ face, and turned his attention to the sailing of the ship# Thus the !orth"enFs .essels sailed past the cit/ of (ulgar, so close upon the shore that I heard the shouts of "erchants and the bleating of sheep, and /et I as helpless and could do nothing, sa.e itness the sight ith "/ e/es# After the passing of an hour e.en this as refused "e, for the (ulgar cit/ is at the bend of the ri.er, as I ha.e said, and soon absent fro" "/ .ie # Thus did I enter and lea.e (ulgaria#

The reader "a/ no be hopelessl/ confused about the geograph/# Modern (ulgaria is one of the (al-an states; it is bordered b/ 4reece, ,ugosla.ia, Ru"ania, and Tur-e/# (ut fro" the ninth to the fifteenth centuries there as another (ulgaria, on the ban-s of the Aolga, roughl/ 8>> "iles east of "odern Mosco , and this is here Ibn Fadlan as heading# (ulgaria on the Aolga as a loose9-nit -ingdo" of so"e i"portance, and its capital cit/, (ulgar, as fa"ous and rich hen the Mongols occupied it in A#D# 6%B7# It is generall/ belie.ed that Aolga (ulgaria and (al-an (ulgaria ere populated b/ related groups of i""igrants "o.ing out fro" the region around the (lac- Sea during the period A#D# C>>98>>, but little of substance is -no n# The old cit/ of (ulgar is in the region of "odern )a0an#

Then passed eight "ore da/s upon the .essel, still tra.eling the Aolga Ri.er, and the land as "ore "ountainous about the .alle/ of the ri.er# !o e ca"e to another branching of the ri.er, here it is called b/ the !orth"en the O-er Ri.er, and here e too- the left"ost branch and continued on for ten da/s farther# The air as chill and the ind strong, and "uch sno la/ still upon the ground# The/ ha.e "an/ great forests also in this region, hich the !orth"en call Aada# Then e ca"e to a ca"p of !orth people hich as Massborg# This as hardl/ a to n but a ca"p of a fe ooden houses, built large in the !orth fashion; and this to n li.es b/ sale of foodstuff to traders ho co"e bac- and forth along this route# At Massborg e left our .essel, and tra.eled o.erland b/ horse for eighteen da/s# This as a difficult "ountain region, and exceedingl/ cold, and I as "uch exhausted b/ the rigors of the <ourne/# These !orth people ne.er tra.el at night# !or do the/ often sail at night, but prefer e.er/ e.ening to beach their ship and a ait the light of da n before continuing farther# ,et this as the occurrence= during our tra.els, the period of the night beca"e so short /ou could not coo- a pot of "eat in the ti"e of it# Aeril/ it see"ed that as soon as I la/ do n to sleep I as a a-ened b/ the !orth"en ho said, 1&o"e, it is da/, e "ust continue the <ourne/#2 !or as the sleep refreshing in these cold places# Also, Herger explained to "e that in this !orth countr/ the da/ is long in the su""er, and the night is long in the inter, and rarel/ are the/ eJual# Then he said to "e I should atch in the night for the s-/ curtain; and upon one e.ening I did, and I sa in the s-/ shi""ering pale lights, of green and /ello and so"eti"es blue, hich hung as a curtain in the high air# I as "uch a"a0ed b/ the sight of this s-/ curtain but the !orth"en count it nothing strange# !o e tra.eled for fi.e da/s do n fro" the "ountains, into a region of forests# The forests of the !orthlands are cold and dense ith gigantic trees# It is a et and chilling land, in so"e locations so green that the e/es ache fro" the brightness of the color; /et in other locations it is blac- and dar- and "enacing# !o e tra.eled se.en da/s farther, through the forests, and e experienced "uch rain# Often it is the nature of this rain that it falls ith such thic-ness as to be oppressi.e; upon one ti"e or another I thought I "ight dro n, so "uch as the .er/ air filled ith ater# At other periods, hen the ind ble the rain, it as as a sandstor", stinging the flesh and burning the e/es, and blinding the .ision#

&o"ing fro" a desert region, Ibn Fadlan ould naturall/ be i"pressed b/ the lush green colors, and the abundant rainfall#

These !orth"en feared no robbers in the forests, and hether fro" their o n great strength or the lac- of an/ bandits, in truth e sa no one in the forests# The !orth

countr/ has fe people of an/ sort, or so it appeared during "/ so<ourn there# +e often tra.eled se.en da/s, or ten, ithout .ie ing an/ settle"ent or far" or d elling# The "anner of our <ourne/ as this= in the "orning e arose, and lac-ing an/ ablutions, "ounted upon our horses and rode until the "iddle of the da/# Then one or another of the arriors ould hunt so"e ga"e, a s"all ani"al or a bird# If it as raining, this food ould be consu"ed ithout coo-ing# It rained "an/ da/s, and in the first instance I chose not to eat the ra flesh, hich also as not dabah Prituall/ slaughteredQ, but after a period I also ate, sa/ing Juietl/ 1in the na"e of 4od2 under "/ breath, and trusting to 4od that "/ predica"ent should be understood# If it as not raining, a fire as lit ith a s"all e"ber that as carried ith the part/, and the food coo-ed# Also e ate berries and grasses, the na"es of hich I do not -no # Then e tra.eled for the after9part of each da/, hich as considerable, until the co"ing of night, hen again e rested, and ate# Man/ ti"es at night it rained, and e sought shelter beneath large trees, /et e arose drenched, and our sleeping s-ins drenched li-e ise# The !orth"en did not gru"ble at this, for the/ are cheerful at all ti"es; I alone gru"bled, and "ightil/# The/ paid "e no attention# Finall/ I said to Herger, 1The rain is cold#2 To this he laughed# 1Ho can the rain be coldK2 he said# 1,ou are cold and /ou are unhapp/# The rain is not cold or unhapp/#2 I sa that he belie.ed this foolishness, and trul/ thought "e foolish to thinother ise, and /et I did# !o it happened that one night, hile e ate, I said o.er "/ food 1in the na"e of 4od, and (uli /f inJuired of Herger hat it as I said# I told to Herger that I belie.ed food "ust be consecrated, and so I did this according to "/ beliefs# (uli /f said to "e, 1This is the a/ of the ArabsK2 Herger as the translator# I "ade this repl/= 1!o, for in truth he ho -ills the food "ust "a-e the consecration# I spea- the ords so as to be not forgetful#2P66Q This the !orth"en found a reason for hu"or# The/ laughed heartil/# Then (uli /f said to "e, 1&an /ou dra soundsK2 I did not co"prehend his "eaning, and inJuired of Herger, and there as so"e tal-ing bac- and forth, and finall/ I understood he "eant riting# The !orth"en call the speech of Arabs noise or sound# I replied to (uli /f that I could rite, and also read# He said that I should rite for hi" upon the ground# In the light of the e.ening fire, I too- a stic- and rote, 13raise be to 4od#2 All the !orth"en loo-ed at the riting# I as co""anded to spea- hat it said, and this I did# !o (uli /f stared at the riting for a long period, his head sun- upon his chest# Herger said to "e, 1+hich 4od do /ou praiseK2 I ans ered that I praised the one 4od hose na"e as Allah# Herger said, 1One 4od cannot be enough#2

!o e tra.eled another da/, and passed another night, and then another da/# And on the next e.ening, (uli /f too- a stic- and dre in the earth hat I had for"erl/ dra n, and co""anded "e to read# I spo-e aloud the ords= 13raise be to 4od#2 At this, (uli /f as satisfied, and I sa that he had contri.ed a test of "e, placing in his "e"or/ the s/"bols I had dra n, to sho the" to "e again# !o Ecthgo , the lieutenant or captain of (uli /f, and a arrior less "err/ than the others, a stern "an, spo-e to "e through the interpreter, Herger# Herger said, 1Ecthgo ishes to -no if /ou can dra the sound of his na"e#2 I said that I could, and I too- up the stic-, and began to dra in the dirt# At once Ecthgo leapt up, flung a a/ the stic-, and sta"ped out "/ riting# He spo-e angr/ ords# Herger said to "e; 1Ecthgo does not ish /ou to dra his na"e at an/ ti"e, and this /ou "ust pro"ise#2 Here I as perplexed, and I sa that Ecthgo as angr/ ith "e in the extre"e# So also ere the others staring at "e ith concern and anger# I pro"ised to Herger that I ould not dra the na"e of Ecthgo , or of an/ of the others# At this the/ ere all relie.ed# After this, no "ore as "/ riting discussed, but (uli /f ga.e certain instructions, and hene.er it rained I as al a/s directed to the largest tree, and I as gi.en "ore food than before# !ot al a/s did e sleep in the forests, nor did e al a/s ride through the forests# At the border of so"e forests, (uli /f and his arriors ould plunge for ard, riding at a gallop through the dense trees, ithout a care or a thought of fear# And then again, at other forests he ould dra up and pause, and the arriors ould dis"ount and burn a fire and "a-e so"e offering of food or a fe sheets of hard bread, or a -erchief of cloth, before continuing farther# And then the/ ould ride around the edge of the forest, ne.er entering its depths# I inJuired of Herger h/ this should be# He said that so"e forests ere safe and so"e ere not, but did not explain further# I as-ed hi", 1+hat is not safe in the forests that are <udged soK2 He "ade this repl/= 1There are things that no "an can conJuer, and no s ord can -ill, and no fire can burn, and such things are in the forests#2 I said, 1Ho is this -no n to beK2 At this he laughed and said, 1,ou Arabs al a/s ish to ha.e reasons for e.er/thing# ,our hearts are a great bursting bag of reasons#2 I said, 1And /ou do not care for reasonsK2

1It a.ails /ou nothing# +e sa/= A "an should be "oderatel/ ise, but not o.er ise, lest he -no his fate in ad.ance# The "an hose "ind is "ost free of care does not -no his fate in ad.ance#2 !o , I sa that I "ust be content ith his ans er# For it as true that upon one occasion or another, I ould "a-e so"e "anner of inJuir/, and Herger ould repl/, and if I did not co"prehend his ans er, I ould as- further, and he ould repl/ further# ,et again, hen I "ade of hi" an inJuir/, he ould repl/ in short fashion, as if the inJuir/ ere of no substance# And then I ould ha.e nothing further fro" hi", sa.e a sha-ing of his head# !o e continued on# Aeril/, I can sa/ that so"e of the forests in the ild !orth countr/ do pro.o-e a feeling of fear, for hich I cannot account# At night, sitting about the fire, the !orth"en told stories of dragons and fierce beasts, and also of their ancestors ho had slain these creatures# These, the/ said, ere the source of "/ fear# (ut the/ told the stories ith no sho of fear, and of such beasts, I sa nothing ith "/ o n e/es# One night I heard a gru"bling that I too- to be thunder, but the/ said it as the gro l of a dragon in the forest# I do not -no hat is the truth, and report no onl/ hat as said to "e# The !orth countr/ is cold and et and the sun is seldo" seen, for the s-/ is gra/ ith thic- clouds all the da/# The people of this region are pale as linen, and their hair is .er/ fair# After so "an/ da/s of tra.el, I sa no dar- people at all, and indeed I as "ar.eled at b/ the inhabitants of that region on account of "/ s-in and dar- hair# Man/ ti"es a far"er or his ife or daughter ould co"e forth to touch "e ith a stro-ing "otion; Herger laughed and said the/ ere tr/ing to brush a a/ the color, thin-ing it to be painted upon "/ flesh# The/ are ignorant people ith no -no ledge of the ideness of the orld# Man/ ti"es the/ feared "e, and ould not approach "e close# At one place, I do not -no the na"e, a child cried out in, terror and ran to cling to his "other hen he sa "e# At this, the arriors of (uli /f laughed ith great "erri"ent# (ut no I obser.ed this thing= ith the passing of the da/s, the arriors of (uli /f ceased to laugh, and fell into an ill hu"or, "ore each da/# Herger said to "e the/ ere thin-ing of drin-, of hich e had been depri.ed for "an/ da/s# At each far" or d elling, (uli /f and his arriors as-ed for drin-, but in these poor places there as often no liJuor, and the/ ere sorel/ disappointed, until at last there as no trace of cheerfulness about the"# At length e arri.ed at a .illage, and there the arriors found drin-, and all of the !orth"en beca"e intoxicated in a "o"ent, drin-ing in raucous fashion, heedless that the liJuor poured o.er their chins and clothing in their haste# In truth, one of the co"pan/, the sole"n arrior Ecthgo , as so de"ented fro" liJuor that he as drun- hile still upon his horse, and fell atte"pting to dis"ount# !o the horse -ic-ed hi" in the head, and I feared for his safet/, but Ecthgo laughed and -ic-ed the horse bac-#

+e re"ained in this .illage the space of t o da/s# I as "uch a"a0ed, for pre.iousl/ the arriors had sho n great haste and purpose in their <ourne/, /et all as no abandoned to drin- and stuporous slu"ber# Then upon the third da/, (uli /f directed that e should continue, and the arriors proceeded, I a"ong the", and the/ accounted the loss of t o da/s nothing strange# Ho "an/ da/s further e tra.eled I a" not certain# I -no that fi.e ti"es e changed horses for fresh "ounts, pa/ing for these in the .illages ith gold and ith the little green shells that the !orth"en .alue "ore highl/ than an/ other ob<ects in the orld# And at length e ca"e to a .illage of the na"e 'enneborg, situated b/ the sea# The sea as gra/, and li-e ise the s-/, and the air as cold and bitter# Here e too- another .essel# This ship as in appearance si"ilar to the one pre.ious, but larger# It as called b/ the !orth"en Hosbo-un, hich "eans 1sea goat,2 for the reason that the ship buc-s the a.es as a goat buc-s# And also for the reason that the .essel as s ift, for a"ong these people the goat is the ani"al that "eans s iftness to the"# I as afraid to go upon this sea, for the ater as rough and .er/ cold; a "anFs hand plunged into that sea ould lac- all feeling in an instant, it as so dire cold# And /et the !orth"en ere cheerful, and <o-ed and dran- for an e.ening in this sea .illage of 'enneborg, and disported the"sel.es ith "an/ of the o"en and sla.e girls# This, I as told, is the !orth"enFs custo" before a sea .o/age, for no "an -no s if he shall sur.i.e the <ourne/, and thus he departs ith excessi.e re.elr/# In e.er/ place e ere greeted ith great hospitalit/, for that is considered a .irtue b/ these people# The poorest far"er ould set all he had before us, and this ithout fear that e ould -ill or rob hi", but onl/ out of goodness and grace# The !orth"en, I learned, do not countenance robbers or -illers of their o n race, and treat such "en harshl/# These beliefs the/ hold despite the truth of the "atter, hich is that the/ are al a/s drun- and bra ling li-e unreasoning ani"als, and -illing each other in hot duels# ,et the/ do not see this as "urder, and an/ "an ho "urders ill be hi"self -illed# In the sa"e a/, the/ treat their sla.es ith "uch -indness, hich as a onder to "e#P6%Q If a sla.e turns ill, or dies in so"e "ishap, it is not counted an/ great loss; and o"en ho are sla.es "ust be read/ at an/ ti"e for the "inistrations of an/ "an, in public or in pri.ate, da/ or night# There is no affection for the sla.es, and /et there is no brutalit/ for the", either, and the/ are al a/s fed and clothed b/ their "asters# Further I learned this= that an/ "an "a/ en<o/ a sla.e, but that the ife of the lo est far"er is respected b/ the chiefs and earls of the !orth"en, as the/ respect the i.es of each other# To force attention on a freeborn o"an ho is not a sla.e is a cri"e, and I as told that a "an ould be hanged for it, although I ne.er sa this# &hastit/ a"ong o"en is said to be a great .irtue, but seldo" did I see it practiced, for adulter/ is not accounted as an/ great "atter, and if the ife of an/ "an, lo or high, is lust/, the outco"e is not thought re"ar-able# These people are .er/ free in such "atters, and the "en of the !orth sa/ that o"en are de.ious and cannot be

trusted; to this the/ appear resigned, and spea- of it ith their usual cheerful de"eanor# I inJuired of Herger if he as "arried, and he said that he had a ife# I inJuired ith all discretion if she ere chaste, and he laughed in "/ face and said to "e= 1I sail upon the seas, and I "a/ ne.er return, or I "a/ be absent "an/ /ears# M/ ife is not dead#2 Fro" this, I too- the "eaning that she as unfaithful to hi", and he did not care# The !orth"en do not consider an/ offspring a bastard if the "other be a ife# The children of sla.es are sla.es so"eti"es, and free so"eti"es; ho this is decided I do not -no # In so"e regions, sla.es are "ar-ed b/ a crop of the ear# In other regions, sla.es ear a nec-band of iron to signif/ their place# In other regions, sla.es ha.e no "ar-ings, for that is the local custo"# 3ederast/ is not -no n a"ong the !orth"en, although the/ sa/ that other peoples practice it; the/ the"sel.es clai" no interest in the "atter, and since it does not occur a"ong the", the/ ha.e no punish"ent for it# All this and "ore I learned fro" "/ tal-ing ith Herger, and fro" itnessing the tra.els of our part/# Further I sa that in each place here e rested, the people inJuired of (uli /f hat Juest he had underta-en, and hen the/ ere infor"ed of its natureIthat hich I did not /et co"prehendIhe and his arriors, and I a"ong the", ere accorded the highest respect, recei.ing their pra/ers and sacrifices and to-ens of good ishes# At sea, as I ha.e said, the !orth"en beco"e happ/ and <ubilant, although the ocean as rough and forbidding to "/ a/ of thin-ing, and also to "/ sto"ach, hich felt "ost delicate and unsettled# Indeed I purged "/self, and then as-ed Herger h/ his co"panions ere so happ/# Herger said, 1It is because e shall soon be at the ho"e of (uli /f, the place -no n as ,atla", here li.e his father and his "other and all his relati.es, and he has not seen the" for "an/ long /ears#2 To this I said, 1Are e not going to +ulfgarFs landK2 Herger replied, 1,es, but it is fitting that (uli /f "ust pa/ ho"age to his father and also to his "other#2 I sa b/ their faces that all the other earls, nobles, and arriors ere happ/ as (uli /f hi"self# I as-ed Herger h/ this as so# 1(uli /f is our chief, and e are happ/ for hi", and for the po er that he ill soon ha.e#2 I inJuired hat as this po er of hich he spo-e# 1The po er of Runding,2 Herger ans ered "e# 1+hat po er is thatK2 I inJuired, to hich he "ade this repl/= 1The po er of the ancients, the po er of the giants#2

The !orth"en belie.e that in ages past the orld as populated b/ a race of giant "en, ho ha.e since .anished# The !orth"en do not count the"sel.es the descendants of these giants, but the/ ha.e recei.ed so"e of the po ers of these ancient giants, in such a/s as I do not understand ell# These heathens also belie.e in "an/ gods, ho are also the"sel.es giants, and ho also ha.e po er# (ut the giants of hich Herger spo-e ere giant "en, and not gods, or so it see"ed to "e# That night e breached upon a roc-/ shore, "ade of stones the si0e of a "anFs fist, and there (uli /f enca"ped ith his "en, and long into the night the/ dran- and sang around the fire# Herger <oined in the celebration and had no patience to explain to "e the "eanings of the songs, and so I do not -no hat the/ sang, but the/ ere happ/# On the "orro the/ ould co"e to the ho"e of (uli /f, the land called ,atla"# +e left before the first fight of da n, and it as so cold "/ bones ached, and "/ bod/ as sore fro" the roc-/ beach, and e set out upon the raging sea and the blasting ind# For all the "orning e sailed, and during this period the excite"ent of the "en increased further until the/ beca"e li-e children or o"en# It as a onder to "e to see these huge strong arriors giggle and laugh li-e the &aliphFs hare", and /et the/ sa nothing un"anl/ in this# There as a point of land, a high roc-/ outcrop of gra/ stone abo.e the gra/ sea, and be/ond this point, Herger told "e, ould be the to n of ,atla"# I strained to see this fabled ho"e of (uli /f as the !orth"enFs .essel ca"e around the cliff# The arriors laughed and cheered "ore loudl/, and I gathered there ere "an/ rude <o-es and plans for sport ith o"en hen the/ landed# And then there as the s"ell of s"o-e on the sea, and e sa s"o-e, and all the "en fell silent# As e ca"e around the point, I sa ith "/ o n e/es that the to n there as in s"oldering fla"es and billo ing blac- s"o-e# There as no sign of life# (uli /f and his arriors landed and al-ed the to n of ,atla"# There ere dead bodies of "en and o"en and children, so"e consu"ed b/ fla"es, so"e hac-ed b/ s ordsIa "ultitude of corpses# (uli /f and the arriors did not spea- and /et e.en here there as no grief, no cr/ing and sadness# !e.er ha.e I seen a race that accepts death as the !orth"en do# I "/self as sic- "an/ ti"es at the sights, and the/ ere ne.er so# At last I said to Herger, 1+ho has done thisK2 Herger pointed in to the land, to the forests and the hills set bac- fro" the gra/ ocean# There ere "ists o.er the forests# He pointed and did not spea-# I said to hi", 1Is it the "istsK2 He said to "e, 1Do not as- "ore# ,ou ill -no sooner than /ou ish#2 !o this happened= (uli /f entered one s"o-ing ruined house and returned to our co"pan/ bearing a s ord# This s ord as .er/ large and hea./, and so heated b/ the fire that he carried it ith a cloth rapped around the handle# Aeril/ I sa/ it as the largest s ord I ha.e e.er seen# It as as long as "/ o n bod/ and the blade as flat and broad as the pal"s of t o "enFs hands set side b/ side# It as so large and hea./ that e.en (uli /f grunted at the carr/ing of it# I as-ed Herger hat as the s ord, and he said, 1That is Runding,2 and then (uli /f ordered all his part/ to the boat, and

e set out to sea again# !one of the arriors loo-ed bac- at the burning to n of ,atla"; I alone did this, and I sa the s"o-ing ruin, and the "ists in the hills be/ond# THE E!&AM3ME!T AT TRE'(:R4 FOR THE S3A&E OF T+O DA,S +E SAI'ED A'O!4 A F'AT coast a"ong "an/ islands that are called the land of Dans, co"ing finall/ to a region of "arsh ith a crisscross of narro ri.ers that pour onto the sea# These ri.ers ha.e no na"es the"sel.es but are each one called 1 /-,2 and the peoples of the narro ri.ers are called 1 /-ings,2 hich "eans the !orth"en arriors ho sail their ships up the ri.ers and attac- settle"ents in such fashion#P6BQ !o in this "arsh/ region e stopped at a place the/ called Trelburg, hich as a onder to "e# Here is no to n, but rather a "ilitar/ ca"p, and its people are arriors, ith fe o"en or children a"ong the"# The defenses of this ca"p of Trelburg are constructed ith great care and s-ill of or-"anship in the Ro"an fashion# Trelburg lies at the <oining point of t o /-s, hich then run to the sea# The "ain part of the to n is encircled b/ a round earth or- all, as tall as fi.e "en standing one atop the other# Abo.e this earthen ring there stands a ooden fence for greater protection# Outside the earthen ring there is a ditch filled ith ater, the depth I do not -no # These earth or-s are excellentl/ "ade, of a s/""etr/ and Jualit/ to ri.al an/thing e -no # And there is this further= on the land ard side of the to n, a second se"icircle of high all, and a second ditch be/ond# The to n itself lies ithin the inner ring, hich is bro-en b/ four gates, facing the four corners of the earth# Each gate is barred b/ strong oa-en doors ith hea./ fittings of iron, and "an/ guards# Man/ guards also al- the ra"parts, -eeping atch da/ and night# Inside the to n stand sixteen ooden d ellings, all the sa"e= the/ are long houses, for so the !orth"en call the", ith alls that cur.e so that the/ rese"ble o.erturned boats ith the ends cut flat front and bac-# In length the/ are thirt/ paces, and ider in the "iddle portion than either end# The/ are arranged thus= four long houses precisel/ set, so as to for" a sJuare# Four sJuares are arranged to "a-e sixteen houses in all#P6CQ E.er/ long house has but one entrance, and no house has its entrance ithin sight of another# I inJuired h/ this as so, and Herger said thus= 1If the ca"p is attac-ed, the "en# "ust run to defense, and the door a/s are such that the "en can hasten ithout "ingling and confusion, but on the contrar/ each "an can proceed freel/ to the tasof defense#2 Thus it is ithin the sJuare that one house has a north door, the next house an east door, the next house a south door, the next house a est door; so also each of the four sJuares# Then also I sa that hile the !orth"en are gigantic, these door a/s ere so lo that e.en I "ust bend in t o to enter one of the houses# I inJuired of Herger, ho

said= 1If e are attac-ed, a single arrior "a/ re"ain inside the house, and ith his s ord cut off the heads of all ho enter# The door is lo so that heads ill be bent for cutting#2 Aeril/, I sa that in all respects the Trelburg to n as constructed for arfare and for defense# !o trading is conducted here at all, as I ha.e said# Inside the long houses, there are three sections or roo"s, each ith a door# The center roo" is the largest, and it also has a pit for rubbish# !o I sa that the Trelburg people ere not as the !orth"en along the Aolga# These ere clean people for their race# The/ ashed in the ri.er, and relie.ed their aste out of doors, and ere in all a/s "uch superior to hat I had -no n# ,et the/ are not trul/ clean, except in co"parison# The societ/ of Trelburg is "ostl/ "en, and the o"en are all sla.es# There are no i.es a"ong the o"en, and all o"en are ta-en freel/ as the "en desire# The people of Trelburg li.e on fish, and so"e little bread; the/ do no agriculture or far"ing, although the "arshlands surrounding the to n contain areas suitable for gro ing# I as-ed of Herger h/ there as no agriculture, and he said to "e, 1These are arriors# The/ do not till the soil#2 (uli /f and his co"pan/ ere graciousl/ recei.ed b/ the chiefs of Trelburg, ho are se.eral, fore"ost a"ong the" one ho is called Sagard# Sagard is a strong and fierce "an, al"ost as huge as (uli /f hi"self# During the night banJuet, Sagard inJuired of (uli /f his "ission and the reasons for his tra.els, and (uli /f reported of the supplication of +ulfgar# Herger translated all for "e, although in truth I had spent sufficient ti"e a"ong these heathens to learn a ord or t o in their tongue# Here is the "eaning of the con.ersation of Sagard and (uli /f# Sagard spo-e thus= 1It is sensible for +ulfgar to carr/ out the errand of a "essenger, though he is the son of the )ing Rothgar, for the se.eral sons of Rothgar ha.e set upon one another#2 (uli /f said that he did not -no of this, or ords to that "eaning# (ut I percei.ed that he as not greatl/ surprised# ,et it is true that (uli /f as seldo" surprised b/ an/ thing# Such as his role as leader of the arriors and hero to the"# Sagard spo-e again= 1Indeed, Rothgar had fi.e sons, and three are dead at the hand of one of the", +iglif, a cunning "an,P6?Q hose conspirator in this affair is the herald of the old )ing# Onl/ +ulfgar re"ains faithful, and he has departed#2 (uli /f said to Sagard that he as glad to -no of this ne s, and ould hold it in his "ind, and there the con.ersation ended# !e.er did (uli /f or an/ of his arriors sho surprise at the ords of Sagard, and fro" this I too- that it is ordinar/ for the sons of a -ing to dispose of one another to gain the throne# Also it is true that fro" ti"e to ti"e a son "a/ "urder his father the -ing to gain the throne, and this is li-e ise counted nothing re"ar-able, for the !orth"en see it the

sa"e as an/ drun-en bra l a"ong arriors# The !orth"en ha.e a pro.erb hich is 1'oo- to /our bac-,2 and the/ belie.e that a "an "ust al a/s be prepared to defend hi"self, e.en a father against his o n son# :pon our departure, I inJuired of Herger h/ there should be another fortification on the land ard side of Trelburg, and /et no such additional fortification on the sea ard side# These !orth"en are seafaring "en ho attac- fro" the sea, and /et Herger said, 1It is the land that is dangerous#2 I as-ed of hi", 1+h/ is the land dangerousK2 And he replied, 1(ecause of the "ists# :pon our departure fro" Trelburg, the arriors asse"bled there beat their sta.es upon their shields, raising a loud noise for our ship hich set sail# This, I as told, as to dra the attention of Odin, one of the nu"ber of their gods, so that this Odin ould loo- ith fa.or upon the <ourne/ of (uli /f and his t el.e "en# Also, this I learned= that the nu"ber thirteen is significant to the !orse"en, because the "oon gro s and dies thirteen ti"es in the passage of one /ear, b/ their rec-oning# For this reason, all i"portant accountings "ust include the nu"ber thirteen# Thus Herger said to "e that the nu"ber of d ellings in Trelburg as thirteen and also three "ore, instead of sixteen, as I ha.e expressed it# Further, I learned that these !orth"en ha.e so"e notion that the /ear does not fit ith exactitude into thirteen passages of the "oon, and thus the nu"ber thirteen is not stable and fixed in their "inds# The thirteenth passage is called "agical and foreign, and Herger sa/s, 1Thus for the thirteenth "an /ou ere chosen as foreign#2 Aeril/ these !orth"en are superstitious, ith no recourse to sense or reason or la # The/ see"ed to "/ e/es to be fierce children, and /et I as a"ong the", and so held "/ tongue# Soon enough I as glad for "/ discretion, for these e.ents follo ed= +e ere sailing so"e ti"e fro" Trelburg hen I recalled that ne.er pre.iousl/ had the inhabitants of a to n "ade a departure cere"on/ ith beating of shields to call up Odin# I spo-e as "uch to Herger# 1It is true,2 he responded# 1There is a special reason for the call to Odin, for e are no upon the sea of "onsters#2 This see"ed to "e proof of their superstition# I inJuired if an/ of the arriors had e.er seen such "onsters# 1Indeed, e ha.e all seen the",2 Herger said# 1+h/ else should e -no of the"K2 (/ the tone of his .oice, I could recogni0e that he thought "e a fool for "/ disbelief# So"e further ti"e passed, hen there as a shout, and all the arriors of (uli /f stood pointing to the sea, atching, shouting a"ongst the"sel.es# I as-ed Herger hat had happened# 1+e are a"ong the "onsters no ,2 he said, pointing# !o the ocean in this region is "ost turbulent# The ind blo s ith fierce force, turning the curls of the sea hite ith foa", spitting ater into the face of a sailor,

and pla/ing tric-s ith his sight# I atched the sea for "an/ "inutes and had no .ie of this sea "onster, and I had no reason to belie.e hat the/ said# Then one of their nu"ber shouted to Odin, a screa" of pra/er, repeating the na"e "an/ ti"es in supplication, and then I also sa ith "/ o n e/es the sea "onster# It as in the shape of a giant sna-e that ne.er raised its head abo.e the surface, /et I sa its bod/ curl and t ist o.er, and it as .er/ long, and ider than the !orth"enFs boat, and blac- in color# The sea "onster spat ater into the air, li-e a fountain, and then plunged do n, raising a tail that as cleft in t o, li-e the for-ed tongue of a sna-e# ,et it as enor"ous, each section of the tail being broader than the largest pal" frond# !o I sa another "onster, and another, and another after that; there appeared to be four and perhaps six or se.en# Each beha.ed as his fello s, cur.ing through the ater, spitting S fountain, and raising a giant tail split in t o# At the sight, the !orth"en shouted to Odin for aid, and not a fe of their nu"ber fell to their -nees on the dec- tre"bling# Aeril/ I sa ith "/ o n e/es the sea "onsters all about us in the ocean, and then, after so"e ti"e had passed, the/ ere gone and e did not see the" again# The arriors of (uli /f resu"ed their sailing efforts, and no "an spo-e of the "onsters, but I as "uch afraid long after ard, and Herger told "e that "/ face as hite as the face of a !orth person, and he laughed# 1+hat does Allah sa/ to thisK2 he as-ed of "e, and to that I had no ans er#P68Q In the e.ening, e beached and "ade a fire, and I inJuired of Herger if the sea "onsters e.er attac-ed a ship on the sea, and if so, hat as the "anner of it, for I had seen the heads of none of these "onsters# Herger ans ered b/ calling Ecthgo , one of the nobles and the lieutenant of (uli /f# Ecthgo as a sole"n arrior ho as not "err/ except hen drun-# Herger said that he had been on a ship that as attac-ed# Ecthgo said this to "e= that the sea "onsters are larger than an/thing on the surface of the land, and larger than an/ ship on the sea, and hen the/ attac- the/ ride under a ship and lift it in the air, and toss it aside li-e a bit of ood, and crush it ith their for-ed tongue# Ecthgo said that there had been thirt/ "en on his ship, and onl/ he and t o others beside had sur.i.ed, b/ the graciousness of the gods# Ecthgo spo-e in an ordinar/ "anner of tal-ing, hich for hi" as .er/ serious, and I belie.ed hi" to be spea-ing the truth# Also Ecthgo told "e that the !orth"en -no that the "onsters attac- ships because the/ desire to "ate ith the ship, "ista-ing it for one of their o n# For this reason, the !orth"en do not build their ships o.er9large# Herger said to "e that Ecthgo is a great arrior reno ned in battle, and that he is to be belie.ed in all things# For the next t o da/s, e sailed a"ong the islands of the Dan countr/, and then on the third da/ e crossed a passage of open ater# Here I as afraid to see "ore of the sea "onsters, but e did not, and e.entuall/ arri.ed at the territor/ called Aenden# These lands of Aenden are "ountainous and forbidding, and the "en of (uli /f in

his boat approached ith so"e trepidation and the -illing of a hen, hich as thro n into the ocean thus= the head as thro n fro" the bo of the ship, and the bod/ of the hen as thro n fro" the stern, near the hel"s"an# +e did not beach directl/ on this ne land of Aenden, but sailed along the coast, co"ing at last to the -ingdo" of Rothgar# I first sa it thus# High upon a cliff, co""anding a .ie of the raging gra/ sea, as a huge great hall of ood, strong and i"posing# I said to Herger it as a "agnificent sight, but Herger and all his co"pan/, led b/ (uli /f, ere groaning and sha-ing their heads# I inJuired of Herger h/ this as so# He said, 1Rothgar is called Rothgar the Aain, and his great hall is the "ar- of a .ain "an#2 I said, 1+h/ do /ou spea- thusK (ecause of its si0e and splendorK2 For .eril/, as e ca"e closer, I sa that the hall as richl/ orna"ented ith car.ings and sil.er chasing, hich spar-led fro" a distance# 1!o,2 said Herger# 1I sa/ that Rothgar is .ain because of the a/ he has placed his settle"ent# He dares the gods to stri-e hi" do n, and he pretends he is "ore than a "an, and so he is punished#2 !e.er ha.e I seen a "ore i"pregnable great hall, and I said to Herger, 1This hall cannot be attac-ed; ho can Rothgar be struc- do nK2 Herger laughed at "e, and said thus= 1,ou Arabs are stupid be/ond counting, and -no nothing of the a/s of the orld# Rothgar deser.es the "isfortune that has co"e to hi", and it is onl/ e ho shall sa.e hi", and perhaps not e.en so#2 These ords pu00led "e further# I loo-ed at Ecthgo , the lieutenant of (uli /f, and sa that he stood in the boat and "ade a bra.e face, and /et his -nees tre"bled, and it as not the stiffness of the ind that "ade the" tre"ble so# He as afraid; the/ ere all afraid; and I did not -no h/# THE )I!4DOM OF ROTH4AR I! THE 'A!D OF AE!DE! THE SHI3 +AS (EA&HED AT THE TIME OF THE afternoon pra/er, and I begged the forgi.eness of Allah for not "a-ing supplication# ,et I had not been able to do so in the presence of the !orth"en, ho thought "/ pra/ers to be a curse upon the", and threatened to -ill "e if I pra/ed in their sight# Each arrior in the boat dressed in the gar"ents of battle, hich ere thus= first, boots and leggings of rough ool, and o.er this a coat of hea./ fur, hich reached to the -nees# O.er this the/ placed coats of "ail, hich all had sa.e "e# Then each "an too- his s ord and clasped it to his belt; each "an too- up his hite shield of hide, and his spear; each "an placed a hel"et of "etal or leather upon his head;P67Q in this all the "en ere the sa"e except for (uli /f, ho alone carried his s ord in his hand, so large as it# The arriors loo-ed up to the great hall of Rothgar, and "ar.eled at its glea"ing roof and s-illed or-"anship, and agreed that there as none li-e it in the orld, ith its loft/ gables and rich car.ing# ,et there as no respect in their speech#

At length e deca"ped fro" the ship, and tra.eled a road pa.ed in stone up to the great hall# The clan-ing of s ords and the clatter of "ail raised a goodl/ noise# After e had gone so"e short distance, e sa b/ the road a/ the se.ered head of an ox, set upon a stic-# This ani"al as freshl/ -illed# All the !orth"en sighed and "ade sad faces at this portent, though it had no "eaning to "e# I as b/ no ad<usted to their custo" of -illing so"e beast at the slightest ner.ousness or pro.ocation# ,et this oxhead had especial significance# (uli /f loo-ed a a/, across the fields of the lands of Rothgar, and sa there an isolated far"ing house, of the sort that is co""on in Rothgar lands# The alls of this house ere of ood, and sealed ith a paste of "ud and stra , hich "ust be replenished after the freJuent rains# The roof is thatched "aterial and ood also# Inside the houses there is onl/ an earthen floor and a hearth, and the dung of ani"als, for the far" people sleep ith their ani"als indoors for the ar"th afforded b/ their bodies, and then the/ burn the dung for fires# (uli /f ga.e an order that e should go to this far"house, and so e set out across the fields, hich ere .erdant but sogg/ ith da"pness underfoot# Once or t ice the co"pan/ halted to exa"ine the ground before continuing on, but the/ ne.er sa an/thing that "attered to the"# I "/self sa nothing# ,et again (uli /f halted his co"pan/, and pointed to the dar- earth# Aeril/, I sa ith "/ o n e/es the bare i"print of a footIindeed, of "an/ feet# The/ ere flat and uglier than an/thing -no n to creation# At each toe, there as the sharp digging "ar- of a horned nail or cla ; thus the shape appeared hu"an, but /et not hu"an# This I sa ith "/ o n e/es, and could scarcel/ belie.e the itness of "/ sight# (uli /f and his arriors shoo- their heads at the sight, and I heard the" repeat one ord o.er and o.er= 1 endol2 or 1 endlon,2 or so"e such# The "eaning of the na"e as not -no n to "e, and I sensed that Herger should not be as-ed at this "o"ent, for he as as apprehensi.e as all the rest# +e pressed on to the far"house, no and again seeing "ore of these horned footprints in the earth# (uli /f and his arriors al-ed slo l/, but it as not caution; no "an dre his eapon; rather it as so"e dread that I did not co"prehend and /et felt ith the"# At length e ca"e to the far"ing d elling and entered it# In the far"house I sa , ith "/ o n e/es, this sight= there as a "an, of /oung age and graceful proportion, hose bod/ had been torn li"b fro" li"b# The torso as here, an ar" there, a leg there# (lood la/ in thic- pools upon the floor, and on the alls, on the roof, on e.er/ surface in such profusion that the house see"ed to ha.e been painted in red blood# Also there as a o"an, in li-e fashion rended li"b fro" li"b# Also a "ale child, an infant of t o /ears or less, hose head as renched fro" the shoulders, lea.ing the bod/ a bleeding stu"p# All this I sa ith "/ o n e/es, and it as the "ost fearso"e sight I e.er itnessed# I purged "/self and as faint for an hour, purging "/self /et again# !e.er ill I co"prehend the "anner of the !orth"en, for e.en as I as sic-, so the/ beca"e cal" and dispassionate at the aspect of this horror; the/ .ie ed all the/ sa

in Juiet fashion; the/ discussed the cla "ar-s upon the li"bs, and the "anner of tearing of flesh# Much attention as gi.en to the fact that all the heads ere "issing; also, the/ re"ar-ed the "ost de.ilish aspect of all, hich e.en no I recall ith trepidation# The bod/ of the "ale child had been che ed b/ so"e fiendish teeth, upon the soft flesh of the bac- of the thigh# So also had been che ed the area of the shoulder# This .er/ horror I sa ith "/ o n e/es# The arriors of (uli /f ere gri"9countenanced and glo ering as the/ departed the far"house# The/ continued to pa/ "uch heed to the soft earth about the house, noting that there ere no hoof"ar-s of horses; this as a "atter of significance to the"# I did not understand h/# !or as I "uch attenti.e, still feeling faint of heart and sicof bod/# As e crossed the fields, Ecthgo "ade a disco.er/ hich as of this nature= it as a s"all bit of stone, s"aller than a childFs fist, and it as polished and car.ed in crude fashion# All the arriors cro ded around to exa"ine it, I a"ong the"# I sa it to be the torso of a pregnant fe"ale# There as no head, no ar"s, and no legs; onl/ the torso ith a greatl/ s ollen bell/ and, abo.e that, t o pendulous s ollen breasts#P6DQ I accounted this creation exceedingl/ crude and ugl/, but nothing "ore# ,et the !orth"en ere suddenl/ o.erco"e and pale and tre"ulous; their hands shooto touch it, and finall/ (uli /f flung it to the ground and shattered it ith the handle of his s ord, until it la/ in splintered stone frag"ents# And then ere se.eral of the arriors sic-, and purged the"sel.es upon the ground# And the general horror as .er/ great, to "/ "/stification# !o the/ set off for the great hall of )ing Rothgar# !o "an spo-e during our tra.el, hich as the better part of an hour; e.er/ one of the !orth"en see"ed to be rapped in bitter and consu"ing thought, and /et the/ sho ed no fear an/"ore# At length, a herald upon a horse "et us and barred our path# He noted the ar"s e carried and the bearing of the co"pan/ and of (uli /f, and shouted a arning# Herger said to "e, 1He cra.es to -no our na"es, and curtl/, too#2 (uli /f "ade so"e ans er to the herald, and fro" his tone I -ne that (uli /f as in no "ood for courtl/ pleasantries# Herger said to "e= 1(uli /f tells hi" e are sub<ects of )ing Higlac, of the -ingdo" of ,atla", and e are on an errand to the )ing Rothgar, and ould spea- to hi"#2 And Herger added, 1(uli /f sa/s that Rothgar is a "ost orth/ -ing,2 but the tone of Herger con.e/ed the opposite sense of the "atter# This herald bade us continue to the great hall and ait outside hile he told the )ing of our arri.al# This e did, although (uli /f and his part/ ere not pleased at such treat"ent; there as gru"bling and "uttering, for it is the !orth"anFs a/ to be hospitable and this did not see" gracious, to be -ept outside# ,et the/ aited, and also re"o.ed their eapons, their s ords and spears, but not their ar"or, and the/ left the eapons outside the doors to the hall#

!o the hall as surrounded on all sides b/ se.eral d ellings in the fashion of the !orth people# These ere long ith cur.ed sides, as at Trelburg; but the/ differed in the arrange"ent, for there ere no sJuares here# !or ere there fortifications or earth or-s to be seen# Rather, fro" the great hall and the long houses about it, the ground sloped to a long flat green plain, here and there a far"house, and then, be/ond, the hills and the edge of a forest# I inJuired of Herger hose long houses ere these, and he said to "e, 1So"e belong to the )ing, and others are for his ro/al fa"il/, and others for his nobles, and also for the ser.ants and lo er "e"bers of his court#2 He said also that it as a difficult place, though I did not co"prehend his "eaning in this# Then e ere allo ed entr/ into the great hall of )ing Rothgar, hich .eril/ I sa/ is to be counted one of the "ar.els of all the orld, and all the "ore for its presence in the crude !orth countr/# This hall is called, a"ong the Rothgar peoples, b/ the na"e of Hurot, for the !orth"en gi.e the na"es of people to the things of their life, to the buildings and boats and especiall/ to the eapons# !o I sa/= this Hurot, the great hall of Rothgar, as as large as the &aliphFs "ain palace, and richl/ inlaid ith sil.er and e.en so"e gold, hich is "ost rare in the !orth# On all sides ere designs and orna"ents of the greatest splendor and richness of artistr/# It as trul/ a "onu"ent to the po er and "a<est/ of )ing Rothgar# This )ing Rothgar sat at the distant end of Hurot Hall, a space so .ast that he as so far e could hardl/ discern hi"# Standing behind his right shoulder as the sa"e herald ho had halted us# The herald "ade a speech, hich Herger told "e as thus= 1Here, O )ing, is a band of arriors fro" the -ingdo" of ,atla"# The/ are ne l/ arri.ed fro" the sea, and their leader is a "an of the na"e (uli /f# The/ beg lea.e to tell /ou of their errand, O )ing# Do not forbid the" entr/; the/ ha.e the "anner of earls, and fro" his bearing their chieftain is a "ight/ arrior# 4reet the" as earls, O )ing Rothgar#2 Thus e ere bid approach the )ing Rothgar# )ing Rothgar appeared a "an near death# He as not /oung, his hair as hite, his s-in as .er/ pale, and his face as groo.ed ith, sorro and fear# He regarded us ith suspicion, rin-ling his e/es, or perhaps he as near blind, I do not -no # Finall/ he bro-e into speech, hich Herger sa/s as thus= 1I -no of this "an, for I ha.e sent for hi" on a heroFs "ission# He is (uli /f, and I -ne hi" as a child, hen I tra.eled across the aters to the -ingdo" of ,atla"# He is the son of Higlac, ho as "/ gracious host, and no this son co"es to "e in "/ ti"e of need and sorro #2 Rothgar then called for the arriors to be su""oned to the great hall, and gifts brought, and celebrations "ade# (uli /f then spo-e, a long speech that Herger did not translate for "e, since to speahen (uli /f spo-e ould be a disrespect# Ho e.er, the "eaning as this= that (uli /f had heard of the troubles of Rothgar, that he as sorr/ for these troubles, and that his o n fatherFs -ingdo" had been destro/ed b/ these sa"e troubles, and that he had co"e to sa.e the -ingdo" of Rothgar fro" the e.ils that had beset the"#

Still, I did not -no hat the !orth"en called these e.ils, or ho the/ thought of the", though I had .ie ed the handi or- of the beasts that tore "en to pieces# )ing Rothgar spo-e again, in so"e haste# I too- fro" the "anner of his spea-ing that he ished to sa/ so"e ords before all his arriors and earls arri.ed# He said thus Lfro" HergerM= 1O (uli /f, I -ne /our father hen I as "/self a /oung "an, ne to "/ throne# !o I a" old and heartsic-# M/ head bo s# M/ e/es eep ith sha"e to ac-no ledge "/ ea-ness# As /ou see, "/ throne is al"ost a barren spot# M/ lands are beco"ing a ild place# +hat the fiends ha.e rought to "/ -ingdo" I cannot sa/# Often at night, "/ arriors, bra.e ith drin-, s ear to topple the fiends# And then hen the blea- light of da n creeps o.er the "ist/ fields, e see blood/ bodies e.er/ here# Thus is the sorro of "/ life, and I shall spea- no "ore of it#2 !o a bench as brought out and a "eal set before us, and I inJuired of Herger hat as the "eaning of the 1fiends2 of hich the )ing spo-e# Herger as angr/, and said I as ne.er to as- again# That e.ening there as a great celebration, and )ing Rothgar and his Oueen +eile , in a gar"ent dripping ge"stones and gold, presided o.er the nobles and arriors and earls of the -ingdo" of Rothgar# These nobles ere a paltr/ lot; the/ ere old "en and dran- o.er"uch and "an/ ere crippled or ounded# In the e/es of all of the" as the hollo stare of fear, and there as hollo ness in their "erri"ent, too# Also there as the son na"ed +iglif, of ho" I ha.e earlier spo-en, the son of Rothgar ho "urdered three of his brothers# This "an as /oung and slender ith a blond beard and ith e/es that ne.er settled on an/thing, but "o.ed about here and there constantl/; also he ne.er "et the ga0e of another# Herger sa hi" and said, 1He is a fox#2 (/ this he "eant that he as a slipper/ and changeable person of false de"eanor, for the !orth people belie.e the fox is an ani"al that can assu"e an/ for" it pleases# !o , in the "iddle portion of the festi.ities, Rothgar sent his herald to the doors of Hurot Hall, and this herald reported that the "ist ould not descend that night# There as "uch happiness and celebration o.er this announce"ent that the night as clear; all ere pleased sa.e +iglif# At a particular ti"e, the son +iglif rose to his feet and said, 1I drin- honor to our guests, and especiall/ (uli /f, a bra.e and true arrior ho has co"e to aid us in our plightIalthough it "a/ pro.e too great an obstacle for hi" to o.erco"e#2 Herger hispered these ords to "e, and I caught that it as praise and insult in one breath# All e/es turned to (uli /f for his response# (uli /f stood, and loo-ed to +iglif, and then said, 1I ha.e no fear of an/thing, e.en the callo fiend that creeps at night to "urder "en in their sleep# This I too- to refer to the 1 endol,2 but +iglif turned pale and gripped the chair in hich he sat# 1Do /ou spea- of "eK2 +iglif said, in a tre"bling tongue#

(uli /f "ade this response= 1!o, but I do not fear /ou an/ "ore than the "onsters of the "ist#2 The /oung "an +iglif persisted, although Rothgar the )ing called for hi" to be seated# +iglif said to all the asse"bled nobles= 1This (uli /f, arri.ed fro" foreign shores, has b/ appearance great pride and great strength# ,et ha.e I arranged to test his "ettle, for pride "a/ co.er an/ "anFs e/es#2 !o I sa this thing happen= a strong arrior, seated at a table near the door, behind (uli /f, rose ith speed, pluc-ed up a spear, and charged at the bac- of (uli /f# All this happened in less ti"e than it ta-es a "an to suc- in his breath#P6$Q ,et also (uli /f turned, pluc-ed up a spear, and ith this he caught the arrior full into the chest, and lifted hi" b/ the shaft of the spear high o.er his head and flung hi" against a all# Thus as this arrior s-e ered on the spear, his feet dangling abo.e the floor, -ic-ing; the shaft of the spear as buried into the all of the hall of Hurot# The arrior died ith a sound# !o there ca"e "uch co""otion, and (uli /f turned to face +iglif, and said, 1So shall I dispatch an/ "enace,2 and then ith great i""ediac/ Herger spo-e, in an o.erloud .oice, and "ade "an/ gestures to ard "/ person# I as "uch confused b/ these e.ents, and in truth "/ e/es ere stuc- upon this dead arrior pinned to the all# Then Herger turned to "e, and said in 'atin, 1,ou shall sing a song for the court of )ing Rothgar# All desire it#2 I as-ed of hi", 1+hat shall I singK I -no no song#2 He "ade this repl/= 1,ou ill sing so"ething that entertains the heart#2 And he added, 1Do not spea- of /our one 4od# !o one cares for such nonsense#2 In truth, I did not -no hat to sing, for I a" no "instrel# A ti"e passed hile all stared to ard "e, and there as silence in the hall# Then Herger said to "e, 1Sing a song of -ings and .alor in battle#2 I said that I -ne no such songs, but that I could tell the" a fable, hich in "/ countr/ as accounted funn/ and entertaining# To this he said that I had "ade a ise choice# Then I told the"I)ing Rothgar, his Oueen +eile , his son +iglif, and all the asse"bled earls and arriorsIthe stor/ of Abu )assi"Fs slippers, hich all -no # I spo-e lightl/, and s"iled all the hile, and in the first instance the !orth"en ere pleased, and laughed and slapped their bellies# (ut no this strange e.ent occurred# As I continued in "/ telling, the !orth"en ceased to laugh, and turned gloo"/ b/ degrees, e.er "ore so, and hen I had finished the tale, there as no laughter, but dire silence# Herger said to "e, 1,ou could not -no , but that is no tale for laughter, and no I "ust "a-e a"ends,2 and thereupon he said so"e speech that I too- to be a <o-e at "/ o n expense, and there as general laughter, and at length the celebration reco""enced#

The stor/ of Abu )assi"Fs slippers is ancient in Arabic culture, and as ell -no n to Ibn Fadlan and his fello (agdad citi0ens# The stor/ exists in "an/ .ersions, and can be told briefl/ or elaboratel/, depending upon the enthusias" of the teller# (riefl/, Abu )assi" is a rich "erchant and a "iser ho ishes to hide the fact of his ealth, in order to stri-e better bargains in his trade# To gi.e the appearance of po.ert/, he ears a pair of particularl/ ta dr/, "iserable slippers, hoping that people ill be fooled, but nobod/ is# Instead, the people around hi" thin- he is sill/ and preposterous# One da/, Abu )assi" stri-es a particularl/ fa.orable bargain in glass are, and decides to celebrate, not in the accepted "anner of treating his friends to a feast, but b/ treating hi"self to the s"all selfish luxur/ of a .isit to the public baths# He lea.es his clothes and shoes in the anteroo", and a friend berates hi" for his orn and inappropriate shoes# Abu )assi" replies that the/ are still ser.iceable, and he enters the bath ith his friend# 'ater, a po erful <udge also co"es to the baths, and disrobes, lea.ing behind an elegant pair of slippers# Mean hile, Abu )assi" departs fro" the bath and cannot find his old slippers; in their place he finds a ne and beautiful pair of shoes, and, presu"ing these to be a present fro" his friend, he puts the" on and lea.es# +hen the <udge lea.es, his o n slippers are "issing, and all he can find are a "iserable, ta dr/ pair of slippers, hich e.er/one -no s belong to the "iser Abu )assi"# The <udge is angr/; ser.ants are dispatched to retrie.e the "issing slippers; and the/ are soon found upon the .er/ feet of the thief, ho is hauled into court before the "agistrate and se.erel/ fined# Abu )assi" curses his bad luc-, and once ho"e flings the unluc-/ slippers out of his indo , here the/ fall into the "udd/ Tigris Ri.er# So"e da/s later, a group of fisher"en haul in their catch, and find along ith so"e fish the slippers of Abu )assi"; the hobnails of these slippers ha.e torn their nets# Enraged, the/ thro the sogg/ slippers through an open indo # The indo happens to be that of Abu )assi"; the slippers fall upon the ne l/ purchased glass are and s"ash it all# Abu )assi" is heartbro-en, and grie.es as onl/ a sting/ "iser can# He .o s the retched slippers shall do hi" no further har" and, to be certain, goes to his garden ith a sho.el and buries the"# As it happens, his next9door neighbor sees Abu )assi" digging, a "enial tas- fit onl/ for a ser.ant# The neighbor assu"es that if the "aster of the house is doing this chore hi"self, it "ust be in order to bur/ treasure# Thus the neighbor goes to the &aliph and infor"s on Abu )assi", for according to the la s of the land, an/ treasure found in the ground is the propert/ of the &aliph# Abu )assi" is called before the &aliph, and hen he reports that he buried onl/ a pair of old slippers, the court laughs uproariousl/ at the ob.iousness of the "erchantFs atte"pt to conceal his true, and illegal, purpose# The &aliph is angr/ to be thought such a fool as to be gi.en this sill/ lie, and increases the "agnitude of his fine

accordingl/# Abu )assi" is thunderstruc- hen sentence is passed, and /et he is obliged to pa/# Abu )assi" is no deter"ined to be rid of his slippers once and for all# To be certain of no further trouble, he "a-es a pilgri"age far fro" to n and drops the slippers into a distant pond, atching the" sin- to the botto" ith satisfaction# (ut the pond feeds the cit/Fs ater suppl/, and e.entuall/ the slippers clog the pipe guards dispatched to release the stricture find the slippers and recogni0e the", for e.er/one -no s the slippers of this notorious "iser# Abu )assi" is again brought before the &aliph, on a charge of befouling the ater of the to n, and his fine is "uch greater than before# The slippers are returned to hi"# !o Abu )assi" deter"ines to burn the slippers, but the/ are still et, so he sets the" on the balcon/ to dr/# A dog sees the" and pla/s ith the"; one of the slippers falls fro" his <a s and drops to the street far belo , here it stri-es a o"an passing b/# The o"an is pregnant, and the force of the blo causes a "iscarriage# Her husband runs to the court to see- da"ages, hich are a arded plentifull/, and Abu )assi", no a bro-en and i"po.erished "an, is obliged to pa/# The sl/l/ literal Arabic "oral states that this stor/ illustrates hat e.ils can befall a "an ho does not change his slippers often enough# (ut undoubtedl/ the undercurrent to the tale, the idea of a "an ho cannot sha-e off so"e burden, as hat disturbed the !orth"en#

!o the night passed ith further celebrations, and all the arriors of (uli /f disported in a carefree fashion# I sa the son +iglif glaring at (uli /f before lea.ing the hall, but (uli /f paid no attention, preferring the "inistrations of sla.e girls and freeborn o"en# After a ti"e I slept# In the "orning, I a o-e to the sounds of ha""ering and, .enturing fro" the great hall of Hurot, I found all the peoples of the -ingdo" of Rothgar at or- on defenses# These ere being laid out in preli"inar/ fashion= horses dre up Juantities of fence posts, hich arriors sharpened to points; (uli /f hi"self directed the place"ent of defense or-s, b/ "ar-ing scratches in the ground ith the tip of his s ord# For this he did not use his great s ord Runding, but rather so"e other s ord; I do not -no if there as a reason for this# :pon the "iddle portion of the da/, the o"an ho as called the angel of deathP%>Q ca"e and cast bones on the ground, and "ade incantations o.er the", and announced that the "ist ould co"e that night# :pon hearing this, (uli /f called for all or- to cease, and a great banJuet to be prepared# In this "atter, all the people concurred, and ceased their efforts# I inJuired of Herger h/ there should be a banJuet, but he replied to "e that I had too "an/ Juestions# It is also true that I had ti"ed "/ inJuir/ badl/, for he as posturing before a blond sla.e girl ho s"iled ar"l/ in his direction# !o , in the later part of the da/, (uli /f called together all his arriors and said to the", 13repare for battle,2 and the/ agreed, and ished luc- one to another, hile all about us the banJuet as being "ade read/#

The night banJuet as "uch as the pre.ious one, although there ere fe er of RothgarFs nobles and earls# Indeed, I learned that "an/ nobles ould not attend at all, for fear of hat ould happen in the Hurot Hall that night, for it see"ed that this place as the center of the fiendFs interest in the area; that he co.eted Hurot Hall, or so"e si"ilar thingII could not be sure of the "eaning# This banJuet as not en<o/able to "e, for reason of "/ apprehension of co"ing e.ents# Ho e.er, this e.ent occurred= one of the elderl/ nobles spo-e so"e 'atin, and also so"e of the Iberian dialects, for he had tra.eled to the region of the caliphate of &ordo.a as a /ounger "an, and I engaged hi" in con.ersation# In this circu"stance, I feigned -no ledge that I did not ha.e, as /ou shall see# He spo-e to "e thus= 1So /ou are the foreigner ho shall be the nu"ber thirteenK2 And I said that I as such# 1,ou "ust be exceedingl/ bra.e,2 the old "an said, 1and for /our bra.er/ I salute /ou#2 To this I "ade so"e trifling polite response, of the sense that I as a co ard co"pared to the others of (uli /fFs co"pan/; hich indeed as "ore than true# 1!o "atter,2 said the old "an, ho as deep in his cups, ha.ing drun- the liJuor of the regionIa .ile substance the/ call "ead, /et it is potentI1/ou are still a bra.e "an to face the endol#2 !o I sensed that I "ight finall/ learn so"e "atters of substance# I repeated to this old "an a sa/ing of the !orth"en, hich Herger had once said to "e# I said, 1Ani"als die, friends die, and I shall die, but one thing ne.er dies, and that is the reputation e lea.e behind at our death#2 The old "an cac-led toothlessl/ at this; he as pleased I -ne a !orth"an pro.erb# He said, 1That is so, but the endol ha.e a reputation, too#2 And I replied, ith the ut"ost indifference= 1Trul/K I a" not a are of it#2 At this the old "an said that I as a foreigner, and he ould consent to enlighten "e, and he told "e this= the na"e of 1 endol,2 or 1 indon,2 is a .er/ ancient na"e, as old as an/ of the peoples of the !orth countr/, and it "eans 1the blac- "ist#2 To the !orth"en, this "eans a "ist that brings, under co.er of night, blac- fiends ho "urder and -ill and eat the flesh of hu"an beings#P%6Q The fiends are hair/ and loathso"e to touch and s"ell; the/ are fierce and cunning; the/ spea- no language of an/ "an and /et con.erse a"ong the"sel.es; the/ co"e ith the night fog, and disappear b/ da/9to here, no "an durst follo # The old "an said to "e thus= 1,ou can -no the regions here d ell the fiends of the blac- "ist b/ "an/ a/s# Fro" ti"e to ti"e, arriors on horse "a/ hunt a stag ith dogs, chasing the stag o.er hill and dale for "an/ "iles of forest and open land# And then the stag co"es to so"e "arsh/ tarn or brac-ish s a"p, and here it ill halt, preferring to be torn to bits b/ the hounds rather than enter that loathso"e region# Thus e -no of the areas here the endol li.e, and e -no that e.en the ani"als ill not enter thence#2

I expressed o.er9great onder"ent at his tale, in order to dra further ords fro" the old "an# Herger sa "e then, ga.e "e a "enacing loo-, but I paid hi" no heed# The old "an continued thus= 1In olden da/s, the blac- "ist as feared b/ all the !orth"en of e.er/ region# Since "/ father and his father and his father before, no !orth"an has seen the blac- "ist, and so"e of the /oung arriors counted us old fools to re"e"ber the ancient tales of their horror and depredations# ,et the chiefs of the !orth"en in all the -ingdo"s, e.en in !or a/, ha.e al a/s been prepared for the return of the blac- "ist# All of our to ns and our fortresses are protected and defended fro" the land# Since the ti"e of the father of "/ fatherFs father, our peoples ha.e thus acted, and ne.er ha.e e seen the blac- "ist# !o it has returned#2 I inJuired h/ the blac- "ist had returned, and he lo ered his .oice to spea- this repl/= 1The blac- "ist has co"e fro" the .anit/ and ea-ness of Rothgar, ho has offended the gods ith his foolish splendor and te"pted the fiends ith the siting of his great hall, hich has no protection fro" the land# Rothgar is old and he -no s he ill not be re"e"bered for battles fought and on, and so he built this splendid hall, hich is the tal- of all the orld, and pleases his .anit/# Rothgar acts as a god, /et he is a "an, and the gods ha.e sent the blac- "ist to stri-e hi" do n and sho hi" hu"ilit/#2 I said to this old "an that perhaps Rothgar as resented in the -ingdo"# He replied thus= 1!o "an is so good as to be free fro" all e.il, nor so bad as to be orth nothing# Rothgar is a <ust -ing and his people prospered all of his life# The isdo" and richness of his rule are here, in Hurot Hall, and the/ are splendid# His onl/ fault is this, that he forgot defense, for e ha.e a sa/ing a"ong us= RA "an should ne.er "o.e a step fro" his eapons#F Rothgar has no eapons; he is toothless and ea-; and the blac- "ist seeps freel/ o.er the land#2 I desired to -no "ore, but the old "an as tired, and turned a a/ fro" "e, and soon as asleep# Aeril/, the food and drin- of RothgarFs hospitalit/ ere "uch, and "an/ of the nu"ber of earls and nobles ere dro s/# Of the table of Rothgar I shall sa/ this= that e.er/ "an had a tablecloth and plate, and spoon and -nife; that the "eal as boiled por- and goat, and so"e fish, too, for the !orth"en "uch prefer boiled "eat to roasted# Then there ere cabbages and onions in abundance, and apples and ha0elnuts# A s eetish flesh/ "eat as gi.en "e that I had not tasted before; this, I as told, as el-, or rain9deer# The dreadful foul drin- called "ead is "ade fro" hone/, then fer"ented# It is the sourest, blac-est, .ilest stuff e.er in.ented b/ an/ "an, and /et it is potent be/ond all -no ing; a fe drin-s, and the orld spins# (ut I did not drin-, praise Allah# !o I noticed that (uli /f and all his co"pan/ did not drin- that night, or onl/ sparingl/, and Rothgar too- this as no insult, but rather ac-no ledged it as the natural course of things# There as no ind that night; the candles and fla"es of Hurot Hall did not flic-er, and /et it as da"p, and chill# I sa ith "/ o n e/es that out of doors the "ist as rolling in fro" the hills, bloc-ing the sil.ered light of the "oon, cloa-ing all in blac-ness#

As the night continued, )ing Rothgar and his Oueen departed for sleep, and the "assi.e doors of Hurot Hall ere loc-ed and barred, and the nobles and earls re"aining there fell into a drun-en stupor and snored loudl/# Then (uli /f and his "en, still earing their ar"or, ent about the roo", dousing the candles and seeing to the fires, that the/ should burn lo and ea-# I as-ed Herger the "eaning of this, and he told "e to pra/ for "/ life, and to feign sleep# I as gi.en a eapon, a short s ord, but it as little co"fort to "e; I as not a arrior and -ne it full ell# Aeril/, all the "en feigned sleep# (uli /f and his "en <oined the slu"bering bodies of the )ing RothgarFs earls, ho ere trul/ snoring# Ho long e aited I do not -no , for I thin- I slept a hile "/self# Then all at once I as a a-e, in a "anner of unnatural sharp alertness; I as not dro s/ but instantl/ tense and alert, still l/ing on a bears-in cloth on the floor of the great hall# It as dar- night; the candles in the hall burned lo , and a faint bree0e hispered through the hall and fluttered the /ello fla"es# And then I heard a lo grunting sound, li-e the rooting of a pig, carried to "e b/ the bree0e, and I s"elled a ran- odor li-e the rot of a carcass after a "onth, and I feared greatl/# This rooting sound, for I can call it none else, this gru"bling, grunting, snorting sound, gre louder and "ore excited# It ca"e fro" outdoors, at one side of the hall# Then I heard it fro" another side, and then another, and another# Aeril/ the hall as surrounded# I sat up on one elbo , "/ heart pounding, and I loo-ed about the hall# !o "an a"ong the sleeping arriors "o.ed, and /et there as Herger, l/ing ith his e/es ide open# And there, too, (uli /f, breathing in a snore, ith his e/es also ide open# Fro" this I gathered that all the arriors of (uli /f ere aiting to do battle ith the endol, hose sounds no filled the air# (/ Allah, there is no fear greater than that of a "an hen he does not -no the cause# Ho long I la/ upon the bears-in, hearing the grunting of the endol and s"elling their foul odorsN Ho long I aited for I -ne not hat, the start of so"e battle "ore fearso"e in the prospect than it could be in the fightingN I re"e"bered this= that the !orth"en ha.e a sa/ing of praise that the/ car.e upon the to"bstones of noble arriors, hich is this= 1He did not flee battle#2 !one of the co"pan/ of (uli /f fled that night, though the sounds and the stin- ere all around the", no louder, no fainter, no fro" one direction, no another# And /et the/ aited# Then ca"e the "ost fearso"e "o"ent# All sounds ceased# There as utter silence, except for the snoring of the "en and the lo crac-le of the fire# Still none of the arriors of (uli /f stirred# And then there as a "ight/ crash upon the solid doors of the hall of Hurot, and these doors burst open, and a rush of ree-ing air gutted all the lights, and the blac- "ist entered the roo"# I did not count their nu"ber= .eril/ it see"ed thousands of blacgrunting shapes, and /et it "ight ha.e been no "ore than fi.e or six, huge blacshapes hardl/ in the "anner of "en, and /et also "anli-e# The air stan- of blood and death; I as cold be/ond reason, and shi.ered# ,et still no arrior "o.ed#

Then, ith a curdling screa" to a-e the dead, (uli /f leapt up, and in his ar"s he s ung the giant s ord Runding, hich sang li-e a si00ling fla"e as it cut the air# And his arriors leapt up ith hi", and all <oined the battle# The shouts of the "en "ingled ith the pig9grunts and the odors of the blac- "ist, and there as terror and confusion and great rac-ing and rending of the Hurot Hall# I "/self had no sto"ach for battle, and /et I as set upon b/ one of these "ist "onsters, ho ca"e close to "e, and I sa glea"ing red e/esI.eril/ I sa e/es that shone li-e fire, and I s"elled the ree-, and I as lifted bodil/ and flung across the roo" as a child flings a pebble# I struc- the all and fell to the ground, and as greatl/ da0ed for the next period, so all around "e as "ore confused than true# I re"e"ber, "ost distinctl/, the touch of these "onsters upon "e, especiall/ the furr/ aspect of the bodies, for these "ist "onsters ha.e hair as long as a hair/ dog, and as thic-, on all parts of their bodies# And I re"e"ber the fetid s"ell of the breath of the "onster ho flung "e# The battle raged for ho long I cannot -no , but it concluded "ost suddenl/ of a "o"ent# And then the blac- "ist as gone, slun- a a/, grunting and panting and stin-ing, lea.ing behind destruction and death that e could not -no until e had lighted fresh tapers# Here is ho the battle aged# Of the co"pan/ of (uli /f, three ere dead, Roneth and Halga, both earls, and Edgtho, a arrior# The first had his chest torn open# The second had his spine bro-en# The third had his head torn off in the "anner I had alread/ itnessed# All these arriors ere dead# +ounded ere t o others, Haltaf and Rethel# Haltaf had lost an ear, and Rethel t o fingers of his right hand# (oth "en ere not "ortall/ in<ured, and "ade no co"plaint, for it is the !orth"an a/ to bear the ounds of battle cheerfull/, and to praise abo.e all the retaining of life# As for (uli /f and Herger and all the others, the/ ere soa-ed in blood as if the/ had bathed in it# !o I shall sa/ hat "an/ ill not belie.e, and /et it as so= our co"pan/ had -illed not one of the "ist "onsters# Each had slun- a a/, so"e perhaps "ortall/ ounded, and /et the/ had escaped# Herger said thus= 1I sa t o of their nu"ber carr/ing a third, ho as dead#2 3erhaps this as so, for all generall/ agreed upon it# I learned that the "ist "onsters ne.er lea.e one of their -ind to the societ/ of "en, but rather ill ris- great dangers to retrie.e hi" fro" hu"an pur.ie # So also ill the/ go to extre"e lengths to -eep a .icti"Fs head, and e could not find the head of Edgtho in an/ place; the "onsters had carried it off ith the"# Then (uli /f spo-e, and Herger told "e his ords thus= 1'oo-, I ha.e retained a troph/ of the nightFs blood/ deeds# See, here is an ar" of one of the fiends#2 And, true to his ord, (uli /f held the ar" of one of the "ist "onsters, cut off at the shoulder b/ the great s ord Runding# All the arriors cro ded around to exa"ine it#

I percei.ed it thusl/= it appeared to be s"all, ith a hand of abnor"all/ large si0e# (ut the forear" and upper ar" ere not large to "atch it, although the "uscles ere po erful# There as long blac- "atted hair on all parts of the ar" except the pal" of the hand# Finall/ it is to sa/ that the ar" stan- as the hole beast stan-, ith the fetid s"ell of the blac- "ist# !o all the arriors cheered (uli /f, and his s ord Runding# The fiendFs ar" as hung fro" the rafters of the great hall of Hurot, and "ar.eled at b/ all the people of the -ingdo" of Rothgar# Thus ended the first battle ith the endol# THE EAE!TS THAT FO''O+ED THE FIRST (ATT'E AERI',, THE 3EO3'E OF THE !ORTH &O:!TR, !EAER act as hu"an beings of reason and sense# After the attac- of the "ist "onsters, and their beating bac- b/ (uli /f and his co"pan/, ith "e a"ongst the", the "en of the -ingdo" of Rothgar did nothing# There as no celebration, no feasting, no <ubilation or displa/ of happiness# Fro" far and ide, the people of the -ingdo" ca"e to .ie the dangling ar" of the fiend, hich hung in the great hall, and this the/ greeted ith "uch a"a0e"ent and astonish"ent# (ut Rothgar hi"self, the half9blind old "an, expressed no pleasure, and presented (uli /f and his co"pan/ ith no gifts, planned no feasts, ga.e hi" no sla.es, no sil.er, no precious gar"ents, or an/ other sign of honor# &ontrar/ to an/ expression of pleasure, )ing Rothgar "ade a long face and as sole"n, and see"ed "ore fearful than he had been before# I "/self, though I did not spea- it aloud, suspected that Rothgar preferred his earlier condition, before the blac"ist as beaten# !or as (uli /f different in "anner# He called for no cere"onies, no feasting, no drin-ing or eating of food# The nobles ho had died .aliantl/ in the battle of the night ere Juic-l/ placed in pits ith a ooden roof o.er the top, and left there for the assigned ten da/s# There as haste in this "atter# ,et it as onl/ in the la/ing out of the dead arriors that (uli /f and his co"rades sho ed happiness, or allo ed the"sel.es an/ s"iles# After further ti"e a"ong the !orth"en, I learned that the/ s"ile upon an/ death in battle, for this is pleasure ta-en on behalf of the dead person, and not the li.ing# The/ are pleased hen an/ "an dies a arriorFs death# Also the opposite is held true b/ the"; the/ sho distress hen a "an dies in his sleep, or in a bed# The/ sa/ of such a "an, 1He died as a co in the stra #2 This is no insult, but it is a reason for "ourning the death# The !orth"en belie.e that ho a "an dies deter"ines his condition in the afterlife, and the/ .alue the death of a arrior in battle abo.e all# A 1stra death2 is sha"eful# An/ "an ho dies in his sleep is said b/ the" to be strangled b/ the "aran, or "are of the night# This creature is a o"an, hich "a-es such a death sha"eful, for to die at the hands of a o"an is degrading abo.e all things# Also the/ sa/ to die ithout /our eapons is degrading, and a !orth"an arrior ill al a/s sleep ith his eapons, so that if the "aran co"es at night, he ill ha.e his

eapons at hand# Seldo" does a arrior die of so"e illness, or of the enfeeble"ent of age# I heard of one -ing, of the na"e Ane, ho li.ed to such an age that he beca"e as an infant, toothless and existing upon the food of an infant, and he spent all his da/s in his bed drin-ing "il- fro" a horn# (ut this as told to "e as "ost unco""on in the !orth countr/# +ith "/ o n e/es I sa fe "en gro n .er/ old, b/ hich I "ean gro n old to the ti"e hen the beard is not onl/ hite but falling out fro" the chin and face# Se.eral of their o"en li.e to great age, especiall/ such as the old crone the/ call the angel of death; these old o"en are counted as ha.ing "agical po ers in healing of ounds, casting of spells, banishing e.il influences, and foretelling the future of e.ents# The o"en of the !orth people do not fight a"ong the"sel.es, and often did I see the" intercede in a gro ing bra l or duel of t o "en, to Juench the rising anger# This the/ ill do especiall/ if the arriors are thic-ened and slo ith drin-# This is often the circu"stance# !o , the !orth"en, ho drin- "uch liJuor, and at all hours of the da/ and night, drin- nothing on the da/ after the battle# Seldo" did the people of Rothgar offer the" a cup, and hen it happened, the cup as refused# This I found "ost pu00ling, and spo-e of it finall/ to Herger# Herger shoo- his shoulders in the !orth"enFs gesture of unconcern, or indifference# 1E.er/one is afraid,2 he said# I inJuired h/ there should still be a reason to fear# He spo-e thus= 1It is because the/ -no that the blac- "ist ill return#2 !o I ad"it that I as puffed ith the arrogance of a fighting "an, though in truth I -ne I did not deser.e such a posture# E.en so, I felt exhilaration at "/ sur.i.al, and the people of Rothgar treated "e as one of a co"pan/ of "ight/ arriors# I said boldl/, 1+ho cares for thatK If the/ co"e again, e shall beat the" a second ti"e#2 Indeed, I as .ain as a /oung coc-, and I a" abashed no to thin- upon "/ strutting# Herger responded= 1The -ingdo" of Rothgar has no fighting arriors or earls; the/ are all long since dead, and e alone "ust defend the -ingdo"# ,esterda/ e ere thirteen# Toda/ e are ten, and of that ten t o are ounded and cannot fight as full "en# The blac- "ist is angered, and it ill ta-e a terrible .engeance#2 I said to Herger, ho had suffered so"e "inor ounds in the fra/Ibut nothing so fierce as the cla "ar-s upon "/ o n face, hich I bore proudl/Ithat I feared nothing the de"ons ould do# He ans ered curtl/ that I as an Arab and understood nothing of the a/s of the !orth countr/, and he told "e that the .engeance of the blac- "ist ould be terrible and profound# He said, 1The/ ill return as )orgon#2 I did not -no the sense of the ord# 1+hat is )orgonK2

He said to "e, 1The glo

or" dragon, hich s oops do n through the air#2

!o this see"ed fanciful, but I had alread/ seen the sea "onsters <ust as the/ said that such beasts trul/ li.ed, and also I sa HergerFs strained and tired countenance, and I percei.ed that he belie.ed in the glo or" dragon# I said, 1+hen ill )orgon co"eK2 13erhaps tonight,2 Herger said# Aeril/, e.en as he spo-e, I sa that (uli /f, though he had slept not at all during the night and his e/es ere red and hea./ ith fatigue, as directing ane the building of defenses around the hall of Hurot# All the people of the -ingdo" or-ed, the children and the o"en and the old "en, and the sla.es as ell, under the direction of (uli /f and his lieutenant Ecthgo # This is hat the/ did= about the peri"eter of Hurot and the ad<acent buildings, those being the d ellings of the )ing Rothgar and so"e of his nobles, and the rude huts of the sla.es of these fa"ilies, and one or another of the far"ers ho li.ed closest to the sea, all around this area (uli /f erected a -ind of fence of crossed lances and poles ith sharpened points# This fence as not higher than a "anFs shoulders, and although the points ere sharp and "enacing, I could not see the .alue of this defense, for "en could scale it easil/# I spo-e of this to Herger, ho called "e a stupid Arab# Herger as in an ill te"per# !o a further defense as constructed, a ditch outside the pole fence, one and a half paces be/ond# This ditch as "ost peculiar# It as not deep, ne.er "ore than a "anFs -nees, and often less# It as une.enl/ dug, so that in places it as shallo , and in other places deeper, ith s"all pits# And in places short lances ere sun- into the earth, points up ard# I understood the .alue of this paltr/ ditch no better than the fence, but I did not inJuire of Herger, alread/ -no ing his "ood# Instead I aided in the or- as best I could, pausing onl/ once to ha.e "/ a/ ith a sla.e o"an in the !orth"anFs fashion, for in the excite"ent of the nightFs battle and the da/Fs preparations I as "ost energetic# !o , during "/ <ourne/ ith (uli /f and his arriors up the Aolga, Herger had told "e that un-no n o"en, especiall/ if attracti.e or seducti.e, ere to be "istrusted# Herger said to "e that ithin the forests and ild places of the !orth countr/ there li.e o"en ho are called ood o"en# These ood o"en entice "en b/ their beaut/ and soft ords, /et hen a "an approaches the", he finds that the/ are hollo at the bac- part, and are apparitions# Then the ood o"en cast a spell upon the seduced "an and he beco"es their capti.e# !o , Herger had thus arned "e, and .eril/ it is true that I approached this sla.e o"an ith trepidation, because I did not -no her# And I felt her bac- ith "/ hand, and she laughed; for she -ne the reason of the touch, to assure "/self that she as no ood spirit# I felt a fool at that ti"e, and cursed "/self for placing faith in a heathen superstition# ,et I ha.e disco.ered that if all those around /ou belie.e so"e

particular thing, /ou ill soon be te"pted to share in that belief, and so it as ith "e# The o"en of the !orth people are pale as the "en, and eJuall/ as tall in stature; the greater nu"ber of the" loo-ed do n upon "/ head# The o"en ha.e blue e/es and ear their hair .er/ long, but the hair is fine and easil/ snarled# Therefore the/ bundle it up about their nec-s and upon their heads; to aid in this, the/ ha.e fashioned for the"sel.es all "anner of clasps and pins of orna"ented sil.er or ood# This constitutes their principal adorn"ent# Also the ife of a rich "an ears nec- chains of gold and sil.er, as I ha.e earlier said; so, too, do the o"en fa.or bracelets of sil.er, for"ed in the shape of dragons and sna-es, and these the/ ear upon the ar" bet een the elbo and shoulder# The designs of the !orth people are intricate and interlaced, as if to portra/ the ea.ing of tree branches or serpents; these designs are "ost beautiful#P%%Q The !orth people account the"sel.es -een <udges of beaut/ in o"en# (ut in truth, all their o"en see"ed to "/ e/es to be e"aciated, their bodies all angles and lu"p/ ith bones; their faces, too, are bon/ and the chee-s set high# These Jualities the !orth"en .alue and praise, although such a o"an ould not attract a glance in the &it/ of 3eace but ould be accounted no better than a half9star.ed dog ith protruding ribs# The !orth o"en ha.e ribs that protrude in <ust such a fashion# I do not -no h/ the o"en are so thin, for the/ eat lustil/, and as "uch as the "en, /et gain no flesh upon their bodies# Also the o"en sho no deference, or an/ de"ure beha.ior; the/ are ne.er .eiled, and the/ relie.e the"sel.es in public places, as suits their urge# Si"ilarl/ the/ ill "a-e bold ad.ances to an/ "an ho catches their fanc/, as if the/ ere "en the"sel.es; and the arriors ne.er chide the" for this# Such is the case e.en if the o"an be a sla.e, for as I ha.e said, the !orth"en are "ost -ind and forbearing to their sla.es, especiall/ the o"en sla.es# +ith the progression of the da/, I sa clearl/ that the defenses of (uli /f ould not be co"pleted b/ nightfall, neither the pole fence nor the shallo ditch# (uli /f sa it also, and called to )ing Rothgar, ho su""oned the old crone# This old crone, ho as ithered and had the beard of a "an, -illed a sheep and spread the entrailsP%BQ on the ground# Then she "ade a .ariet/ of chanting song, hich lasted a length/ ti"e, and "uch supplication to the s-/# I still did not as- Herger of this, because of his "ood# Instead I atched the other arriors of (uli /f, ho loo-ed to the sea# The ocean as gra/ and rough, the s-/ leaden, but a strong bree0e ble to ard the land# This satisfied the arriors, and I guessed the reason= that an ocean bree0e to ard the land ould pre.ent the "ist fro" descending fro" the hills# This as true# :pon nightfall, or- as halted on the defenses, and to "/ perplexit/ Rothgar held another banJuet of splendid proportions; and this e.ening hile I atched, (uli /f, and Herger, and all the other arriors dran- "uch "ead and re.eled as if the/ lac-ed an/ orldl/ cares, and had their a/ ith the sla.e o"en, and then all san- into a stuporous droning sleep#

!o this also I learned= that each of the arriors of (uli /f had chosen fro" a"ong the sla.e o"en one ho" in particular the/ fa.ored, although not to the exclusion of others# In intoxication, Herger said to "e of the o"an he had fa.ored, 1She shall die ith "e, if need be#2 Fro" this I too- as the "eaning that each of the arriors of (uli /f had selected so"e o"an ho ould die for hi" upon the funeral p/re, and this o"an the/ treated ith "ore courtes/ and attention than the others; for the/ ere .isitors to this countr/, and had no sla.e o"en of their o n ho could be ordered b/ -in to do their bidding# !o , in the earl/ period of "/ ti"e a"ong the Aenden, the !orth o"en ould not approach "e, on account of "/ dar-ness of s-in and hair, but there as "uch hispering and glancing in "/ direction, and giggles one to another# I sa that these un.eiled o"en ould nonetheless "a-e a .eil ith their hands fro" ti"e to ti"e, and especiall/ hen the/ ere laughing# Then I had as-ed of Herger= 1+h/ do the/ do this thingK2 for I ished not to beha.e in a "anner contrar/ to the !orth custo"# Herger "ade this repl/= 1The o"en belie.e that the Arabs are as stallions, for so the/ ha.e heard as a ru"or#2 !or as this an/ a"a0e"ent to "e, for this reason= in all the lands I ha.e tra.eled, and so also ithin the round alls of the &it/ of 3eace, .eril/ in e.er/ location here "en gather and "a-e for the"sel.es a societ/, I ha.e learned these things to be truths# First, that the peoples of a particular land belie.e their custo"s to be fitting and proper and better than an/ other# Second, that an/ stranger, a "an or also a o"an, is accounted inferior in all a/s sa.e in the "atter of generation# Thus the Tur-s belie.e the 3ersians gifted lo.ers; the 3ersians stand in a e of the blac-9s-inned peoples; and the/ in turn of so"e others, se.erall/; and so it continues, so"eti"es b/ reason gi.en of proportion of genitalia, so"eti"es b/ reason gi.en of endurance in the act, so"eti"es b/ reason gi.en of especial s-ill or posturing# I cannot sa/ hether the !orth o"en trul/ belie.e as Herger spo-e, but .eril/ I disco.ered that the/ ere "uch a"a0ed at "e b/ .irtue of "/ surger/,P%CQ hich practice is un-no n a"ong the", as the/ are dirt/ heathens# Of the "anner of thrusting, these o"en are nois/ and energetic, and of such odor that I as obliged to stop "/ breath for the duration; also the/ are gi.en to buc-ing and t isting, scratching and biting, so that a "an "a/ be thro n fro" his "ount, as the !orth"en spea- of it# For "/self I accounted the hole business "ore pain than pleasure# The !orth"en sa/ of the act, 1I did battle ith such a o"an or another,2 and proudl/ sho their blue "ar-s and abrasions to their co"rades, as if these ere true ounds of arfare# Ho e.er, the "en ne.er did in<ur/ to an/ o"an that I could see# !o this night, hile all the arriors of (uli /f slept, I as too afraid to drin- or laugh; I feared the return of the endol# ,et the/ did not return, and I also e.entuall/ slept, but fitfull/# !o in the follo ing da/ there as no ind, and all the people of the -ingdo" of Rothgar or-ed ith dedication and fear; there as tal- e.er/ here of the )orgon, and the certaint/ that it ould attac- upon the night# The cla "ar- ounds on "/ face no pained "e, for the/ pinched as the/ healed, and ached hene.er I "o.ed

"/ "outh to eat or spea-# Also it is true that "/ arriorFs fe.er had left "e# I as afraid once "ore, and I or-ed in silence alongside the o"en and old "en# To ard the "iddle ti"e of the da/, I as .isited b/ the old and toothless noble ho" I had spo-en to in the banJuet hall# This old noble sought "e out, and said thus in 'atin, 1I ill ha.e ords ith /ou#2 He led "e to step a fe paces apart fro" the or-ers at the defenses# !o he "ade a great sho of exa"ining "/ ounds, hich in truth ere not serious, and hile he exa"ined these cuts he said to "e, 1I ha.e a arning for /our co"pan/# There is unrest in the heart of Rothgar#2 This he spo-e in 'atin# 1+hat is the causeK2 I said# 1It is the herald, and also the son +iglif, ho stands at the ear of the )ing,2 the old noble"an said# 1And also the friend of +iglif# +iglif spea-s to Rothgar that (uli /f and his co"pan/ plan to -ill the )ing and rule the -ingdo"#2 1That is not the truth,2 I said, although I did not -no this# In honest fact, I had thought upon this "atter fro" ti"e to ti"e; (uli /f as /oung and .ital, and Rothgar old and ea-, and hile it is true that the a/s of the !orth"en are strange, it is also true that all "en are the sa"e# 1The herald and +iglif are en.ious of (uli /f,2 the old noble spo-e to "e# 1The/ poison the air in the ear of the )ing# All this I tell to /ou so that /ou "a/ tell the others to be ar/, for this is a "atter fit for a basilis-#2 And then he pronounced "/ ounds to be "inor, and turned a a/# Then the noble ca"e bac- once "ore# He said, 1The friend of +iglif is Ragnar,2 and he ent a a/ a second ti"e, not loo-ing bac- upon "e further# In great consternation, I dug and or-ed at the defenses until I found "/self near to Herger# The "ood of Herger as still as gri" as it had been upon the da/ pre.ious# He greeted "e ith these ords= 1I do not ant to hear the Juestions of a fool#2 I said to hi" that I had no Juestions, and I reported to hi" hat the old noble had spo-en to "e; also I told hi" it as a "atter fit for a basilis-#P%?Q At "/ speech, Herger fro ned and s ore oaths and sta"ped his foot, and bid "e acco"pan/ hi" to (uli /f# (uli /f directed or- on the ditch at the other side of the enca"p"ent; Herger dre hi" aside, and spo-e rapidl/ in the !orse tongue, ith gestures to "/ person# (uli /f fro ned, and s ore oaths and sta"ped his foot "uch as Herger, and then as-ed a Juestion# Herger said to "e, 1(uli /f as-s ho is the friend of +iglifK Did the old "an tell /ou ho is the friend of +iglifK2 I responded that he had, and the friend as of the na"e Ragnar# At this report, Herger and (uli /f spo-e further a"ong the"sel.es, and disputed briefl/, and then (uli /f turned a a/ and left "e ith Herger# 1It is decided,2 Herger said# 1+hat is decidedK2 I inJuired#

1)eep /our teeth together,2 Herger said, hich is a !orth expression "eaning do not tal-# Thus I returned to "/ labors, understanding no "ore than I had at the beginning of the "atter# Once again I thought these !orth"en to be the "ost peculiar and contrar/ "en on the face of the earth, for in no "atter do the/ beha.e as one ould expect sensible beings to beha.e# ,et I or-ed upon their sill/ fence, and their shallo ditch; and I atched, and aited# At the ti"e of the afternoon pra/er, I obser.ed that Herger had ta-en up a orposition near to a strapping, giant /outh# Herger and this /outh toiled side b/ side in the ditch for so"e ti"e, and it appeared to "/ a/ of seeing that Herger too- so"e pains to fling dirt into the face of the /outh, ho as in truth a head taller than Herger, and /ounger, too# The /outh protested, and Herger apologi0ed; but soon as flinging dirt again# Again, Herger apologi0ed; no the /outh as angr/ and his face as red# !o "ore than a short ti"e passed before Herger as again flinging dirt, and the /outh sputtered and spat it and as angr/ in the extre"e# He shouted at Herger, ho later told "e the ords of their con.ersation, although the "eaning as e.ident enough at the ti"e# The /outh spo-e= 1,ou dig as a dog#2 Herger spo-e in ans er= 1Do /ou call "e a dogK2 To this, the /outh said= 1!o, I said that /ou dig as a dog, flingingP%8Q earth carelessl/, as an ani"al#2 Herger spo-e= 1Do /ou then call "e an ani"alK2 The /outh replied= 1,ou "ista-e "/ ords#2 !o Herger said, 1Indeed, for /our ords are t isted and ti"id as a feeble old o"an#2 1This old o"an shall see /ou taste death,2 the /outh said, and dre forth his s ord# Then Herger dre his, for the /outh as the sa"e Ragnar, the friend of +iglif, and thus I sa "anifested the intention of (uli /f in the "atter# These !orth"en are "ost sensiti.e and touch/ about their honor# A"ong their co"pan/, duels occur as freJuentl/ as "icturition, and a battle to the death is counted ordinar/# It "a/ occur on the spot of the insult, or if it is to be for"all/ conducted, the co"batants "eet at the <oining place of three roads# It as thus that Ragnar challenged Herger to fight hi"# !o this is the !orth"an custo"= at the appointed ti"e, the friends and -in of the duelers asse"ble at the place of battle and stretch a hide upon the ground# This the/ fix ith four laurel poles# The battle "ust be fought upon the hide, each "an -eeping a foot, or both, on the s-in all the hile; in this fashion the/ re"ain close one to

another# The t o co"batants each arri.e ith one s ord and three shields# If a "anFs three shields all brea-, he "ust fight on ithout protection, and the battle is to the death# Such ere the rules, chanted b/ the old crone, the angel of death, at the position of the stretched hide, ith all the people of (uli /f and the people of the -ingdo" of Rothgar gathered around# I as "/self there, not so close to the front, and I "ar.eled that these people should forget the threat of the )orgon hich had so terrified the" earlier; no one cared an/thing for aught but the duel# This as the "anner of the duel bet een Ragnar and Herger# Herger struc- the first blo , since he had been challenged, and his s ord rang "ightil/ on the shield of Ragnar# I "/self had fear for Herger, since this /outh as so "uch larger and stronger than he, and indeed RagnarFs first blo s"ote HergerFs shield fro" its handgrip, and Herger called for his second shield# Then the battle as <oined, and fiercel/# I loo-ed once to (uli /f, hose face as ithout expression; and to +iglif and the herald, on the opposite side, ho often loo-ed to (uli /f hile the battle raged# HergerFs second shield as li-e ise bro-en, and he called for his third and final shield# Herger as "uch fatigued, and his face da"p and red ith exertion; the /outh Ragnar appeared eas/ as he battled, ith little exertion# Then the third shield as bro-en, and HergerFs plight as "ost desperate, or so it see"ed for a fleeting "o"ent# Herger stood ith both feet solid on the ground, bent and gasping for his air, and "ost direl/ fatigued# Ragnar chose this ti"e to fall upon hi"# Then Herger side9stepped li-e the flic- of a birdFs ings, and the /outh Ragnar plunged his s ord through e"pt/ air# Then, Herger thre his o n s ord fro" one hand to the other, for these !orth"en can fight as ell ith either hand, and eJuall/ strong# And Juic-l/ Herger turned and cut off RagnarFs head fro" behind ith a single blo of his s ord# Aeril/ I sa the blood spurt fro" the nec- of Ragnar and the head fle across the air into the cro d, and I sa ith "/ o n e/es that the head struc- the ground before the bod/ also struc- the ground# !o Herger stepped aside, and then I percei.ed that the battle had been a sha", for Herger no longer puffed and panted, but stood ith no sign of fatigue and no hea.ing of his chest, and he held his s ord lightl/, and he loo-ed as if he could -ill a do0en such "en# And he loo-ed at +iglif and said, 1Honor /our friend,2 "eaning to see to the burial# Herger said to "e, as e departed the dueling place, that he had acted a sha" so that +iglif should -no the "en of (uli /f ere not "erel/ strong and bra.e arriors, but cunning as ell# 1This ill gi.e hi" "ore fear,2 Herger said, 1and he ill not dare to spea- against us#2 I doubted his plan ould ha.e this effect, but it is true that the !orth"en pri0e deceit "ore than the "ost deceitful Ha0ar, indeed "ore than the "ost l/ing (ahrain trader, for ho" deceit is a for" of art# &le.erness in battle and "anl/ things is accounted a greater .irtue than pure strength in arriorship#

,et Herger as not happ/, and I percei.ed that (uli /f as not happ/, either# As the e.ening approached, the beginnings of the "ist for"ed in the high inland hills# I belie.ed that the/ ere thin-ing of the dead Ragnar, ho as /oung and strong and bra.e, and ho ould be useful in the co"ing battle# Herger said as "uch to "e= 1A dead "an is of no use to an/one#2 THE ATTA&) OF THE 4'O++ORM DRA4O! )OR4O! !O+ +ITH THE FA'' OF DAR)!ESS, THE MIST crept do n fro" the hills, slin-ing as fingers around the trees, seeping o.er the green fields to ard the hall of Hurot and the aiting arriors of (uli /f# Here there as a respite in or-; fro" a fresh spring, ater as di.erted to fill the shallo ditch, and then I understood the sense of the plan, for the ater concealed the sta-es and deeper holes, and thus the "oat as treacherous to an/ in.ader# Further still, the o"en of Rothgar carried goats-in sac-s of ater fro" the ell, and doused the fence, and the d elling, and all the surface of the hall of Hurot ith ater# So, also, the arriors of (uli /f drenched the"sel.es in their ar"or ith ater fro" the spring# The night as da"p cold and, thin-ing this so"e heathen ritual, I begged excuses, but to no end= Herger doused "e head to foot li-e the rest# I stood dripping and shi.ering= in truth I cried aloud at the shoc- of the cold ater, and de"anded to -no the reason# 1The glo or" dragon breathes fire,2 Herger said to "e# Then he offered "e a cup of "ead to ease the chill, and I dran- this cup of "ead ithout a pause, and as glad for it# !o the night as full/ blac-, and the arriors of (uli /f a aited the co"ing of the dragon )orgon# All e/es ere turned to ard the hills, no lost in the "ist of night# (uli /f hi"self strode the length of the fortifications, carr/ing his great s ord Runding, spea-ing lo ords of encourage"ent to his arriors# All aited Juietl/, sa.e one, the lieutenant Ecthgo # This Ecthgo is a "aster of the hand axe; he had set up a sturd/ post of ood so"e distance fro" hi", and he practiced the thro of his hand axe to this ooden post, o.er and again# Indeed, "an/ hand axes had been gi.en hi"; I counted fi.e or six clipped to his broad belt, and others in his hands, and scattered on the ground about hi"# In li-e "anner as Herger stringing and testing ith his bo and arro , and also S-eld, for these ere the "ost s-illed in "ar-s"anship of the !orth"en arriors# The !orth"en arro s ha.e iron points and are "ost excellentl/ constructed, ith shafts straight as a taut line# The/ ha.e ithin each .illage or ca"p a "an ho is often crippled or la"e, and he is -no n as the al"s"ann; he fashions the arro s, and also the bo s, for the arriors of the region, and for these al"s is paid ith gold or shells or, as ha.e "/self seen, ith food and "eat#P%7Q The bo s of the !orth"en are near the length of their o n bodies, and "ade of birch# The fashion of shooting is this= the arro shaft is dra n bac- to the ear, not to the e/e, and thence let fl/; and the po er is such that the shaft "a/ pass cleanl/ through the bod/ of a "an, and not lodge therein; so also "a/ the shaft penetrate a sheet of ood of the thic-ness of a "anFs fist# Aeril/ I ha.e seen such po er ith an arro ith "/

o n e/es, and I "/self tried to ield one of their bo s, but disco.ered it ungainl/; for it as too large and resistant to "e# These !orth"en are s-illed in all the "anners of arfare and -illing ith the se.eral eapons that the/ pri0e# The/ spea- of the lines of arfare, hich has no sense of arrange"ents of soldiers; for all to the" is the co"bat of one "an to another ho is his ene"/# The t o lines of arfare differ as to the eapon# For the broads ord, hich is al a/s s ung in an arc and ne.er e"plo/ed in stabbing, the/ sa/= 1The s ord see-s the breath line,2 hich "eans to the" the nec-, and thereb/ the cutting off of the head fro" the bod/# For the spear, the arro , the hand axe, the dagger, and the other tools of stabbing, the/ sa/= 1These eapons see- the fat line#2P%DQ (/ these ords the/ intend to center part of the bod/ fro" head to groin; a ound in this center line "eans to the" certain death to their opponent# Also the/ belie.e it is fore"ost to stri-e the bell/ for its softness than to stri-e the chest or head portion# Aeril/, (uli /f and all his co"pan/ -ept atchful .igil that night, and I a"ong the"# I experienced "uch fatigue in this alertness, and soon enough as tired as if I had fought a battle, /et none had occurred# The !orth"en ere not fatigued, but read/ at an/ "o"ent# It is true that the/ are the "ost .igilant persons on the face of all the orld, e.er prepared for an/ battle or danger; and the/ find nothing tireso"e in this posture, hich for the" is ordinar/ fro" birth# At all ti"es are the/ prudent and atchful# After a ti"e I slept, and Herger o-e "e thus and brusJuel/= I felt a great thu"ping and a histle of air near "/ head, and upon the opening of "/ e/es sa an arro shi.ering in the ood at the breadth of a hair fro" "/ nose# This arro Herger had shot, and he and all the others laughed "ightil/ at "/ disco"fiture# To "e he said, 1If /ou sleep, /ou ill "iss the battle#2 I said in response that that ould be no hardship according to "/ o n a/ of thin-ing# !o Herger retrie.ed his arro and, obser.ing that I as offended ith his pran-, sat alongside "e and spo-e in a "anner of friendliness# Herger this night as in a pronounced "ood of <o-ing and fun# He shared ith "e a cup of "ead, and spo-e thus= 1S-eld is be itched#2 At this he laughed# S-eld as not far off, and Herger spo-e loudl/, so I recogni0ed that S-eld as to o.erhear us; /et Herger spo-e in 'atin, unintelligible to S-eld; so perhaps there as so"e other reason I do not -no # S-eld in this ti"e sharpened the points of his arro s and a aited the battle# To Herger I said= 1Ho is he be itchedK2 In repl/ Herger said= 1If he is not be itched, he "a/ be turning Arab, for he ashes his undergar"ents and also his bod/ each da/# Ha.e /ou not obser.ed this for /ourselfK2 I ans ered that I had not# Herger, laughing "uch, said, 1S-eld does this for such and such a freeborn o"an, ho has captured his fanc/# For her he ashes each da/, and acts a delicate ti"id fool# Ha.e /ou not obser.ed thisK2 Again I ans ered that I had not# To this Herger spo-e= 1+hat do /ou see insteadK2 and laughed "uch at his o n it, hich I did not share, or e.en pretend, for I as not

of a "ood to laugh# !o Herger sa/s, 1,ou Arabs are too dour# ,ou gru"ble all the hile# !othing is laughable to /our e/es#2 Here I said that he spo-e rongl/# He challenged "e to spea- a hu"orous stor/, and I told hi" of the ser"on of the fa"ous preacher# ,ou -no this ell# A fa"ous preacher stands in the pulpit of the "osJue, and fro" all around "en and o"en ha.e gathered to hear his noble ords# A "an, Ha"id, puts on a robe and .eil and sits a"ong the o"en# The fa"ous preacher sa/s= 1According to Isla", it is desirable that one should not let his or her pubic hair gro too long#2 A person as-s= 1Ho long is too long, O preacherK2 All -no this stor/; it is a rude <o-e, indeed# The preacher replies= 1It should not be longer than a barle/#2 !o Ha"id as-s the o"an next to hi"= 1Sister, please chec- to tell "e if "/ pubic hair is longer than a barle/#2 The o"an reaches under Ha"idFs robes to feel the pubic hair, hereupon her hand touches his organ# In her surprise she utters a cr/# The preacher hears this and is "uch pleased# To the audience he sa/s= 1,ou should all learn the art of attending a ser"on, as this lad/ does, for /ou can see ho it touched her heart#2 And the o"an, still shoc-ed, "a-es this repl/= 1It didnFt touch "/ heart, O preacher; it touched "/ hand#2 Herger listened to all "/ ords ith a flat countenance# !e.er did he laugh nor e.en s"ile# At "/ conclusion he said, 1+hat is a preacherK2 To this I said he as a stupid !orth"an ho -ne nothing of the ideness of the orld# And to this he laughed, hereas he did not laugh at the fable# !o S-eld ga.e a shout, and all the arriors of (uli /f, "/self a"ong the", turned to loo- at the hills, behind the blan-et of "ist# Here is hat I sa = high in the air, a glo ing fier/ point of light, li-e a bla0ing star, and a distance off# All the arriors sa it, and there as "ur"uring and excla"ation a"ong the"# Soon appeared a second point of light, and /et another, and then another# I counted past a do0en and then ceased to count further# These glo ing fire9points appeared in a line, hich undulated li-e a sna-e, or .eril/ li-e the undulating bod/ of a dragon# 1(e read/ no ,2 Herger said to "e, and also the !orth"enFs sa/ing= 1'uc- in battle#2 This ish I repeated bac- to hi" in the sa"e ords, and he "o.ed a a/# The glo ing fire9points ere still distant, /et the/ ca"e closer# !o I heard a sound hich I too- as thunder# This as a deep distant ru"bling that s elled in the "ist/ air, as all sounds do in "ist# For .eril/ it is true that in "ist a "anFs hisper can be heard a hundred paces distant, clear as if he hispered in /our o n ear# !o I atched, and listened, and all the arriors of (uli /f gripped their eapons and atched and listened li-e ise, and the glo or" dragon of )orgon bore do n upon us in thunder and fla"e# Each bla0ing point gre larger, and baleful red, flic-ering and lic-ing; the bod/ of the dragon as long and shi""ering, a .ision "ost fierce of aspect, and /et I as not afraid, for I deter"ined no that these ere horse"en ith torches, and this pro.ed true# Soon, then, fro" out of the "ist the horse"en e"erged, blac- shapes ith raised torches, blac- steeds hissing and charging, and the battle as <oined# I""ediatel/ the night air filled ith dreadful screa"s and cries of agon/, for the first charge of

horse"en had struc- the trench, and "an/ "ounts tu"bled and fell, spilling their riders, and the torches sputtered in the ater# Other horses tried to leap the fence, to be i"paled on the sharp sta-es# A section of the fence caught fire# +arriors ran in all directions# !o I sa one of the horse"en ride through the burning section of fence, and I could see this endol clearl/ for the first ti"e, and .eril/ I sa this= on a blac- steed rode a hu"an figure in blac-, but his head as the head of a bear# I as startled ith a ti"e of "ost horrible fright, and I feared I should die fro" fear alone, for ne.er had I itnessed such a night"are .ision; /et at the sa"e "o"ent the hand axe of Ecthgo as buried deep into the bac- of the rider, ho toppled and fell, and the bearFs head rolled fro" his bod/, and I sa that he had beneath the head of a "an# Ouic- as a lightning bolt, Ecthgo leapt upon the fallen creature, stabbed deep into the chest, turned the corpse and ithdre his hand axe fro" the bac-, and ran to <oin the battle# I also <oined the battle, for I as -noc-ed spinning fro" "/ feet b/ the blo of a lance# Man/ riders ere no ithin the fence, their torches bla0ing; so"e had the heads of bears and so"e did not; the/ circled and tried to set the buildings and the hall of Hurot afire# Against this, (uli /f and his "en battled .aliantl/# I ca"e to "/ feet <ust as one of the "ist "onsters bore do n upon "e ith charging steed# Aeril/ I did this= I stood fir" "/ ground and held "/ lance up ard, and the i"pact I thought ould rend "e# ,et the lance passed through the bod/ of the rider, and he screa"ed "ost horribl/, but he did not fall fro" his "ount, and rode on# I fell gasping ith pain in "/ sto"ach, but I as not trul/ in<ured sa.e for the "o"ent# During the ti"e of this battle, Herger and S-eld loosed their "an/ arro s, and the air as filled ith their histles, and the/ reached "an/ "ar-s# I sa the arro of S-eld pass through the nec- of one rider, and lodge there; /et again I sa S-eld and Herger both pierce a rider in the chest, and so Juic-l/ did the/ unsheathe and dra again that this sa"e rider soon bore four shafts buried in his bod/, and his screa"ing as "ost dreadful as he rode# ,et I learned this deed as accounted poor fighting b/ Herger and S-eld, for the !orth"en belie.e that there is nothing sacred in ani"als; so to the" the proper use of arro s is the -illing of horses, to dislodge the rider# The/ sa/ of this= 1A "an off his horse is half a "an, and t ice -illable#2 Thus the/ proceed ith no hesitations#P%$Q !o I also sa this= a rider s ept into the co"pound, bent lo on his galloping blachorse, and he caught up the bod/ of the "onster Ecthgo had slain, s ung it o.er his horseFs nec-, and rode off, for as I ha.e said, these "ist "onsters lea.e no dead to be found in the "orning light# The battle raged on a goodl/ period of ti"e b/ the light of the bla0ing fire through the "ist# I sa Herger in "ortal co"bat ith one of the de"ons; ta-ing up a fresh lance, I dro.e it deep into the creatureFs bac-# Herger, dripping blood, raised an ar" in than-s and plunged bac- into the co"bat# Here I felt great pride# !o I tried to ithdra "/ lance, and hilst so doing, as -noc-ed aside b/ so"e passing horse"an, and fro" that ti"e in truth I re"e"ber little# I sa that one of the

d ellings of the nobles of Rothgar as burning in lic-ing spitting fla"e, but that the doused hall of Hurot as still untouched, and I as glad as if I ere "/self a !orth"an, and such ere "/ final thoughts# :pon the da n, I as roused b/ so"e "anner of bathing upon the flesh of "/ face, and as pleased for the gentle touch# Soon then, I sa that I recei.ed the "inistrations of a lic-ing dog, and felt "uch the drun-en fool, and as "ortified, as "a/ be i"agined#PB>Q !o I sa that I la/ in the ditch, here the ater as red as blood itself, I arose and al-ed through the s"o-ing co"pound, past all "anner of death and destruction# I sa that the earth as soa-ed in blood, as fro" a rain, ith "an/ puddles# I sa the bodies of slain nobles, and dead o"en and children li-e ise# So, also, I sa three or four hose bodies ere charred and crusted fro" fire# All these bodies la/ e.er/ here upon the ground and I as obliged to cast "/ e/es do n ard lest I step upon the", so thic-l/ ere the/ spread# Of the defense or-s, "uch of the pole fence had been burned a a/# :pon other sections, horses la/ i"paled and cold# Torches ere scattered here and there# I sa none of the arriors of (uli /f# !o cries or "ourning ca"e fro" the -ingdo" of Rothgar, for the !orth people do not la"ent an/ death, but on the contrar/ there as unusual stillness in the air# I heard the cro ing of a coc-, and the bar- of a dog, but no hu"an .oices in the da/light# Then I entered the great hall of Hurot, and here found t o bodies laid upon the rushes, ith their hel"ets upon their chests# There as S-eld, an earl of (uli /f; there as Helfdane, earlier in<ured and no cold and pale# (oth ere dead# Also there as Rethel, /oungest of the arriors, ho sat upright in a corner and as attended b/ sla.e o"en# Rethel had been ounded pre.iousl/ but he had a fresh in<ur/ in his sto"ach, and there as "uch blood; surel/ it pained hi" greatl/, and /et he sho ed onl/ cheer, and he s"iled and teased the sla.e o"en b/ the practice of pinching their breasts and buttoc-s, and often the/ chided hi" for causing their distraction as the/ atte"pted to bind his ounds# Here is the "anner of the treat"ent of ounds, according to their nature# If a arrior be ounded in the extre"it/, either the ar" or the leg, a ligature is tied about the extre"it/, and cloths boiled in ater placed o.er the ound to co.er it# Also, I as told that spider ebs or bits of la"bFs ool "a/ be placed into the ound to thic-en the blood and stop its flo ; this I ne.er obser.ed# If a arrior be ounded in the head or the nec-, his in<ur/ is bathed clean and exa"ined b/ the sla.e o"en# If the s-in is rent but the hite bones hole, then the/ sa/ of such a ound, 1It is no "atter#2 (ut if the bones are crac-ed, or bro-en open in so"e fashion, then the/ sa/, 1His life issues out and soon escapes#2 If a arrior be ounded in the chest, the/ feel his hands and feet, and if these are ar", the/ sa/ of such a ound, 1It is no "atter#2 ,et if this arrior coughs or .o"its blood, the/ sa/, 1He spea-s in blood,2 and count this "ost serious# A "an "a/ die of the blood9spea-ing illness, or he "a/ not, as is his fate#

If a arrior is ounded in the abdo"en, the/ feed hi" a soup of onions and herbs; then the o"en s"ell about his ounds, and if the/ s"ell onions, the/ sa/, 1He has the soup illness,2 and the/ -no he shall die# I sa ith "/ o n e/es the o"en prepare a soup of onion for Rethel, ho dran- a Juantit/ of this; and the sla.e o"an s"elled at his ound, and the/ s"elled the odor of onion# At this, Rethel laughed and "ade so"e "anner of heart/ <o-e, and called for "ead, hich as brought hi", and he sho ed no trace of an/ care# !o (uli /f, the leader, and all his arriors conferred in another place in the great hall# I <oined their co"pan/, but as accorded no greeting# Herger, hose life I had sa.ed, "ade no notice of "e, for the arriors ere deep in sole"n con.ersation# I had learned so"e of the !orse speech, but not sufficient to follo their lo and Juic-l/ spo-en ords, and so I al-ed to another place and dran- so"e "ead, and felt the aches of "/ bod/# Then a sla.e o"an ca"e to bathe "/ ounds# These ere a cut in the calf and another on "/ chest# These in<uries I had been insensible to until the ti"e she "ade offer of her "inistrations# The !orth"en bathe ounds ith ocean sea ater, belie.ing this ater to possess "ore curati.e po ers than spring ater# Such bathing ith sea ater is not agreeable to the ound# In truth I groaned and at this, Rethel laughed and spo-e to a sla.e o"an= 1He is still an Arab#2 Here I as asha"ed# Also the !orth"en ill bathe ounds in the heated urine of co s# This I refused, hen it as offered "e# The !orth people thin- co urine an ad"irable substance, and store it up in ooden containers# In the ordinar/ a/ of things, the/ boil it until it is dense and stinging to the nostrils, and then e"plo/ this .ile liJuid for ashing, especiall/ of coarse hite gar"ents#PB6Q Also I as told that, upon one ti"e or another, the !orth people "a/ be engaged in a long sea .o/age and ha.e at hand no supplies of fresh ater, and therefore each "an drin-s his o n urine, and in this a/ the/ can sur.i.e until the/ reach shore# This I as told but ne.er sa , b/ the grace of Allah# !o Herger ca"e to "e, for the conference of the arriors as at an end# The sla.e o"an attending "e had "ade "/ ounds burn "ost distractingl/; /et I as deter"ined to "aintain a !orth"an sho of great cheer# I said to Herger, 1+hat trifling "atter shall e underta-e nextK2 Herger loo-ed to "/ ounds, and said to "e, 1,ou can ride ell enough#2 I inJuired here I ould be riding, and in truth at once lost all "/ good cheer, for I had great eariness, and no strength for aught but resting# Herger said= 1Tonight, the glo or" dragon ill attac- again# (ut e are no too ea-, and our nu"bers too fe # Our defenses are burned and destro/ed# The glo or" dragon ill -ill us all#2

These ords he spo-e cal"l/# I sa this, and said to Herger= 1+here, then, do e rideK2 I had in "ind that b/ reason of their hea./ losses, (uli /f and his co"pan/ "ight be abandoning the -ingdo" of Rothgar# In this I as not opposed# Herger said to "e= 1A olf that lies in its lair ne.er gets "eat, or a sleeping "an .ictor/#2 This is a !orth"an pro.erb, and fro" it I too- a different plan= that e ere going to attac- on horsebac- the "ist "onsters here the/ la/, in the "ountains or the hills# +ith no great heart I inJuired of Herger hen this should be, and Herger told "e in the "iddle part of the da/# !o I sa also that a child entered the hall, and carried in his hands so"e ob<ect of stone# This as exa"ined b/ Herger, and it as another of the headless stone car.ings of a pregnant o"an, bloated and ugl/# Herger shouted an oath, and dropped the stone fro" his tre"bling hands# He called upon the sla.e o"an, ho too- the stone and placed it in the fire, here the heat of the fla"es caused it to crac- and splinter into frag"ents# These frag"ents ere then thro n into the sea, or so I as infor"ed b/ Herger# I inJuired hat as the "eaning of the car.ed stone, and he said to "e, 1That is the i"age of the "other of the eaters of the dead, she ho presides o.er the", and directs the" in the eating#2 !o I sa that (uli /f, ho stood in the center of the great hall, as loo-ing up at the ar" of one of the fiends, hich still hung fro" the rafters# Then he loo-ed do n at the t o bodies of his slain co"panions, and at the aning Rethel, and his shoulders fell, and his chin san- to his chest# And then he al-ed past the" and out of the door, and I sa hi" put on his ar"or, and ta-e up his s ord, and prepare for battle ane # THE DESERT OF DREAD (:'I+,F &A''ED FOR SEAE! ST:RD, HORSES, A!D I! the earl/ part of the da/ e rode fro" the great hall of Rothgar out into the flat plain, and thence to ard the hills be/ond# +ith us also ere four hounds of pure hite color, great ani"als hich I should count nearer to ol.es than dogs, so fierce as their de"eanor# This "ade the totalit/ of our attac-ing forces, and I belie.ed it a eagesture against so for"idable an opponent, /et the !orth"en place great faith upon surprise and a sl/ attac-# Also, b/ their o n rec-oning the/ are each "an the eJual of three or four of an/ other# I as not disposed to e"bar- upon another .enture of arfare, and as "uch a"a0ed that the !orth"en did not reflect such a .ie , springing as it did fro" the fatigue of "/ bod/# Herger said of this= 1It is al a/s thus, no and in Aalhalla,2 hich is their idea of hea.en# In this hea.en, hich is to the" a great hall, arriors battle fro" da n to dus-; then those ho are dead are re.i.ed, and all share a feast in the night, ith endless food and drin-; and then upon the da/ the/ battle again; and those ho die are re.i.ed, and there is a feast; and this is the nature of their hea.en through all eternit/#PB%Q Thus the/ ne.er count it strange to do battle da/ upon da/ hile on the earth# Our direction of tra.el as deter"ined b/ the trail of blood the retreating horse"en had left fro" the night# The hounds led, racing along this red dripping trail# +e

paused but once upon the flat plain, to retrie.e a eapon dropped b/ the departing de"ons# Here is the nature of the eapon= it as a hand axe ith a haft of so"e ood, and a blade of chipped stone bound to the haft ith hide thongs# The edge of this axe as exceedingl/ sharp, and the blade fashioned ith s-ill, as "uch as if this stone ere so"e ge"stone to be chiseled to delight a rich lad/Fs .anit/# Such as the degree of or-"anship, and the eapon as for"idable for the sharpness of its edge# !e.er ha.e I seen such an ob<ect before on the face of all the earth# Herger told "e that the endol "ade all their tools and eapons of this stone, or so the !orth"en belie.e# ,et e tra.eled on ard ith good speed, led b/ the bar-ing dogs, and their bar-ing cheered "e# At length e ca"e to the hills# +e rode into the hills ithout hesitation or cere"on/, each of the arriors of (uli /f intent upon his purpose, a silent and gri"9faced co"pan/ of "en# The/ held the "ar-s of fear upon their faces, and /et no "an paused or faltered, but pressed on ard# !o it as cold in the hills, in the forests of dar- green trees, and a chill ind ble at our clothing, and e sa the hissing breath of the steeds, and hite plu"es of breath fro" the running dogs, and e pressed on ard still# After so"e tra.el until the "iddle period of the da/, e arri.ed at a ne landscape# Here as a brac-ish tarn, no "oor, or heathIa desolate land, "ost rese"bling a desert, /et not sand/ and dr/, but da"p and sogg/, and o.er this land la/ the faintest isps of "ist# The !orth"en call this place the desert of dread#PBBQ !o I sa ith "/ o n e/es that this "ist la/ upon the land in s"all poc-ets or clusterings, li-e tin/ clouds seated upon the earth# In one area, the air is clear; then in another place there are s"all "ists that hang near the ground, rising to the height of a horseFs -nees, and in such a place e ould lose sight of the dogs, ho ere en.eloped in these "ists# Then, a "o"ent later, the "ist ould clear, and e ould be in another open space again# Such as the landscape of the heath# I found this sight re"ar-able, but the !orth"en too- it to be nothing special; the/ said the land in this region has "an/ brac-ish pools and bubbling hot springs, hich rise fro" rents in the ground; in these places, a s"all fog collects, and re"ains there all the da/ and night# The/ call this the place of stea"ing la-es# The land is difficult for horses, and e "ade slo er progress# The dogs also .entured "ore slo l/, and I noted that the/ bar-ed less .igorousl/# Soon our co"pan/ had changed holl/= fro" a gallop, ith /elping dogs in the forefront, to a slo al-, ith silent dogs hardl/ illing to lead the a/, and instead falling bac- until the/ ere underfoot the horses, thus causing so"e occasional difficult/# It as still .er/ cold, indeed colder than before, and I sa here and there a s"all patch of sno upon the ground, though this as, b/ "/ best rec-oning, the su""er period# At a slo pace, e proceeded for a goodl/ distance, and I had onder that e should be lost, and ne.er find our a/ bac- through this heath# !o at a place the dogs halted# There as no difference in the terrain, or an/ "ar- or ob<ect upon the ground; /et the dogs stopped as if the/ had arri.ed upon so"e fence or palpable obstruction# Our part/ halted at this place, and loo-ed about in this direction and that# There as

no ind, and no sounds ere here; not the sound of birds or of an/ li.ing ani"al, but onl/ silence# (uli /f said, 1Here begins the land of the endol,2 and the arriors patted their steeds upon the nec-s to co"fort the", for the horses ere s-ittish and ner.ous in this region# So also ere the riders# (uli /f -ept his lips tight; Ecthgo Fs hands tre"bled as he held the reins of his horse; Herger as gone Juite pale, and his e/es darted to this a/ and that; so also the others in their a/# The !orth"en sa/, 1Fear has a hite "outh,2 and no I sa that this is true, for the/ ere all pale around the lips and "outh# !o "an spo-e of his fear# !o e left the dogs behind, and rode on ard into "ore sno , hich as thin and crunching underfoot, and into thic-er "ists# !o "an spo-e, sa.e to the horses# At each step these beasts ere "ore difficult to prod on ard; the arriors ere obliged to urge the" ith soft ords and sharp -ic-s# Soon e sa shado / for"s in the "ist ahead of us, hich e approached ith caution# !o I sa ith "/ o n e/es this= on either side of the path, "ounted high on stout poles, ere the s-ulls of enor"ous beasts, their <a s opened in a posture of attac-# +e continued, and I sa these ere the s-ulls of giant bears, hich the endol orship# Herger said to "e that the bear s-ulls protect the borders of the land of the endol# !o e sighted another obstacle, gra/ and distant and large# Here as a giant roc-, as high as a horseFs saddle, and it as car.ed in the shape of a pregnant o"an, ith bulging bell/ and breasts, and no head or ar"s or legs# This roc- as spattered ith the blood of so"e sacrifices; .eril/ it dripped ith strea-s of red, and as grueso"e to loo- upon# !o "an spo-e of hat as obser.ed# +e rode on apace# The arriors dre out their s ords and held the" in readiness# !o here is a Jualit/ to the !orth"en= that pre.iousl/ the/ sho ed fear, but ha.ing entered into the land of the endol, close to the source of the fear, their o n apprehensions disappeared# Thus do the/ see" to do all things bac- ard, and in perplexing "anner, for .eril/ the/ no appeared at ease# It as onl/ the horses that ere e.er "ore difficult to prod on ard# I s"elled, no , the rotting9carcass odor that I had s"elled before in the great hall of Rothgar; and as it reached "/ nostrils ane , I as faint of heart# Herger rode alongside "e and said in a soft .oice, 1Ho do /ou fareK2 !ot being capable of concealing "/ e"otions, I said to hi", 1I a" afraid#2 Herger replied to "e= 1That is because /ou thin- upon hat is to co"e, and i"agine fearso"e things that ould stop the blood of an/ "an# Do not thin- ahead, and be cheerful b/ -no ing that no "an li.es fore.er#2 I sa the truth of his ords# 1In "/ societ/,2 I said, 1 e ha.e a sa/ing hich is= RThan- Allah, for in his isdo" he put death at the end of life, and not at the beginning#F 2

Herger s"iled at this, and laughed briefl/# 1In fear, e.en Arabs spea- the truth,2 he said, and then rode for ard to tell "/ ords to (uli /f, ho also laughed# The arriors of (uli /f ere glad for a <o-e at that ti"e# !o e ca"e to a hill and, reaching the crest, paused and loo-ed do n upon the enca"p"ent of the endol# Here is ho it la/ before us, as I sa ith "/ o n e/es= there as a .alle/, and in the .alle/ a circle of rude huts of "ud and stra , of poor construction as a child "ight erect; and in the center of the circle a large fire, no s"oldering# ,et there ere no horses, no ani"als, no "o.e"ent, no sign of life of an/ -ind; and this e sa through the shifting gau0e of the "ist# (uli /f dis"ounted his steed, and the arriors did li-e ise, "/self a"ong the"# In truth, "/ heart pounded and I as short of breath as I loo-ed do n at the sa.age enca"p"ent of the de"ons# +e spo-e in hispers# 1+h/ is there no acti.it/K2 I inJuired# 1The endol are creatures of the night e.en as o ls or bats, Herger replied, 1and the/ sleep during the hours of the da/# So are the/ sleeping no , and e shall descend into their co"pan/, and fall upon the", and sla/ the" in their drea"s#2 1+e are so fe ,2 I said, for there ere "an/ huts belo hich I percei.ed#

1+e are enough,2 Herger said, and then he ga.e "e a draught of "ead, hich I drangratefull/, ith praise to Allah that it is not forbidden, or e.en disappro.ed of#PBCQ In truth, I as finding "/ tongue hospitable to this .er/ substance I once thought .ile; thus do strange things cease to be strange upon repetition# In li-e fashion, I no longer attended the hideous stench of the endol, for I had been s"elling it a goodl/ ti"e and I no longer as a are of the odor# The !orth people are "ost peculiar in the "atter of s"elling# The/ are not clean, as I ha.e said; and the/ eat all "anner of e.il food and drin-; and /et it is true that the/ .alue the nose abo.e all parts of the bod/# In battle, the loss of an ear is no great "atter; the loss of a finger or toe or a hand little "ore; and such scars and in<uries the/ bear indifferentl/# (ut the loss of a nose the/ count eJual to death itself, and this e.en to the loss of a piece of the flesh/ tip, hich other people ould sa/ is a "ost "inor in<ur/# The brea-ing of the bones of the nose, through battle and blo s, is no "atter; "an/ of the" ha.e croo-ed noses for that cause# I do not -no the reason for this fear of cutting the nose#PB?Q Fortified, the arriors of (uli /f and I a"ong the" left our steeds upon the hill, but these ani"als could not go unattended, so affrighted ere the/# One of our part/ as to re"ain ith the", and I had hopes to be selected to this tas-; /et it as Haltaf, he being alread/ in<ured and of least use# Thus e others aril/ descended the hill a"ong the sic-l/ scrub and d/ing bushes do n the slope to the enca"p"ent of the endol# +e "o.ed in stealth, and no alar" as raised, and soon e ere in the .er/ heart of the .illage of the de"ons#

(uli /f ne.er spo-e, but ga.e all directions and orders ith his hands# And fro" hi" I too- the "eaning that e ere to go in groups of t o arriors, each pair in a different direction# Herger and I ere to attac- the nearest of the "ud huts, and the others ere to attac- others# All aited until the groups ere stationed outside the huts, and then, ith a ho l, (uli /f raised his great s ord Runding and led the attac-# I dashed ith Herger into one of the huts, blood pounding in "/ head, "/ s ord light as a feather in "/ hands# Aeril/ I as read/ for the "ightiest battle of "/ life# I sa nothing inside; the but as deserted and barren as ell, sa.e for rude beds of stra , so clu"s/ in their appearance the/ see"ed "ore to rese"ble nests of so"e ani"al# +e dashed outside, and attac-ed the next of these "ud huts# Again e found it e"pt/# Aeril/, all the huts ere e"pt/, and the arriors of (uli /f ere sorel/ .exed and stared one to the next ith expression of surprise and astonish"ent# Then Ecthgo called to us, and e gathered at one of these huts, larger than an/ of the others# And here I sa that it as deserted as the/ ere all deserted, but the interior as not barren# Rather, the floor of the hut as littered ith fragile bones, hich crunched underfoot li-e the bones of birds, delicate and frail# I as "uch surprised at this, and stooped to see the nature of these bones# +ith a shoc-, I sa the cur.ed line of an e/e soc-et here, and a fe teeth there# Aeril/ e stood upon a carpet of the bones of hu"an faces, and for further proofs of this ghastl/ truth, piled high upon one all of the hut ere the head portions of the hu"an s-ulls, stac-ed in.erted li-e so "an/ potter/ bo ls, but glistening hite# I as sic-, and departed the hut to purge "/self# Herger said to "e that the endol eat the brains of their .icti"s, as a hu"an person "ight eat eggs or cheese# This is their custo"; .ile as it is to conte"plate such a "atter, /et it is true# !o another of the arriors called to us, and e entered another hut# Here I sa this= the but as bare, except for a large throne9li-e chair, car.ed of a single piece of enor"ous ood# This chair had a high fanning bac-, car.ed into the shape of sna-es and de"ons# At the foot of the chair ere littered bones of s-ulls, and upon the ar"s of the chair, here its o ner "ight rest his hands there as blood and re"nants of hitish chees/ substance, hich as hu"an brain "aterial# The odor of this roo" as ghastl/# 3laced all around this chair there ere s"all pregnant stone car.ings, such as I ha.e described before; these car.ings for"ed a circle or peri"eter about the chair# Herger said, 1This is here she rules,2 and his .oice as lo and a ed# I as not able to co"prehend his "eaning, and as sic- in heart and sto"ach# I e"ptied "/ sto"ach upon the soil# Herger and (uli /f and the others ere also distressed, though no "an purged hi"self, but rather the/ too- glo ing e"bers fro" the fire and set the huts afla"e# The/ burned slo l/, for the/ ere da"p# And thus e cli"bed up the hill, "ounted our horses, and left the region of the endol, and departed the desert of dread# And all the arriors of (uli /f ere no sad of aspect, for the endol had surpassed the" in cunning and cle.erness,

abandoning their lair in anticipation of the attac-, and the/ ould count the burning of their d ellings no great loss# THE &O:!SE' OF THE D+ARF +E RET:R!ED AS +E HAD &OME, (:T RODE +ITH greater speed, for the horses no ere eager, and e.entuall/ ca"e do n fro" the hills and sa the flat plain and, in the distance, at the oceanFs edge, the settle"ent and the great hall of Rothgar# !o (uli /f .eered a a/ and led us in another direction, to ard high roc-/ crags s ept b/ the ocean inds# I rode alongside Herger and inJuired the reason for this, and he said e ere to see- out the d ar.es of the region# At this I as "uch surprised, for the "en of the !orth ha.e no d ar.es a"ong their societ/; the/ are ne.er seen in the streets, nor do an/ sit at the feet of -ings, nor are an/ to be found counting "one/ or -eeping records or an/ of the things that e -no of d ar.es#PB8Q !e.er had an/ !orth"an "entioned d ar.es to "e, and I had presu"ed that so giant a peoplePB7Q ould ne.er produce d ar.es# !o e ca"e to a region of ca.es, hollo ed and inds ept, and (uli /f dis"ounted fro" his horse, and all the arriors of (uli /f did li-e ise, and proceeded b/ foot# I heard a hissing sound, and .eril/ I sa puffs of stea" issue fro" one and another of these se.eral ca.es# +e entered one ca.e and there found d ar.es# The/ ere in appearance thus= of the ordinar/ si0e of d arf, but distinguished b/ hands of great si0e, and bearing features that appeared exceedingl/ aged# There ere both "ale and fe"ale d ar.es and all had the appearance of great age# The "ales ere bearded and sole"n; the o"en also had so"e hair upon the face, so the/ appeared "anli-e# Each d arf ore a gar"ent of fur or sable; each also ore a thin belt of hide decorated ith bits of ha""ered gold# The d ar.es greeted our arri.al politel/, ith no sign of fear# Herger said these creatures ha.e "agic po ers and need fear no "an on earth; ho e.er, the/ are apprehensi.e of horses, and for this reason e had left the "ounts behind us# Herger said also that the po ers of a d arf reside in his thin belt, and that a d arf ill do an/thing to retrie.e his belt if it is lost# Herger said this also= that the appearance of great age a"ong the d ar.es as a true thing, and that a d arf li.ed be/ond the span of an/ ordinar/ "an# Also he said to "e that these d ar.es are .irile fro" their earliest /outh; that e.en as infants the/ ha.e hair at the groin, and "e"bers of unco""on si0e# Indeed, it is in this a/ that the parents first co"e to -no that their infant child is a d arf, and a creature of "agic, ho "ust be ta-en to the hills to li.e ith others of his -ind# This done, the parents gi.e than-s to the gods and sacrifice so"e ani"al or other, for to gi.e birth to a d arf is accounted high good fortune# This is the belief of the !orth people, as Herger spo-e it, and I do not -no the truth of the "atter, and report onl/ hat as told to "e#

!o I sa that the hissing and stea" issued fro" great cauldrons, into hich ha""ered9steel blades ere plunged to te"per the "etal, for the d ar.es "a-e eapons that are highl/ pri0ed b/ the !orth"en# Indeed, I sa the arriors of (uli /f loo-ing about the ca.es eagerl/, as an/ o"an in a ba0aar shop selling precious sil-s# (uli /f "ade inJuiries of these creatures, and as directed to the top"ost of the ca.es, herein sat a single d arf, older than all the others, ith a beard and hair of purest hite, and a creased and rin-led face# This d arf as called 1tengol,2 hich "eans a <udge of good and e.il, and also a soothsa/er# This tengol "ust ha.e had the "agical po ers that all said he did, for he i""ediatel/ greeted (uli /f b/ his na"e, and bade hi" sit ith hi"# (uli /f sat, and e gathered a short distance a a/, standing# !o (uli /f did not present the tengol ith gifts; the !orth"en "a-e no obeisance to the little people; the/ belie.e that the fa.ors of the d ar.es "ust be freel/ gi.en, and it is rong to encourage the fa.ors of a d arf ith gifts# Thus (uli /f sat, and the tengol loo-ed at hi", and then closed his e/es and began to spea-, roc-ing bacand forth as he sat# The tengol spo-e in a high .oice as a child, and Herger told "e the "eaning as thus= 1O (uli /f, /ou are a great arrior but /ou ha.e "et /our "atch in the "onsters of the "ist, the eaters of the dead# This shall be a struggle to the death, and /ou shall need all /our strength and isdo" to o.erco"e the challenge#2 And he ent on in this "anner for so"e good ti"e, roc-ing bac- and forth# The i"port as that (uli /f faced a difficult ad.ersar/, hich I alread/ -ne ell enough and so did (uli /f hi"self# ,et (uli /f as patient# Also I sa that (uli /f too- no offense hen the d arf laughed at hi", hich freJuentl/ he did# The d arf spo-e= 1,ou ha.e co"e to "e because /ou attac-ed the "onsters in the brac-ish "arsh and tarn, and this a.ailed /ou nothing# Therefore /ou co"e to "e for ad.ice and ad"onish"ent, as a child to his father, sa/ing hat shall I do no , for all "/ plans ha.e failed "e#2 The tengol laughed long at this speech# Then his old face turned sole"n# 1O (uli /f,2 he said, 1I see the future, but I can tell /ou no "ore than /ou alread/ -no # ,ou and all /our bra.e arriors gathered /our s-ill and /our courage to "a-e an attac- upon the "onsters in the desert of dread# In this /ou cheated /ourself, for such as not a true heroFs enterprise#2 I heard these ords ith astonish"ent, for it had see"ed heroic or- enough for "e# 1!o, no, noble (uli /f,2 the tengol said# 1,ou set out upon a false "ission, and deep in /our heroFs heart /ou -ne it as un orth/# So, too, as /our battle against the glo or" dragon )orgon un orth/, and it cost /ou "an/ fine arriors# To hat end are all /our plansK2 Still (uli /f did not ans er# He sat ith the d arf and aited#

1A heroFs great challenge,2 the d arf said, 1is in the heart, and not in the ad.ersar/# +hat "atter if /ou had co"e upon the endol in their lair and had -illed "an/ of their nu"ber as the/ sleptK ,ou could -ill "an/, /et this ould not end the struggle, an/ "ore than cutting off the fingers ill -ill the "an# To -ill the "an, /ou "ust pierce the head or the heart, and thus it is ith the endol# All this /ou -no , and need not "/ counsel to -no it#2 Thus the d arf, roc-ing bac- and forth, chastised (uli /f# And thus (uli /f accepted his rebu-e, for he did not repl/, but onl/ lo ered his head# 1,ou ha.e done the or- of a "ere "an,2 the tengol continued, 1and not a proper hero# A hero does hat no "an dares to underta-e# To -ill the endol, /ou "ust stri-e at the head and the heart= /ou "ust o.erco"e their .er/ "other, in the thunder ca.es#2 I did not understand the "eaning of these ords# 1,ou -no of this, for it has al a/s been true, through all the ages of "an# Shall /our bra.e arriors die, one b/ oneK Or shall /ou stri-e at the "other in the ca.esK Here is no prophec/, onl/ the choice of a "an or a hero#2 !o (uli /f "ade so"e response, but it as lo , and lost to "e in the ho l of the ind that ra-ed the entrance to the ca.e# +hate.er the ords, the d arf spo-e further= 1That is the heroFs ans er, (uli /f, and I ould expect none other fro" /ou# Thus shall I help /our Juest#2 Then a nu"ber of his -ind ca"e for ard into the light fro" the dar- recesses of the ca.e# And the/ bore "an/ ob<ects# 1Here,2 said the tengol, 1are lengths of rope, "ade fro" the s-ins of seals caught at the first "elting of the ice# These ropes ill help /ou to attain the ocean entrance to the thunder ca.es#2 1I than- /ou,2 (uli /f said# 1And here also,2 the tengol said, 1are se.en daggers, forged ith stea" and "agic, for /ou and /our arriors# 4reat s ords ill be of no a.ail in the thunder ca.es# &arr/ these ne eapons bra.el/, and /ou shall acco"plish all /ou desire#2 (uli /f too- the daggers, and than-ed the d arf# He stood# 1+hen shall e do this thingK2 he as-ed# 1,esterda/ is better than toda/,2 the tengol replied, 1and to"orro is better than the da/ hich follo s that# So "a-e haste, and carr/ out /our intentions ith a fir" heart and a strong ar"#2 1And hat follo s if e succeedK2 (uli /f as-ed# 1Then the endol shall be "ortall/ ounded, and thrash in its death throes a final ti"e, and after this last agon/ the land shall ha.e peace and sunlight fore.er"ore# And /our na"e shall be sung glorious in all the halls of the !orthlands, fore.er"ore#2

1The deeds of dead "en are so sung,2 (uli /f said# 1That is true,2 the d arf said, and laughed again, the giggle of a child or a /oung girl# 1And also the deeds of heroes ho li.e, but ne.er are sung the deeds of ordinar/ "en# All this /ou -no #2 !o (uli /f departed fro" the ca.e, and ga.e to each of us the dagger of the d ar.es, and e descended fro" the roc-/ inds ept crags, and returned to the -ingdo" and the great hall of Rothgar as night as falling# All these things too- place, and I sa the" ith "/ o n e/es# THE EAE!TS OF THE !I4HT (EFORE THE ATTA&) !O MIST &AME THAT !I4HT; THE FO4 DES&E!DED fro" the hills but hung bac- a"ong the trees, and did not creep out onto the plain# In the great hall of Rothgar, a "ight/ feast as held, and (uli /f and all his arriors <oined in great celebration# T o great horned sheepPBDQ ere slaughtered and consu"ed; each "an dran- .ast Juantities of "ead; (uli /f hi"self ra.ished half a do0en sla.e girls, and perhaps "ore; but despite "err/"a-ing neither he nor his arriors ere trul/ cheerful# Fro" one ti"e to another, I sa the" glance at the ropes of seals-in and the d arf daggers, hich had been set apart to one side# !o I <oined in the general re.elr/, for I felt as one of the", ha.ing spent "uch ti"e in their co"pan/, or so it see"ed# Indeed, that night I felt I had been born a !orth"an# Herger, "uch intoxicated, told "e freel/ of the "other of the endol# He said this= 1The "other of the endol is .er/ old and she li.es in the ca.es of thunder# These thunder ca.es lie in the roc- of cliffs, not far fro" here# The ca.es ha.e t o openings, one fro" the land and another fro" the sea# (ut the entrance fro" the land is guarded b/ the endol, ho protect their old "other; so it is that e cannot attac- fro" the side of the land, for in this a/ e ould all be -illed# Therefore e shall attac- fro" the sea#2 I inJuired of hi"= 1+hat is the nature of this "other of the endolK2 Herger said that no !orth"an -ne this thing, but that it as said a"ong the" that she as old, older than the old crone the/ call the angel of death; and also that she as frightful to loo- upon; and also that she ore sna-es upon her head as a reath; and also, too, that she as strong be/ond all accounting# And he said at the last that the endol called upon her to direct the" in all their affairs of life#PB$Q Then Herger turned fro" "e and slept# !o this e.ent occurred= in the depths of the night, as the celebrations ere dra ing to a close and the arriors ere drifting into sleep, (uli /f sought "e out# He sat beside "e and dran- "ead fro" a horned cup# He as not intoxicated, I sa , and he spo-e slo l/ in the !orth tongue, so that I should understand his "eaning# He said first to "e= 1Did /ou co"prehend the ords of the d arf tengolK2

I replied that I did, ith the help of Herger, ho no snored near to us# (uli /f said to "e= 1Then /ou -no I shall die#2 He spo-e thus, ith his e/es clear and his ga0e fir"# I did not -no an/ repl/, or response to "a-e, but finall/ said to hi" in the !orth fashion, 1(elie.e no prophec/ until it bears fruit#2PC>Q (uli /f said= 1,ou ha.e seen "uch of our a/s# Tell "e hat is true# Do /ou dra soundsK2 I ans ered that I did# 1Then loo- to /our safet/, and do not be o.erbra.e# ,ou dress and no /ou spea- as a !orth"an, and not a foreign "an# See that /ou li.e#2 I placed "/ hand upon his shoulder, as I had seen his fello greeting# arriors do to hi" in

He s"iled then# 1I fear no thing,2 he said, 1and need no co"fort# I tell /ou to loo- to /our o n safet/, for /our o n account# !o it is isest to sleep#2 So spea-ing, he turned a a/ fro" "e, and de.oted his attention to a sla.e girl, ho" he pleasured not a do0en paces fro" here I sat, and I turned a a/ hearing the "oans and laughter of this o"an# And at length I fell into a sleep# THE TH:!DER &AAES (EFORE THE FIRST 3I!) STREA)S OF DA+! 'I4HTED the s-/, (uli /f and his arriors, "/self a"ong the", rode out fro" the -ingdo" of Rothgar and follo ed the cliff edge abo.e the sea# On this da/ I did not feel fit, for "/ head ached; also as "/ sto"ach sour fro" the celebration of the pre.ious night# Surel/ all the arriors of (uli /f ere in li-e condition, /et no "an ga.e signal of these disco"forts# +e rode bris-l/, s-irting the border of the cliffs hich on all this coast are high and forbidding, and sheer; in a sheet of gra/ stone the/ drop to the foa"ing and turbulent sea belo # In so"e places along this coastline there are roc-/ beaches, but often the land and the sea "eet directl/, and the a.es crash li-e thunder upon the roc-s; and this as the circu"stance for the "ost part# I sa Herger, ho carried upon his horse the seals-in ropes of the d ar.es, and I rode up to tra.el alongside hi"# I inJuired hat as our purpose on this da/# In truth, I did not care greatl/, so badl/ did "/ head ache and "/ sto"ach burn# Herger said to "e, 1On this "orning, e attac- the "other of the endol in the thunder ca.es# This e shall do b/ attac-ing fro" the sea, as I ha.e told /ou /esterda/#2 +hile I rode, I loo-ed fro" "/ horse do n at the sea, hich s"ashed upon the roccliffs# 1Do e attac- b/ boatK2 I inJuired of Herger# 1!o,2 Herger said, and slapped his hand upon the seals-in ropes# Then I too- his "eaning to be that e should cli"b do n the cliffs on the ropes, and thereb/ in so"e fashion "a-e an entrance into the ca.es# I as "uch frightened at

this prospect, for ne.er ha.e I li-ed to be exposed upon high places; e.en high buildings in the &it/ of 3eace ha.e I a.oided# I said as "uch# Herger said to "e, 1(e than-ful, for /ou are fortunate#2 I inJuired the source of "/ fortune# Herger said in repl/, 1If /ou ha.e the fear of high places, then this da/ /ou shall o.erco"e it; and so /ou shall ha.e faced a great challenge; and so /ou shall be ad<udged a hero#2 I said to hi", 1I do not ant to be a hero#2 At this he laughed and said that I expressed such an opinion onl/ because I as an Arab# Then also he said that I had a stiff head, b/ hich the !orth"en "ean the after"ath of drin-ing# This as true, as I ha.e alread/ told# Also it is true that I as "uch aggrie.ed at the prospect of cli"bing do n the cliff# Aeril/ I felt in this "anner= that I should rather do an/ action upon the face of the earth, hether to lie ith a o"an in "enses, to drin- fro" a gold cup, to eat the excre"ent of a pig, to put out "/ e/es, e.en to die itselfIan/ or all of these things should I prefer to the cli"bing of that accursed cliff# Also I as in ill te"per# To Herger I said, 1,ou and (uli /f and all /our co"pan/ "a/ be heroes as suits /our te"per, but I ha.e no part in this affair, and shall not nu"ber as one of /ou#2 At this speech, Herger laughed# Then he called to (uli /f, and spo-e a rapid speech; (uli /f ans ered hi" bac-, o.er his shoulder# Then Herger spo-e to "e= 1(uli /f sa/s that /ou ill do as e do#2 In truth, no I san- into despairing, and said to Herger, 1I cannot do this thing# If /ou force "e to do it, I shall surel/ die#2 Herger said, 1Ho shall /ou dieK2 I said to hi", 1I shall lose "/ grip fro" the ropes#2 This ans er "ade Herger laugh heartil/ /et again, and he repeated "/ ords to all the !orth"en, and the/ all laughed at hat I had said# Then (uli /f spo-e a fe ords# Herger said to "e= 1(uli /f sa/s that /ou shall lose /our grip onl/ if /ou release the ropes fro" /our hands, and onl/ a fool ould do such a thing# (uli /f sa/s /ou are an Arab, but no fool#2 !o , here is a true aspect of the nature of "en= that in his fashion (uli /f said that I could cli"b the ropes; and that for his speech, I belie.ed it as "uch as he, and as cheered in "/ heart to a slight degree# This Herger sa , and he spo-e these ords= 1Each person bears a fear hich is special to hi"# One "an fears a close space and another "an fears dro ning; each laughs at the other and calls hi" stupid# Thus fear is onl/ a preference, to be counted the sa"e as the preference for one o"an or another, or "utton for pig, or cabbage for onion# +e sa/, fear is fear#2

I as not in a "ood for his philosophies; this I expressed to hi", for in truth I as gro ing closer to anger than to fear# !o Herger laughed at "/ face and spo-e these ords= 13raise Allah, for he put death at the end of life, and not at the beginning#2 &urtl/, I said in repl/ that I sa no benefit in hastening the end# 1Indeed, no "an does,2 Herger responded to "e, and then he said, 1'oo- to (uli /f# See ho he sits straight# See ho he rides for ard, though he -no s he shall soon die#2 I ans ered, 1I do not -no he shall die#2 1,es,2 Herger said, 1but (uli /f -no s#2 Then Herger spo-e nothing further to "e, and e rode on ard for a goodl/ period of ti"e, until the sun as high and bright in the s-/# Then at last (uli /f ga.e the signal to halt, and all the horse"en dis"ounted, and prepared to enter the thunder ca.es# !o , ell I -ne that these !orth"en are bra.e to a fault, but as I loo-ed at the precipice of the cliff belo us, "/ heart t isted o.er inside "/ chest, and I thought I should be purging "/self at an/ instant# Aeril/, the cliff as absolutel/ sheer, lac-ing the least grip for hand or feet, and it descended for the distance of perhaps four hundred paces# Aeril/, the crashing a.es ere so far beneath us that the/ appeared as "iniature a.es, tin/ as the "ost delicate dra ing of an artist# ,et I -ne the" to be large as an/ a.es on earth, once one descended to that le.el far belo # To "e, the cli"bing do n of these cliffs as "adness be/ond the "adness of a foa"ing dog# (ut the !orth"en proceeded in nor"al fashion# (uli /f directed the pounding of stout ooden sta-es into the earth; around these the seals-in ropes ere bound, and the trailing ends flung o.er the sides of the cliffs# Aeril/, the ropes ere not long enough for so distant a descent, and thus had to be hauled up again, and t o ropes fastened together to "a-e a single length to reach the a.es at the botto"# In due ti"e, e had t o such ropes that reached do n the side of the cliff face# Then (uli /f spo-e to his gathering= 1First I shall proceed, so that hen I reach the botto" all shall -no that the ropes are stout and the <ourne/ can be acco"plished# I a ait /ou at the botto", on the narro ledge /ou see belo #2 I loo-ed to this narro ledge# To call it narro is to call a ca"el -ind# It as, in truth, the barest strip of flat roc-, continuall/ ashed and pounded b/ the surf# 1+hen all ha.e reached the botto",2 (uli /f said, 1 e can attac- the "other of the endol in the thunder ca.es#2 Thus he spo-e, in a .oice as ordinar/ as that hich he ould co""and a sla.e in the preparation of so"e ordinar/ ste or an/ other household chore# And ithout further speech, he ent o.er the side of the cliff# !o , here is the "anner of his descent, hich I found re"ar-able, but the !orth"en account it no particular thing# Herger told "e the/ use this "ethod for gathering of sea9bird eggs at certain ti"es of the /ear, hen the sea birds build their nests on the cliff face# It is done in this fashion= a sling is placed around the aist of the

descending "an, and all the fello s strain to lo er hi" do n the cliff# Mean hile, this sa"e "an grips, for support, on to the second rope, hich dangles on the cliff face# Further, the descending "an carries a stout staff of oa-en ood, fitted at one end ith a leather thong, or strap, about his rist; this staff he e"plo/s for a prod to push hi"self hither and /on as he "o.es do n the roc-/ surface#PC6Q As (uli /f ent do n, beco"ing e.er s"aller to "/ e/es, I sa that he "aneu.ered ith the sling, the rope, and the stic- .er/ agilel/; but I as not decei.ed into thin-ing this so"e tri.ial "atter, for I sa it to be difficult and reJuiring practice# At length, he safel/ reached the botto" and stood on the narro ledge ith the surf crashing o.er hi"# In truth, he as so di"inished e could hardl/ see hi" a.e his hand, in signal that he as safe# !o the sling as hauled up; and also ith it, the oa-en staff# Herger turned to"e, spea-ing= 1,ou shall go next#2 I said that I as feeling poorl/# Also I said I ished to see another "an descend, in order better to stud/ the "anner of the descent# Herger said, 1it is "ore difficult ith each descent, because there are fe er here abo.e to lo er a "an do n# The last "an "ust descend ithout the sling at all, and that shall be Ecthgo , for his ar"s are iron# It is a "ar- of our fa.or hich allo s /ou to be the second "an to descend# 4o no #2 I sa in his e/es that there as no hope of dela/, and so I as "/self fitted into the sling, and I gripped the stout staff in "/ hands, hich ere slipper/ ith s eat; and "/ hole bod/ li-e ise as slipper/ ith s eat; and I shi.ered in the ind as I ent o.er the side of the cliff, and for the last ti"e sa the fi.e !orth"en straining at the rope, and then the/ ere lost fro" .ie # I "ade "/ descent# I had in "/ "ind to "a-e "an/ pra/ers to Allah, and also to record in the e/e of "/ "ind, in the "e"or/ of "/ soul, the "an/ experiences that a "an "ust undergo as he dangles fro" ropes do n such a ind9torn roc-/ cliff# Once out of sight of "/ !orth"en friends abo.e, I forgot all "/ intentions, and hispered, 1Allah be praised,2 o.er and o.er, li-e a "indless person, or one so old his brain no longer functions, or a child, or a fool# In truth, I re"e"ber little fro" all that transpired# Onl/ this= that the ind blo s a person bac- and forth across the roc- at such speed the e/e cannot focus on the surface, hich is a gra/ blur; and that "an/ ti"es I struc- the roc-, <arring "/ bones, splitting "/ s-in; and once I banged "/ head and sa brilliant hite spots li-e stars before "/ e/es, and I thought I ould be faint, but I as not# And in due ti"e, hich in truth see"ed as the hole duration of "/ life, and "ore, I reached the botto", and (uli /f clapped "e on the shoulder and said I had done ell# !o the sling as raised up; and the a.es crashed o.er "e and o.er (uli /f at "/ side# !o I fought to hold "/ balance upon this slipper/ ledge, and this so occupied "/ attention I did not atch the others co"ing do n the cliff# M/ onl/ desire as this= to -eep fro" being s ept a a/ into the sea# Aeril/ I sa ith "/ o n e/es that the a.es ere taller than three "en standing one atop another, and hen each a.e struc-, I as for a "o"ent senseless in a s irl of chilled ater and spinning force#

Man/ ti"es as I -noc-ed fro" "/ feet b/ these a.es; I as drenched o.er "/ hole bod/, and shi.ering so badl/ that "/ teeth clattered li-e a galloping horse# I could not spea- ords for the clac-ing of "/ teeth# !o all the arriors of (uli /f "ade their descent; and all ere safe, Ecthgo being the last to co"e do n, b/ brute force of his ar"s, and hen at last he stood, his legs Jui.ered ithout control as a "an shudders ith a death throe; e aited so"e "o"ents until he as hi"self again# Then (uli /f spo-e= 1+e shall descend into the ater and s i" into the ca.e# I shall be first# &arr/ /our dagger in /our teeth, so /our ar"s shall be free to battle the currents#2 These ords of ne "adness ca"e upon "e at a ti"e hen I could endure nothing further# To "/ e/es, the plan of (uli /f as foll/ be/ond foll/# I sa the a.es crash in, bursting upon the <agged roc-s; I sa the a.es pull a a/ again ith the tug of a giantFs strength, onl/ to reco.er their po er and crash for ard ane # Aeril/, I atched and I belie.ed that no "an could s i" in that ater, but rather he ould be dashed to bon/ splinters in an instant# (ut I "ade no protest, for I as past an/ co"prehension# To "/ a/ of thin-ing, I as close enough to death that it did not "atter if I ca"e closer still# Thus I too- "/ dagger, hich I <a""ed into "/ belt, for "/ teeth rattled too se.erel/ to grip it in "/ "outh# Of the other !orth"en, the/ ga.e no sign of coldness or fatigue, but rather greeted each a.e as a fresh in.igoration; also the/ s"iled ith the happ/ anticipation of the co"ing battle, and for this last I hated the"# (uli /f atched the "o.e"ent of the a.es, choosing his ti"e, and then he leapt into the surf# I hesitated, and so"eoneII ha.e al a/s belie.ed it to be HergerI pushed "e# I fell deep in the s irling sea of nu"bing coldness; .eril/ I as spun head o.er feet and side ard also; I could see nothing but green ater# Then I percei.ed (uli /f -ic-ing do n in the depths of the sea; and I follo ed after hi", and he s a" into a -ind of passage in the roc-s# In all things, I did as he# This as the fashion= :pon one "o"ent, the surf ould tug after hi", tr/ing to pluc- hi" into the ide ocean, and "e also# At these "o"ents, (uli /f gripped onto a roc- ith his hands to hold against the current; this also I did# Mightil/ I held to the roc-s, ith "/ lungs bursting# Then in an instant the surge ran opposite, and I as propelled ith frightful speed for ard, bouncing off roc-s and obstructions# And then again, the surge changed, and tugged bac- ard as it had done pre.iousl/; and I as obliged to follo the exa"ple of (uli /f and cling to roc-s# !o it is true that "/ lungs burned as if afire, and I -ne in "/ heart that I could not continue "uch longer in this ic/ sea# Then the surge ran for ard, and I as flung headlong, -noc-ed here and there, and then suddenl/ I as up and breathing air# Aeril/, this transpired ith such s iftness that I as so surprised I did not thin- to feel relief, hich as a proper feeling; nor did I thin- to praise Allah for "/ good fortune in sur.i.ing# I gasped air, and all about "e the arriors of (uli /f set their heads abo.e the surface and gasped li-e ise#

!o , here is hat I sa = e ere in a -ind of pond or la-e, inside a ca.e ith a s"ooth roc-/ do"e and a sea ard entrance through hich e had <ust tra.ersed# Directl/ ahead as a flat roc-/ space# I sa three or four dar- shapes sJuatted about a fire; these creatures chanted in high .oices# !o also I understood h/ this as called the ca.e of thunder, for ith each crash of the surf the sound in the ca.e re.erberated ith such po er that the ears ached and the .er/ air see"ed to sha-e and press# In this place, this ca.e, (uli /f and his arriors "ade their attac-, and I <oined in ith the", and ith our short daggers e -illed the four de"ons in the ca.e# I sa the" clearl/ for the first ti"e, in the flic-ering light of the fire, hose fla"es leapt "adl/ ith each pounding of the thundering surf# The aspect of these de"ons as thus= the/ appeared to be "anli-e in e.er/ respect, but not as an/ "an upon the face of the earth# The/ ere short creatures, and broad and sJuat, and hair/ on all parts of their bodies sa.e their pal"s, the soles of their feet, and their faces# Their faces ere .er/ large, ith "outh and <a s large and pro"inent, and of an ugl/ aspect; also their heads ere larger# than the heads of nor"al "en# Their e/es ere sun- deep in their heads; the bro s ere large, and not b/ .irtue of hair/ bro s, but of bone; also their teeth ere large and sharp, although it is true the teeth of "an/ ere ground do n and flattened# In other respects of their bodil/ features and as to the organs of sex and the se.eral orifices, the/ ere also as "en#PC%Q One of the creatures as slo to die, and ith its tongue for"ed so"e sounds, hich had to "/ ear a Jualit/ of speech; but I cannot -no if this as so, and I tell it again ith no con.iction of the "atter# !o (uli /f sur.e/ed these four dead creatures, ith their thic- "atted fur; then e heard a ghostl/, echoing chant, a sound rising and falling in ti"e to the thunder pounding of the surf, and this sound ca"e fro" the recesses of the ca.e# (uli /f led us into the depths# There e ca"e upon three of the creatures, prostrate upon the ground, faces pressed to the earth and their hands raised in supplication to an old creature lur-ing in the shado s# These suppliants ere chanting, and did not percei.e our arri.al# (ut the creature sa us, and screa"ed hideousl/ at our approach# This creature I too- to be the "other of the endol, but if she as fe"ale, I sa no sign, for she as old to the point of being sexless# (uli /f alone fell upon the suppliants and -illed the" all, hile the "other9creature "o.ed bac- into the shado s and screa"ed horribl/# I could not see her ell, but this "uch is true= that she as surrounded b/ serpents, hich coiled at her feet, and upon her hands, and around her nec-# These serpents hissed and flic-ed their tongues; and as the/ ere all about her, upon her bod/ and also on the ground, none of the arriors of (uli /f dared "a-e an approach# Then (uli /f attac-ed her, and she ga.e a fearful screa" as he plunged his dagger deep into her breast, for he as heedless of the sna-es# Man/ ti"es he struc- the "other of the endol ith his dagger# !e.er did this o"an collapse, but al a/s did she stand, though the blood poured fro" her as if fro" a fountain, and fro" the

se.eral ounds (uli /f inflicted upon her# And all the ti"e she screa"ed a "ost frightful sound# Then at the last she toppled, and la/ dead, and (uli /f turned to face his arriors# !o e sa that this o"an, the "other of the eaters of the dead, had ounded hi"# A sil.er pin, such as a pin for hair, as buried in his sto"ach; this sa"e pin tre"bled ith each heartbeat# (uli /f pluc-ed it forth, and there as a gush of blood# ,et he did not sin- to his -nees "ortall/ ounded, but rather he stood and ga.e the order to lea.e the ca.e# This e did, b/ the second and land ard entrance; this entrance had been guarded, but all the endol guards had fled before the screa"s of their d/ing "other# +e departed ithout harass"ent# (uli /f led us fro" the ca.es, and bac- to our horses, and then did he collapse upon the ground# Ecthgo , ith a face of sadness "ost unco""on a"ong the !orth"en, directed the fashioning of a stretcherPCBQ and ith this e carried (uli /f bac- across the fields to the -ingdo" of Rothgar# And all the hile (uli /f as of good cheer, and "err/; "an/ of the things he spo-e I did not co"prehend, but one ti"e I heard hi" sa/= 1Rothgar ill not be happ/ to see us, for he "ust set out /et another banJuet, and b/ no he is a "ost depleted host#2 The arriors laughed at this and other ords of (uli /f# I sa their laughter as honest# !o e ca"e to the -ingdo" of Rothgar, here e ere greeted ith cheers and happiness, and no sadness, although (uli /f as direl/ in<ured, and his flesh turned gra/, and his bod/ shoo-, and his e/es ere lit b/ the glea" of a sic- and fe.ered soul# These signs did I -no full ell, and so, too, did the !orth people# A bo l of onion broth as brought for hi", and he refused it, sa/ing, 1I ha.e the soup illness; do not trouble /oursel.es on "/ account#2 Then he called for a celebration, and insisted that he preside o.er it, sitting propped up on a stone couch at the side of )ing Rothgar, and he dran- "ead and he as "err/# I as near to hi" hen he said to )ing Rothgar, in the "idst of the festi.ities, 1I ha.e no sla.es#2 1All of "/ sla.es are /our sla.es,2 Rothgar said# Then (uli /f said, 1I ha.e no horses#2 1All of "/ horses are /ours,2 Rothgar ans ered# 1Thin- no "ore on these "atters#2 And (uli /f, his ounds bound, as happ/, and he s"iled, and the color returned to his chee-s that e.ening, and indeed he see"ed to gro stronger ith each passing "inute of the night# And although I ould not ha.e thought it possible, he ra.ished a sla.e girl, and after ard he said to "e, as a <o-e, 1A dead "an is no use to an/one#2 And then (uli /f fell into a sleep, and his color beca"e "ore pale and his breathing "ore shallo ; I feared he should ne.er a a-e fro" this sleep# He "a/ also ha.e thought this, for as he slept he held his s ord gripped tight in his hand# THE DEATH THROES OF THE +E!DO'

SO A'SO I FE'' I!TO A S'EE3# HER4ER A+A)E!ED ME ith these ords= 1,ou are to co"e Juic-l/#2 !o I heard the sound of distant thunder# I loo-ed to the bladder indo PCCQ and it as not /et da n, but I grabbed up "/ s ord; in truth I had fallen asleep in "/ ar"or, not caring to re"o.e it# Then I hastened outside# It as the hour before da n, and the air as "ist/ and thic-, and filled ith the thunder of distant hoofbeats# Herger said to "e, 1The endol co"e# The/ -no of the "ortal ounds of (uli /f, and the/ see- a final re.enge for the -illing of their "other#2 Each of the arriors of (uli /f, "/self a"ong the", too- a place at the peri"eter of the fortifications that e had dra n up against the endol# These defenses ere poor, /et e had none else# +e peered into the "ists to gli"pse the horse"en galloping do n upon us# I expected great fear, but I did not feel this, for I had seen the aspect of the endol and I -ne the" to be creatures, if not "en, then li-e enough to "en as "on-e/s are also li-e "en; but I -ne the" to be "ortal, and the/ could die# Thus I had no fear, sa.e the expectation of this final battle# In this "anner as I alone, for I sa that the arriors of (uli /f displa/ed "uch fear; and this despite their pains to conceal it# Aeril/, as e had -illed the "other of the endol, ho as their leader, so also had e lost (uli /f, ho as our o n leader, and there as no cheerfulness hile e aited and heard the thunder approach# And then I heard a co""otion behind "e, and upon "/ turning, I sa this= (uli /f, pale as the "ist itself, garbed in hite and bound in his ounds, stood erect upon the land of the -ingdo" of Rothgar# And on his shoulders sat t o blac- ra.ens, one to each side; and at this sight the !orth"en screa"ed of his co"ing, and the/ raised their eapons into the air and ho led for the battle#PC?Q !o (uli /f ne.er spo-e, nor did he loo- to one side or another; nor did he gi.e sign of recognition to an/ "an; but he al-ed ith "easured pace for ard, be/ond the line of the fortifications, and there he a aited the onslaught of the endol# The ra.ens fle off, and he gripped his s ord Runding and "et the attac-# !o ords can describe the final attac- of the endol in the da n of the "ist# !o ords ill sa/ hat blood as spilled, hat screa"s filled the thic- air, hat horses and horse"en died in hideous agon/# +ith "/ o n e/es I sa Ecthgo , ith his ar"s of steel= .eril/ his head as lopped off b/ a endol s ord and the head bounced upon the ground as a bauble, the tongue still flic-ing in the "outh# Also I sa +eath ta-e a spear through his chest; in this a/ as he pinned to the ground, and there rithed li-e a fish ta-en fro" the sea# I sa a girl child tra"pled b/ the hoo.es of a horse and her bod/ crushed flat and blood pouring fro" her ear# Also I sa a o"an, a sla.e of )ing Rothgar= her bod/ as cut in t ain cleanl/ hile she ran fro" a pursuing horse"an# I sa "an/ children li-e ise -illed# I sa horses rear and plunge, their riders dis"ounted, to be fallen upon b/ old "en and o"en, ho sle the creatures as the/ la/ stunned on their bac-s# Also I sa +iglif, the son of Rothgar, run fro" the fra/ and conceal hi"self in co ardl/ safet/# The herald I did not see that da/#

I "/self -illed three of the endol, and suffered a spear in the shoulder, hich pain as li-e a plunge into fire; "/ blood boiled the length of "/ ar" and also inside "/ chest; I thought I should collapse, and /et I fought on# !o the sun burst through the "ist, and the da n as full upon us, and the "ist slipped a a/, and the horse"en disappeared# In the broad light of da/, I sa bodies e.er/ here, including "an/ bodies of the endol, for the/ had not collected their dead# This trul/ as the sign of their end, for the/ ere in disarra/ and could not again attac- Rothgar, and all the people of the -ingdo" of Rothgar -ne this "eaning and re<oiced# Herger bathed "/ ound, and as elated, until the/ carried the bod/ of (uli /f into the great hall of Rothgar# (uli /f as dead a score o.er= his bod/ as hac-ed b/ the blades of a do0en ad.ersaries; his .isage and for" ere soa-ed in his o n still9 ar" blood# Herger sa this sight and burst into tears, and hid his face fro" "e, but there as no need, for I "/self felt tears that "isted "/ sight# (uli /f as laid before )ing Rothgar, hose dut/ it as to "a-e a speech# (ut the old "an as not able to do such a thing# He said onl/ this= 1Here is a arrior and a hero fit for the gods# (ur/ hi" as a great -ing,2 and then he left the hall# I belie.e he as asha"ed, for he hi"self had not <oined in the battle# Also his son +iglif had run li-e a co ard, and "an/ had seen this, and called it a o"anl/ act; this also "a/ ha.e abashed the father# Or there "a/ be so"e reason hich I do not -no # In truth, he as a .er/ old "an# !o it happened that in a lo .oice +iglif spo-e to the herald= 1This (uli /f has done us "uch ser.ice, all the greater for his death at the concluding of it#2 Thus he spo-e hen his father the )ing had departed the hall# Herger heard these ords, and I also did, and I as the first to dra "/ s ord# Herger said to "e, 1Do not battle this "an, for he is a fox, and /ou ha.e ounds#2 I said to hi", 1+ho cares for thatK2 and I challenged the son +iglif, and upon the spot# +iglif dre his s ord# !o Herger deli.ered "e a "ight/ -ic- or "anner of blo fro" behind, and as I as unprepared for this I fell spra ling; then Herger <oined battle ith the son +iglif# Also the herald too- up ar"s, and "o.ed sl/l/, in the desire to stand behind Herger and sla/ hi" at the bac-# This herald I "/self -illed b/ plunging "/ s ord deep into his bell/, and the herald screa"ed at the instant of his i"pale"ent# The son +iglif heard this, and although he had battled fearlessl/ before, no he sho ed "uch fear in his contest ith Herger# Then it happened that )ing Rothgar heard of the clashing; he ca"e once "ore to the great hall and begged for a ceasing of the "atter# In this, his efforts ere to no a.ail# Herger as fir" in his purpose# Aeril/ I sa hi" stand astride the bod/ of (uli /f and s ing his s ord at +iglif, and Herger sle +iglif, ho fell do n upon the table of Rothgar, and gripped the cup of the )ing, and dre it to ard his lips# (ut it is true that he died ithout drin-ing, and so the "atter as finished# !o of the part/ of (uli /f, once of the nu"ber thirteen, onl/ four re"ained# I a"ong the", e set out (uli /f beneath a ooden roof, and left his bod/ ith a cup

of "ead in his hands# Then Herger said to the asse"bled people, 1+ho shall die ith this noble "anK2 and a o"an, a sla.e of )ing Rothgar, said that she ould die ith (uli /f# The usual preparations of the !orth"en ere then "ade#

Although Ibn Fadlan does not specif/ an/ passage of ti"e, se.eral da/s probabl/ elapsed before the funeral cere"on/#

!o a ship as fitted out upon the shore belo the hall of Rothgar, and treasures of gold and sil.er ere laid upon it, and the carcasses of t o horses also# And a tent as erected, and (uli /f, no stiff in death, placed inside# His bod/ as the blac- color of death in this cold cli"ate# Then the sla.e girl as ta-en to each of the arriors of (uli /f, and to "e also, and I had carnal -no ledge of her, and she said to "e, 1M/ "aster than-s /ou#2 Her countenance and "anner ere "ost <o/ful, of a .ariet/ in excess of the general good cheer these people sho # +hilst she dressed again in her gar"ents, these gar"ents including "an/ splendid orna"ents of gold and sil.er, I said to her that she as <o/ful# I had in "/ "ind that she as a fair "aiden, and /outhful, and /et soon to die, hich she -ne , as did I# She said to "e, 1I a" <o/ful because I shall soon see "/ "aster#2 As /et she had drun- no "ead, and she spo-e the truth of her heart# Her countenance shone as does a happ/ child, or certain o"en hen the/ are ith child; this as the nature of the thing# So, then, I said this= 1Tell /our "aster hen /ou see hi" that I ha.e li.ed to rite#2 These ords I do not -no if she co"prehended# I said to her, 1It as the ish of /our "aster#2 1Then I ill tell hi",2 she said, and "ost cheerfull/ proceeded to the next arrior of (uli /f# I do not -no if she understood "/ "eaning, for the onl/ sense of riting these !orth people -no is the car.ing of ood or stone, hich the/ do but seldo"# Also, "/ speech in the !orth tongue as not clear# ,et she as cheerful and ent on# !o in the e.ening, as the sun as "a-ing its descent into the sea, the ship of (uli /f as prepared upon the beach, and the "aiden as ta-en into the tent of the ship, and the old crone ho is called the angel of death placed the dagger bet een her ribs, and I and Herger held the cord that strangled her, and e seated her alongside (uli /f, and then e departed# All of this da/ I had ta-en no food or drin-, for I -ne I "ust participate in these affairs, and I had no ish to suffer the e"barrass"ent of purging "/self# (ut I felt no re.ulsion at an/ of the deeds of that da/, nor as I faint, or light of head# For this I as proud in secret# Also it is true that at the "o"ent of her death the "aiden s"iled, and this expression after ard re"ained, so that she sat next to her "aster ith this sa"e s"ile upon her pale face# The face of (uli /f as blac- and his e/es ere closed, but his expression as cal"# Thus did I last .ie these t o !orth people#

!o the ship of (uli /f as set afla"e, and pushed out into the sea, and the !orth"en stood upon the roc-/ shore and "ade "an/ in.ocations to their gods# +ith "/ o n e/es, I sa the ship carried b/ the currents as a burning p/re, and then it as lost to .ision, and the dar-ness of night descended upon the !orthlands# THE RET:R! FROM THE !ORTH &O:!TR, !O+ I 3ASSED SOME F:RTHER +EE)S I! THE co"pan/ of the arriors and nobles of the -ingdo" of Rothgar# This as a pleasant ti"e, for the people ere gracious and hospitable, and "ost attenti.e to "/ ounds, hich healed ell, praise Allah# (ut it happened soon enough that I desired to return to "/ o n land# To )ing Rothgar I "ade -no n I as the e"issar/ of the &aliph of (agdad, and that I "ust co"plete the business he had sent "e upon, or incur his rath# !one of this "attered to Rothgar, ho said I as a noble arrior, that he desired I should re"ain in his lands, to li.e the life of such an honored arrior# He said I as his friend fore.er"ore, and that I should ha.e hate.er I desired ithin his "eans to gi.e "e# ,et he as reluctant to let "e depart, and contri.ed all "anner of excuses and dela/s# Rothgar said I "ust loo- to "/ ounds, although these in<uries ere plainl/ healed; also he said I "ust reco.er "/ strength, although "/ strength as e.identl/ restored# Finall/ he said I "ust a ait the outfitting of a ship, hich as no "ean underta-ing; and hen I inJuired after the ti"e such a ship "ight be outfitted, the )ing "ade a .ague repl/, as if this did not "atter to hi" o.er"uch# And upon those ti"es hen I pressed hi" to depart, he turned cross and as-ed if I as dissatisfied ith his hospitalit/; to this I as obliged to respond ith praise for his graciousness and all .ariet/ of expressions of content"ent# Soon enough I thought the old )ing less a fool than I had pre.iousl/# !o I ent to Herger, spea-ing of "/ plight and I said to hi"= 1This )ing is not such a fool as I ha.e ta-en hi" to be#2 In repl/, Herger said= 1,ou are rong, for he is a fool, and does not act ith sense#2 And Herger said he ould arrange for "/ departure ith the )ing# Here as the "anner of it# Herger sought the audience of )ing Rothgar in pri.ate, and said to the )ing that he as a great and ise ruler hose people lo.ed and respected hi", b/ .irtue of the a/ he loo-ed after the affairs of the -ingdo" and the elfare of his people# This flatter/ softened the old "an# !o Herger said to hi" that of the fi.e sons of the )ing, onl/ one sur.i.ed, and he as +ulfgar, ho had gone to (uli /f as "essenger, and no re"ained far off# Herger said that +ulfgar should be su""oned ho"e, and that a parr/ for this purpose be arranged, for there as no other heir sa.e +ulfgar# These things he told the )ing# Also, I belie.e he spo-e so"e ords in pri.ate to the Oueen +eile , ho had "uch influence o.er her husband# Then it happened at an e.ening banJuet that Rothgar called for the fitting out of a ship and a cre , for a .o/age to return +ulfgar to his -ingdo"# I reJuested to <oin the cre , and this the old )ing could not den/ "e# The preparation of the ship too- the space of se.eral da/s# I spent "uch ti"e ith Herger in this inter.al# Herger had chosen to re"ain behind#

One da/ e stood upon the cliffs, o.erloo-ing the ship on the beach, as it as prepared for the .o/age and fitted ith pro.isions# Herger said to "e= 1,ou are starting upon a long <ourne/# +e shall "a-e pra/ers for /our safe9-eeping#2 I inJuired ho" he ould pra/ to, and he responded, 1To Odin, and Fre/, and Thor, and +/rd, and to the se.eral other gods ho "a/ influence /our safe <ourne/#2 These are the na"es of the !orth"en gods# I replied, 1I belie.e in one 4od, ho is Allah, the All9Merciful and &o"passionate#2 1I -no this,2 Herger said# 13erhaps in /our lands, one god is enough, but not here; here there are "an/ gods and each has his i"portance, so e shall pra/ to all of the" on /our behalf#2 I than-ed hi" then, for the pra/ers of a nonbelie.er are as good as the/ are sincere, and I did not doubt the sincerit/ of Herger# !o , Herger had long -no n that I belie.ed differentl/ fro" hi", but as the ti"e of "/ departure dre close, he inJuired "an/ ti"es again of "/ beliefs, and at unusual "o"ents, thin-ing to catch "e off "/ guard and learn the truth# I too- his "an/ Juestions as a for" of test, as (uli /f once tested "/ -no ledge of riting# Al a/s I ans ered hi" in the sa"e a/, thus increasing his perplexit/# One da/ he said to "e, ith no sho that he had e.er inJuired pre.iousl/= 1+hat is the nature of /our god AllahK2 I said to hi", 1Allah is the one 4od, ho rules all things, sees all things, -no s all things, and disposes all things#2 These ords I had spo-en before# After a ti"e, Herger said to "e, 1Do /ou ne.er anger this AllahK2 I said= 1I do, but He is all9forgi.ing and "erciful#2 Herger said= 1+hen it suits his purposesK2 I said that this as so, and Herger considered "/ ans er# Finall/ he said this, ith a sha-ing head= 1The ris- is too great# A "an cannot place too "uch faith in an/ one thing, neither a o"an, nor a horse, nor a eapon, nor an/ single thing#2 1,et I do,2 I said# 1As /ou see best,2 Herger replied, 1but there is too "uch that "an does not -no # And hat "an does not -no , that is the pro.ince of the gods#2 In this a/ I sa that he ould ne.er be persuaded to "/ beliefs, nor I to his, and so e parted# In truth, it as a sad lea.e9ta-ing, and I as hea./9hearted to depart fro" Herger and the re"ainder of the arriors# Herger felt this also# I gripped his shoulder, and he "ine, and then I set out upon the blac- ship, hich carried "e to the land of the Dans# As this ship ith her stout cre slipped a a/ fro" the shores of Aenden, I had .ie of the glea"ing rooftops of the great hall of Hurot, and, turning a a/, of the gra/ and .ast ocean before us# !o it happened

The "anuscript ends abruptl/ at this point, the end of a transcribed page, ith the final terse ords 1 nunc fit,2 and although there is clearl/ "ore to the "anuscript, further passages ha.e not been disco.ered# This is, of course, the purest historical accident, but e.er/ translator has co""ented upon the odd appropriateness of this abrupt ending, hich suggests the start of so"e ne ad.enture, so"e ne strange sight, that for the "ost arbitrar/ reasons of the past thousand /ears ill be denied us# A33E!DIH= THE MIST MO!STERS AS +I''IAM HO+E''S HAS EM3HASIEED, IT IS A rather rare e.ent that causes an/ li.ing ani"al to die in such a a/ that he ill be preser.ed as a fossil for centuries to co"e# This is especiall/ true of a s"all, fragile, ground9li.ing ani"al such as "an, and the fossil record of earl/ "en is re"ar-abl/ scant/# Textboo- diagra"s of 1the tree of "an2 i"pl/ a certaint/ of -no ledge that is "isleading; the tree is pruned and re.ised e.er/ fe /ears# One of the "ost contro.ersial and troubleso"e branches of that tree is the one usuall/ labeled 1!eanderthal Man#2 He ta-es his na"e fro" the .alle/ in 4er"an/ here the first re"ains of his t/pe ere disco.ered in 6D?8, three /ears before the publication of Dar inFs Origin of Species# The Aictorian orld as displeased ith the s-eletal re"ains, and e"phasi0ed the crude and brutish aspects of !eanderthal "an; until no the .er/ ord is, in the popular i"agination, s/non/"ous ith all that is du"b and bestial in hu"an nature# It as ith a -ind of relief that earl/ scholars decided that !eanderthal "an had 1disappeared2 about B?,>>> /ears ago, to be replaced b/ &ro9Magnon "an, hose s-eletal re"ains ere presu"ed to sho as "uch delicac/, sensiti.it/, and intelligence as the !eanderthal s-ull sho ed "onstrous brutishness# The general presu"ption as that the superior, "odern &ro9Magnon "an -illed off the !eanderthals# !o the truth of the "atter is that e ha.e .er/ fe good exa"ples of !eanderthal "an in our s-eletal "aterialIof "ore than eight/ -no n frag"ents, onl/ about a do0en are co"plete enough, or dated carefull/ enough, to arrant serious stud/# +e cannot reall/ sa/ ith an/ certaint/ ho idespread a for" he as, or hat happened to hi"# And recent exa"ination of the s-eletal e.idence has disputed the Aictorian belief in his "onstrous, se"ihu"an appearance# In their 6$?7 re.ie , Straus and &a.e rote= 1If he could be reincarnated and placed in a !e ,or- sub a/Ipro.ided he ere bathed, sha.ed, and dressed in "odern clothingIit is doubtful hether he ould attract an/ "ore attention than so"e of its other deni0ens#2 Another anthropologist has put it "ore plainl/= 1,ou "ight thin- he as tough9 loo-ing, but /ou ouldnFt ob<ect to /our sister "arr/ing hi"#2

Fro" here, it is onl/ a short step to hat so"e anthropologists alread/ belie.e= that !eanderthal "an, as an anato"ical .ariant of "odern "an, has ne.er disappeared at all, but is still ith us# A reinterpretation of the cultural re"ains associated ith !eanderthal "an also supports a benign .ie of the fello # 3ast anthropologists ere highl/ i"pressed ith the beaut/ and profusion of the ca.e dra ings that first appear ith the arri.al of &ro9 Magnon "an; as "uch as an/ s-eletal e.idence, these dra ings tended to reinforce the notion of a onderful ne sensibilit/ replacing the Juintessence of 1brute benightedness#2 (ut !eanderthal "an as re"ar-able in his o n right# His culture, called Mousterian Iagain, after a site, 'e Moustier in FranceIis characteri0ed b/ stone or-ing of Juite a high order, "uch superior to an/ earlier cultural le.el# And it is no recogni0ed that !eanderthal "an had bone tools as ell# Most i"pressi.e of all, !eanderthal "an as the first of our ancestors to bur/ his dead rituall/# At 'e Moustier, a teenage bo/ as placed in a trench, in a sleeping position; he as pro.ided ith a suppl/ of flint tools, a stone axe, and roasted "eat# That these "aterials ere for the use of the deceased in so"e afterlife is undisputed b/ "ost anthropologists# There is other e.idence of religious feeling= in S it0erland there is a shrine to the ca.e bear, a creature orshiped, respected, and also eaten# And at Shanidar &a.e in IraJ, a !eanderthal as buried ith flo ers in the gra.e# All this points to an attitude to ard life and death, a self9conscious .ie of the orld, hich lies at the core of hat e belie.e distinguishes thin-ing "an fro" the rest of the ani"al orld# On existing e.idence, e "ust conclude this attitude as first displa/ed b/ !eanderthal "an#

The general reassess"ent of !eanderthal "an coincides ith the redisco.er/ of Ibn FadlanFs contact ith the 1"ist "onsters2; his description of these creatures is suggesti.e of !eanderthal anato"/, and raises the Juestion of hether the !eanderthal for" did, in fact, disappear fro" the earth thousands of /ears ago, or hether these earl/ "en persisted into historic ti"es# Argu"ents based on analogies cut both a/s# There are historical exa"ples of a handful of people ith technologicall/ superior culture iping out a "ore pri"iti.e societ/ in a "atter of /ears; that is largel/ the stor/ of the European contact ith the !e +orld# (ut there are also exa"ples of pri"iti.e societies existing in isolated areas, un-no n to "ore ad.anced, ci.ili0ed peoples nearb/# Such a tribe as recentl/ disco.ered in the 3hilippines# The acade"ic debate on Ibn FadlanFs creatures can be neatl/ su""ari0ed b/ the .ie points of 4eoffre/ +right ood, of Oxford :ni.ersit/, and E# D# 4oodrich, of the :ni.ersit/ of 3hiladelphia# +right ood sa/s P6$76Q= 1The account of Ibn Fadlan pro.ides us ith a perfectl/ ser.iceable description of !eanderthal "en, coinciding

ith the fossil record and our suppositions about the cultural le.el of these earl/ "en# +e should accept it i""ediatel/, had e not alread/ decided these "en .anished ithout a trace so"e B>9C>,>>> /ears pre.iousl/# +e should re"e"ber that e onl/ belie.e this disappearance because e ha.e found no fossils of a later date, and the absence of such fossils does not "ean that the/ do not, in fact, exist# 1Ob<ecti.el/, there is no a priori reason to den/ that a group of !eanderthals "ight ha.e sur.i.ed .er/ late in an isolated region of Scandina.ia# In an/ case this assu"ption best fits the description of the Arabic text#2 4oodrich, a paleontologist ell -no n for his s-epticis", ta-es the contrasting .ie P6$7%Q= 1The general accurac/ of Ibn FadlanFs reporting "a/ te"pt us to o.erloocertain excesses in his "anuscript# These are se.eral, and the/ arise either fro" cultural preconditioning, or fro" a stor/tellerFs desire to i"press# He calls the Ai-ings giants hen the/ "ost certainl/ ere not; he e"phasi0es the dirt/, drun-en aspects of his hosts, hich less fastidious obser.ers did not find stri-ing# In his report of the so9 called R endol,F he places great i"portance on their hairiness and brutish appearance hen, in fact, the/ "a/ not ha.e been so hair/, or so brutish# The/ "a/ si"pl/ ha.e been a tribe of Ho"o sapiens, li.ing in isolation and ithout the le.el of cultural attain"ent "anifested b/ the Scandina.ians# 1There is internal e.idence, ithin the bod/ of the Ibn Fadlan "anuscript, to support the notion that the R endolF are actuall/ Ho"o sapiens# The pregnant fe"ale figurines described b/ the Arab are highl/ suggesti.e of the prehistoric car.ings and figurines to be found at the Aurignacian industr/ sites in France and of the 4ra.ettian finds in +illendorf, Austria, 'e.el $# (oth Aurignacian and 4ra.ettian cultural le.els are associated ith essentiall/ "odern "an, and not !eanderthal Man# 1+e "ust ne.er forget that to untrained obser.ers, cultural differences are often interpreted as ph/sical differences, and one need not be particularl/ nai.e to "a-e this "ista-e# Thus, as late as the 6DD>s it as possible for educated Europeans to onder aloud hether !egroes in pri"iti.e African societies could be considered hu"an beings after all, or hether the/ represented so"e bi0arre "ating of "en and apes# !or should e o.erloo- the degree to hich societies ith .astl/ differing degrees of cultural attain"ent "a/ exist side b/ side= such contrasts appear toda/, for exa"ple, in Australia, here the stone age and the <et age can be found in close proxi"it/# Thus in interpreting the descriptions of Ibn Fadlan e need not postulate a !eanderthal re"nant, unless e are fancifull/ inclined to do so#2

In the end, the argu"ents stu"ble o.er a ell9-no n li"itation to the scientific "ethod itself# The ph/sicist 4erhard Robbins obser.es that 1strictl/ spea-ing, no h/pothesis or theor/ can e.er be pro.en# It can onl/ be dispro.en# +hen e sa/ e belie.e a theor/, hat e reall/ "ean is that e are unable to sho that the theor/ is rongInot that e are able to sho , be/ond doubt, that the theor/ is right# 1A scientific theor/ "a/ stand for /ears, e.en centuries, and it "a/ accu"ulate hundreds of bits of corroborating e.idence to support it# ,et a theor/ is al a/s .ulnerable, and a single conflicting finding is all that is reJuired to thro the

h/pothesis into disarra/, and call for a ne theor/# One can ne.er -no hen such conflicting e.idence ill arise# 3erhaps it ill happen to"orro , perhaps ne.er# (ut the histor/ of science is stre n ith the ruins of "ight/ edifices toppled b/ an accident, or a tri.ialit/#2 This is hat 4eoffre/ +right ood "eant hen he said at the Se.enth International S/"posiu" on Hu"an 3aleontolog/ in 4ene.a in 6$7%= 1All I need is one s-ull, or a frag"ent of a s-ull, or a bit of <a # In fact, all I need is one good tooth, and the debate is concluded#2 :ntil that s-eletal e.idence is found, speculation ill continue, and one "a/ adopt hate.er stance satisfies an inner sense of the fitness of things# SO:R&ES I# 3RIMAR, SO:R&E ,a-ut ibn9Abdallah MS, a geographical lexicon, KA#D# 6C>># !os# 6C>BA96?D$A, Archi.es :ni.ersit/ 'ibrar/, Oslo, !or a/# Trans= (la-e, Robert, and Fr/e, Richard; in (/0antinaIMetab/0antina= A Gournal of (/0antine and Modern 4ree- Studies, !e ,or-, 6$C7# &oo-, Albert S#; !e ,or-, 6$C7# Fraus9Dolus, 3er; Oslo, 6$?$96$8># Gorgensen, Olaf, 6$76, unpublished !asir , Se/ed Hossein; 6$76, unpublished#

St# 3etersburg MS, a local histor/, published b/ the Acade"/ of St# 3etersburg, 6D%B# !os# %BBM9%7DM, Archi.es :ni.ersit/ 'ibrar/, Oslo, !or a/# Trans= Fraus9Dolus, 3er; Oslo, 6$?$96$8># Stenuit , Roger; 6$76, unpublished# Solets-/ , A# )#; 6$76, unpublished#

Ah"ad Tusi MS, a geograph/, A#D# 6>C7, papers of G# H# E"erson# !os# 'A >6966C, Archi.es :ni.ersit/ 'ibrar/, Oslo, !or a/# Trans=

Fraus9Dolus, 3er; Oslo, 6$?$96$8># !asir , Se/ed Hossein; 6$76, unpublished# Hitti , A# M#; 6$76, unpublished#

A"in Ra0i MS, a histor/ of arfare, A#D# 6?D?96?$?, papers of G# H# E"erson# !os# 'A %>79%CC, Archi.es :ni.ersit/ 'ibrar/, Oslo, !or a/# Trans= Fraus9Dolus, 3er; Oslo, 6$?$96$8># (endixon, Robert; 6$76, unpublished# 3orteus , Eleanor; 6$76, unpublished#

H/"os MS, a frag"entar/ geograph/, K date, beJuest estate A# 4# 4a.ras# !os# %B>DT9%BCDT, Archi.es :ni.ersit/ 'ibrar/, Oslo, !or a/# Trans= Fraus9Dolus, 3er; Oslo, 6$?$96$8># (endixon, Robert; 6$76, unpublished# 3orteus , Eleanor; 6$76, unpublished# II# SE&O!DAR, SO:R&ES (erndt, E#, and (erndt, R# H# 1An Annotated (ibliograph/ of References to the Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan fro" 67$C to 6$7>,2 Acta Archaeologica, AI= BBC9BD$, 6$76# This re"ar-able co"pilation ill refer the interested reader to all secondar/ sources concerning the "anuscript, hich ha.e appeared in English, !or egian, S edish, Danish, Russian, French, Spanish, and Arabic for the dates cited# The total nu"ber of sources listed is 6,>C%# III# 4E!ERA' REFERE!&E +OR)S The follo ing are suitable for the general reader ith no particular archaeological or historical bac-ground# Onl/ or-s in English are cited#

+ilson, D# M# The Ai-ings, 'ondon, 6$7># (rondsted, G# The Ai-ings, 'ondon, 6$8>, 6$8?# Arb"an , H# The Ai-ings, 'ondon, 6$86# Gones, 4# A Histor/ of the Ai-ings, Oxford, 6$8D# Sa /er, 3# The Age of the Ai-ings, 'ondon, 6$8%# Foote, 3# 4#, and +ilson, D# M# The Ai-ing Achie.e"ent, 'ondon, 6$7># )endric-, T# D# A Histor/ of the Ai-ings, 'ondon, 6$B># A0hared, Abdul# !ecrono"icon Ped# H# 3# 'o.ecraftQ, 3ro.idence, Rhode Island, 6$BC# A FA&T:A' !OTE O! EATERS OF THE DEAD EATERS OF THE DEAD +AS &O!&EIAED O! A DARE# I! 6$7C, "/ friend )urt Ailladsen proposed to teach a college course he called 1The 4reat (ores#2 The course ould include all the texts that ere supposed to be crucial to +estern ci.ili0ation but hich ere, in truth, no longer read illingl/ b/ an/one, because the/ ere so tedious# )urt said that the first of the great bores he ould address as the epic poe" (eo ulf# I disagreed# I argued that (eo ulf as a dra"atic, exciting stor/Iand that I could pro.e it# I ent ho"e and i""ediatel/ began "a-ing notes for this no.el# I started fro" the scholarl/ tradition that exa"ined epic poetr/ and "/tholog/ as if it "ight ha.e so"e underl/ing basis in fact# Heinrich Schlie"ann assu"ed the Iliad as true, and found hat he clai"ed as Tro/ and M/cenae; Arthur E.ans belie.ed there as so"ething to the "/th of the Minotaur, and unco.ered the 3alace of )nossos on &rete;PC8Q M# I# Finle/ and others had traced the route of :l/sses in the Od/sse/;PC7Q 'ionel &asson had ritten about the real <ourne/s that "ight underlie the "/th of Gason and the Argonauts#PCDQ Thus it see"ed reasonable, ithin this tradition, to i"agine that (eo ulf, too, had originall/ been based on an actual e.ent# That e.ent had been e"bellished o.er centuries of oral retelling, producing the fantastic narrati.e e read toda/# (ut I thought it "ight be possible to re.erse the process, peeling a a/ the poetic in.ention, and returning to a -ernel of genuine hu"an experienceIso"ething that had actuall/ happened# This idea of unco.ering the factual core of the narrati.e as appealing but i"practical# Modern scholarship offered no ob<ecti.e procedure to separate poetic in.ention fro" underl/ing fact# E.en to tr/ ould "ean "a-ing innu"erable sub<ecti.e decisions, large and s"all, on e.er/ pageIin the end, so "an/ decisions that the result "ust ine.itabl/ be still another in.ention= a "odern pseudo9historical fantas/ about hat the original e.ents "ight ha.e been#

The insoluble proble" pre.ented "e fro" proceeding# Of course, in riting a no.el, I intended to create a fantas/ of "/ o n# (ut fantasies de"and strict logic, and I as troubled b/ the logic behind hat I anted to rite# Since a real scholar could not do hat I intended to do, I found I could not pretend, in riting, that I had done so# This as not a failure of i"agination or ner.e# It as a purel/ practical proble"# 'i-e the scholar, I had no basis for deciding hich ele"ents of the (eo ulf narrati.e to -eep, and hich to discard# Although the idea of or-ing bac- ard see"ed untenable, I re"ained intrigued# I as-ed a different Juestion= suppose, for a "o"ent, that the practical proble"s that troubled "e did not exist, and the process could indeed be carried out# +hat ould the resulting narrati.e loo- li-eK I i"agined it ould probabl/ be a rather "undane recounting of so"e battles that occurred "ore than a thousand /ears ago# In fact, I suspected it ould probabl/ rese"ble "ost e/e itness accounts of fa"ous e.ents, as ritten b/ people ho are una are of the significance of the e.ents the/ are seeing# This line of thin-ing e.entuall/ led to the solution to "/ proble"# &learl/, I anted an e/e itness account# I could not extract it fro" the existing (eo ulf narrati.e, and I did not ant to in.ent it# That as "/ i"passe# (ut at so"e point, I reali0ed I did not ha.e to in.ent itII could disco.er it instead# Suppose, I thought, a conte"porar/ obser.er had been present at these battles, and had ritten an account of the e.ents that ere later transfor"ed into a poe"# Suppose, too, that this account alread/ existed, but had ne.er been recogni0ed for hat it as# if this ere so, then no in.ention on "/ part ould be necessar/# I could "erel/ reproduce the e/e itness narrati.e, and annotate it for the reader# The concept of a preexisting "anuscript b/passed the logical proble"s hich had earlier i"peded "e, because a found "anuscript ould not be "/ creationIe.en though I ould create it# Of course such thin-ing is absurd, but it happens all the ti"e# Often actors cannot act ithout a prop, or a false "oustache, or so"e other artifice to separate the"sel.es fro" the character the/ are portra/ing# I as engaged in a si"ilar process# +hat sort of narrati.e ould be "ost desirableK I concluded the "ost useful account ould be ritten b/ an outsiderIso"eone not part of the culture, ho could report ob<ecti.el/ on the e.ents as the/ occurred# (ut ho ould this outside obser.er ha.e beenK +here ould he ha.e co"e fro"K On reflection, I reali0ed I alread/ -ne of such a person# In the tenth centur/, an Arab na"ed Ibn Fadlan had tra.eled north fro" (aghdad into hat is no Russia, here he ca"e in contact ith the Ai-ings# His "anuscript, ell9-no n to scholars, pro.ides one of the earliest e/e itness accounts of Ai-ing life and culture#PC$Q As a college undergraduate, I had read portions of the "anuscript# Ibn Fadlan had a distinct .oice and st/le# He as i"itable# He as belie.able# He as unexpected# And after a thousand /ears, I felt that Ibn Fadlan ould not "ind being re.i.ed in a ne role, as a itness to the e.ents that led to the epic poe" of (eo ulf# Although the full "anuscript of Ibn Fadlan has been translated into Russian, 4er"an, French and "an/ other languages, onl/ portions had been translated into English# I

obtained the existing "anuscript frag"ents and co"bined the", ith onl/ slight "odifications, into the first three chapters of Eaters of the Dead#P?>Q I then rote the rest of the no.el in the st/le of the "anuscript to carr/ Ibn Fadlan on the rest of his no 9fictional <ourne/# I also added co""entar/ and so"e extre"el/ pedantic footnotes# I as a are that Ibn FadlanFs actual <ourne/ in A#D# $%6 had probabl/ occurred too late in histor/ to ser.e as the basis for (eo ulf, hich "an/ authorities belie.e as co"posed a hundred and fift/ /ears earlier# (ut the dating of the poe" is uncertain, and at so"e point a no.elist ill insist on his right to ta-e liberties ith the facts# And Eaters contains "an/ o.ert anachronis"s, particularl/ hen Ibn Fadlan "eets up ith a group of re"nant !eanderthals# LOne of the oddities of this boo- is that the inter.ening decades has seen a scholarl/ ree.aluation of !eanderthal "an; and the notion that there "ight ha.e been a fe still around a thousand /ears ago in a re"ote location does not see" Juite so preposterous no as it did then#M (ut certainl/, the ga"e that the boo- pla/s ith its factual bases beco"es increasingl/ co"plex as it goes along, until the text finall/ see"s Juite difficult to e.aluate# I ha.e a long9standing interest in .erisi"ilitude, and in the cues hich "a-e us ta-e so"ething as real or understand it as fiction# (ut I finall/ concluded that in Eaters of the Dead, I had pla/ed the ga"e too hard# +hile I as riting, I felt that I as dra ing the line bet een fact and fiction clearl/; for exa"ple, one cited translator, 3er Fraus9Dolus, "eans in literal 'atin 1b/ tric-er/9deceit#2 (ut ithin a fe /ears, I could no longer be certain hich passages ere real, and hich ere "ade up; at one point I found "/self in a research librar/ tr/ing to locate certain references in "/ bibliograph/, and finall/ concluding, after hours of frustrating effort, that ho e.er con.incing the/ appeared, the/ "ust be fictitious# I as furious to ha.e asted "/ ti"e, but I had onl/ "/self to bla"e# I "ention this because the tendenc/ to blur the boundaries of fact and fiction has beco"e idespread in "odern societ/# Fiction is no sea"lessl/ inserted in e.er/thing fro" scholarl/ histories to tele.ision ne s# Of course, tele.ision is understood to be .enal, its transgressions shrugged off b/ "ost of us# (ut the attitude of 1post9"odern2 scholars represents a "ore funda"ental challenge# So"e in acade"ic life no argue seriousl/ there is no difference bet een fact and fiction, that all a/s of reading text are arbitrar/ and personal, and that therefore pure in.ention is as .alid as hard research# At best, this attitude e.ades traditional scholarl/ discipline; at orst, it is nast/ and dangerous#P?6Q (ut such acade"ic .ie s ere not pre.alent t ent/ /ears ago, hen I sat do n to rite this no.el in the guise of a scholarl/ "onograph, and acade"ic fashions "a/ change againIparticularl/ if scholars find the"sel.es chasing do n i"aginar/ footnotes, as I ha.e done# :nder the circu"stances, I should perhaps sa/ explicitl/ that the references in this after ord are genuine# The rest of the no.el, including its introduction, text, footnotes, and bibliograph/, should properl/ be .ie ed as fiction# +hen Eaters of the Dead as first published, this pla/ful .ersion of (eo ulf recei.ed a rather irritable reception fro" re.ie ers, as if I had desecrated a "onu"ent# (ut (eo ulf scholars all see" to en<o/ it, and "an/ ha.e ritten to sa/ so#

M#&# DE&EM(ER 6$$% About the Author Michael &richton as born in &hicago in 6$C%# His no.els include The Andro"eda Strain, The 4reat Train Robber/, &ongo, Gurassic 3ar-, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The 'ost +orld, and Airfra"e# He is also the creator of the tele.ision series ER# !OTE= The unprintable Arabic script found in the footnotes of the original paper .ersion has been rendered as 1LTM2 in this e9text .ersion# URussell

P6Q Throughout the "anuscript, Ibn Fadlan is inexact about the si0e and co"position of his part/# +hether this apparent carelessness reflects his assu"ption that the reader -no s the co"position of the cara.an, or hether it is a conseJuence of lost passages of the text, one cannot be sure# Social con.entions "a/ also be a factor, for Ibn Fadlan ne.er states that his part/ is greater than a fe indi.iduals, hen in fact it probabl/ nu"bered a hundred people or "ore, and t ice as "an/ horses and ca"els# (ut Ibn Fadlan does not countIliterall/Isla.es, ser.ants, and lesser "e"bers of the cara.an# P%Q Far0an, an unabashed ad"irer of Ibn Fadlan, belie.es that this paragraph re.eals 1the sensibilit/ of a "odern anthropologist, recording not onl/ the custo"s of a people, but the "echanis"s hich act to enforce those custo"s# The econo"ic "eaning of -illing a no"ad leaderFs horses is the approxi"ate eJui.alent of "odern death9taxes; that is, it tends to retard the accu"ulation of inherited ealth in a fa"il/# Although de"anded b/ religion, this could not ha.e been a popular practice, an/ "ore than it is during the present da/# Ibn Fadlan "ost astutel/ de"onstrates the a/ it is i"posed upon the reluctant#2 PBQ Actuall/, Ibn FadlanFs ord for the" here as 1Rus,2 the na"e of this particular tribe of !orth"en# In the text, he so"eti"es calls the Scandina.ians b/ their particular tribal na"e, and so"eti"es he calls the" 1Aarangians2 as a generic ter"# Historians no reser.e the ter" Aarangian for the Scandina.ian "ercenaries e"plo/ed b/ the (/0antine E"pire# To a.oid confusion, in this translation the ter"s 1!orth"en2 and 1!orse"en2 are e.er/ here e"plo/ed# PCQ Arabs ha.e al a/s been uneas/ about translating the )oran# The earliest shei-s held that the hol/ boo- could not be translated, an in<unction apparentl/ based on religious considerations# (ut e.er/one ho has atte"pted a translation agrees for the "ost secular reasons= Arabic is b/ nature a succinct language, and the )oran is co"posed as poetr/ and therefore e.en "ore concentrated# The difficulties of con.e/ing literal "eaningIto sa/ nothing of the grace and elegance of the original ArabicIha.e led translators to preface their or- ith prolonged and ab<ect apologies#

At the sa"e ti"e, Isla" is an acti.e, expansi.e a/ of thought, and the tenth centur/ as one of its pea- periods of disse"ination# This expansion ine.itabl/ necessitated translations for the use of ne con.erts, and translations ere "ade, but ne.er happil/ fro" the standpoint of the Arabs# P?Q This alone as startling to an Arab obser.er fro" a ar" cli"ate# Musli" practice called for Juic- burial, often the sa"e da/ as the death, after a short cere"on/ of ritual ashing and pra/er# P8Q Or, possibl/, 1cra0ed#2 The 'atin "anuscripts read cerritus , but the Arabic of ,a-ut sa/s LTM, 1da0ed2 or 1da00led#2 P7Q Interestingl/, in both Arabic and 'atin, literall/ 1disease#2 PDQ The perils of translation are de"onstrated in this sentence# The original Arabic of ,a-ut reads LTM and "eans literall/ 1There is no na"e I can spea-#2 The H/"os "anuscript e"plo/s the 'atin .erb dare, ith the "eaning 1I cannot gi.e it a na"e,2 i"pl/ing that the interpreter does not -no the correct ord in a non9!orse tongue# The Ra0i "anuscript, hich also contains the interpreterFs speeches in fuller detail, uses the ord edere, ith the "eaning 1There is no na"e that I can "a-e -no n Pto /ouQ#2 This is the "ore correct translation# The !orth"an is literall/ afraid to sa/ the ord, lest it call up de"ons# In 'atin, edere has the sense of 1gi.ing birth to2 and 1calling up,2 as ell as its literal "eaning, 1to put forth#2 'ater paragraphs confir" this sense of the "eaning# P$Q +ulfgar as left behind# Gensen states the !orth"en co""onl/ held a "essenger as hostage, and this is h/ 1appropriate "essengers ere the sons of -ings, or high nobles, or other persons ho had so"e .alue to their o n co""unit/, thus "a-ing the" fitting hostages#2 Olaf Gorgensen argues that +ulfgar re"ained behind because he as afraid to go bac-# P6>Q So"e earl/ authors apparentl/ thought this "eant that the sail as he""ed in rope; there are eighteenth9centur/ dra ings that sho the Ai-ing sails ith rope borderings# There is no e.idence that this as the case; Ibn Fadlan "eant that the sails ere tri""ed in the nautical sense; i#e#, angled to best catch the ind, b/ the use of seals-in ropes as hal/ards# P66Q This is a t/picall/ Musli" senti"ent# :nli-e &hristianit/, a religion hich in "an/ a/s it rese"bles, Isla" does not e"phasi0e a concept of original sin arising fro" the fall of "an# Sin for a Musli" is forgetfulness in carr/ing out the prescribed dail/ rituals of the religion# As a corollar/, it is a "ore serious offense to forget the ritual entirel/ than to re"e"ber the ritual and /et fail to carr/ it out either through extenuating circu"stances or personal inadeJuac/# Thus Ibn Fadlan is sa/ing, in effect, that he is "indful of proper conduct e.en though he is not acting according to it; this is better than nothing# P6%Q Other e/e itness accounts disagree ith Ibn FadlanFs description of the treat"ent of sla.es and adulter/, and therefore so"e authorities Juestion his reliabilit/ as a social obser.er# In fact there as probabl/ substantial local .ariation, fro" tribe to tribe, in the accepted treat"ent of sla.es and unfaithful i.es#

P6BQ There is so"e dispute a"ong "odern scholars about the origin of the ter" 1Ai-ing,2 but "ost agree ith Ibn Fadlan, that it deri.es fro" 1.i-,2 "eaning a creeor narro ri.er# P6CQ The accurac/ of Ibn FadlanFs reporting is confir"ed here b/ direct archaeological e.idence# In 6$CD the "ilitar/ site of Trelleborg, in estern Eealand in Den"ar-, as exca.ated# The site corresponds exactl/ to Ibn FadlanFs description of the si0e, nature, and structure of the settle"ent# P6?Q 'iterall/, 1a t o9handed "an#2 As ill be clear later, the !orth"en ere a"bidextrous in fighting, and to shift eapons fro" one hand to another as considered an ad"irable tric-# Thus a t o9handed "an is cunning# A related "eaning as once attached to the ord 1shift/,2 hich no "eans deceitful and e.asi.e, but for"erl/ had a "ore positi.e sense of 1resourceful, full of "aneu.ers#2 P68Q This account of hat is ob.iousl/ a sighting of hales is disputed b/ "an/ scholars# It appears in the "anuscript of Ra0i as it is here, but in S<ogrenFs translation it is "uch briefer, and in it the !orth"en are sho n as pla/ing an elaborate <o-e upon the Arab# The !orth"en -ne about hales and distinguished the" fro" sea "onsters, according to S<ogren# Other scholars, including Hassan, doubt that Ibn Fadlan could be una are of the existence of hales, as he appears to be here# P67Q 3opular representations of the Scandina.ians al a/s sho the" earing hel"ets ith horns# This is an anachronis"; at the ti"e of Ibn FadlanFs .isit, such hel"ets had not been orn for "ore than a thousand /ears, since the Earl/ (ron0e Age# P6DQ The described figurine corresponds closel/ to se.eral car.ings disco.ered b/ archaeologists in France and Austria# P6$Q Ducere spiritu = literall/, 1to inhale#2 P%>Q This is not the sa"e 1angel of death2 ho as ith the !orth"en on the ban-s of the Aolga# Apparentl/ each tribe had an old o"an ho perfor"ed sha"anistic functions and as referred to as 1the angel of death#2 It is thus a generic ter"# P%6Q The Scandina.ians ere apparentl/ "ore i"pressed b/ the stealth and .iciousness of the creatures than the fact of their cannibalis"# Gensen suggests that cannibalis" "ight be abhorrent to the !orse"en because it "ade entr/ into Aalhalla "ore difficult; there is no e.idence for this .ie # Ho e.er, for Ibn Fadlan, ith his extensi.e erudition, the notion of cannibalis" "a/ ha.e i"plied so"e difficulties in the afterlife# The Eater of the Dead is a ell9 -no n creature of Eg/ptian "/tholog/, a fearso"e beast ith the head of a crocodile, the trun- of a lion, and the bac- of a hippopota"us# This Eater of the Dead de.ours the ic-ed after their Gudg"ent# It is orth re"e"bering that for "ost of "anFs histor/, ritual cannibalis", in one for" or another, for one reason or another, as neither rare nor re"ar-able# 3e-ing "an and !eanderthal "an ere both apparentl/ cannibals; so ere, at .arious ti"es,

the Sc/thians, the &hinese, the Irish, the 3eru.ians, the Ma/oruna, the Gagas, the Eg/ptians, the Australian aborigines, the Maoris, the 4ree-s, the Hurons, the IroJuois, the 3a nees, and the Ashanti# During the ti"e Ibn Fadlan as in Scandina.ia, other Arab traders ere in &hina, here the/ recorded that hu"an fleshIreferred to as 1t o9legged "utton2I as openl/ and legall/ sold in "ar-ets# Martinson suggests that the !orth"en found the endol cannibalis" repellent because the/ belie.ed that the flesh of arriors as fed to o"en, particularl/ the "other of the endol# There is no e.idence for this .ie , either, but it ould certainl/ "a-e a !orse arriorFs death "ore sha"eful# P%%Q An Arab ould be especiall/ inclined to thin- so, for Isla"ic religious art tends to be nonrepresentational, and in Jualit/ si"ilar to "uch Scandina.ian art, hich often see"s to fa.or pure design# Ho e.er, the !orse"en had no in<unction against representing gods, and often did so# P%BQ LTM = literall/, 1.eins#2 The Arabic phrase has led to so"e scholarl/ errors; E# D# 4raha" has ritten, for exa"ple, that 1the Ai-ings foretold the future b/ a ritual of cutting the .eins of ani"als and spreading the" on the ground#2 This is al"ost certaint/ rong; the Arabic phrase for cleaning an ani"al is 1cutting the .eins,2 and Ibn Fadlan as here referring to the idespread practice of di.ination b/ exa"ination of entrails# 'inguists, ho deal ith such .ernacular phrases all the ti"e, are fond of discrepancies in "eaning; a fa.orite exa"ple of HalsteadFs is the English arning 1'oo- outN2 hich usuall/ "eans that one should do exactl/ the opposite and di.e for co.er# P%CQ &ircu"cision# P%?Q Ibn Fadlan does not describe a basilis-, apparentl/ assu"ing that his readers are fa"iliar ith the "/thological creature, hich appears in the earl/ beliefs of nearl/ all +estern cultures# Also -no n as a coc-atrice, the basilis- is generall/ a .ariet/ of coc- ith a serpentFs tail and eight legs, and so"eti"es bearing scales instead of feathers# +hat is al a/s true of the basilis- is that his stare is deadl/, li-e the stare of a 4orgon; and the .eno" of the basilis- is particularl/ lethal# According to so"e accounts, a person ho stabs a basilis- ill atch the .eno" tra.el up the s ord and onto his hand# The "an ill then be obliged to cut off his o n hand to sa.e his bod/# It is probabl/ this sense of the danger of the basilis- that pro"pts its "ention here# The old noble is telling Ibn Fadlan that a direct confrontation ith the trouble"a-ers ill not sol.e the proble"# Interestingl/, one a/ to dispatch a basilis- as to let it see its reflected i"age in a "irror; it ould then be -illed b/ its o n stare# P%8Q LTM in Arabic, and in the 'atin texts, .erbera# (oth ords "eaning 1flogging2 or 1 hipping,2 and not 1flinging,2 as this passage is ordinaril/ translated# It is usuall/ assu"ed that Ibn Fadlan used the "etaphor of 1 hipping2 ith dirt to e"phasi0e the ferocit/ of the insult, hich is clear enough in an/ case# Ho e.er, he "a/ ha.e consciousl/ or unconsciousl/ trans"itted a distinctl/ Scandina.ian attitude to ard insults#

Another Arab reporter, al9Tartushi, .isited the to n of Hedeb/ in A#D# $?>, and said this about the Scandina.ians= 1The/ are "ost peculiar in the "atter of punish"ent# The/ ha.e onl/ three penalties for rongdoing# The first of these and the "ost feared is banish"ent fro" the tribe# The second is to be sold into sla.er/ and the third is death# +o"en ho do rong are sold as sla.es# Men al a/s prefer death# Flogging is un-no n to the !orth"en#2 This .ie is not precisel/ shared b/ Ada" of (re"en, a 4er"an ecclesiastical historian, ho rote in 6>7?= 1If o"en ha.e been found unchaste, the/ are sold off at once, but if "en are found guilt/ of treason or an/ other cri"e, the/ prefer to be beheaded than flogged# !o for" of punish"ent other than the axe or sla.er/ is -no n to the"#2 The historian S<ogren places great i"portance on Ada"Fs state"ent that "en ould prefer to be beheaded rather than flogged# This ould see" to suggest that flogging as -no n a"ong the !orth"en; and he argues further that it as "ost li-el/ a punish"ent for sla.es# 1Sla.es are propert/, and it is econo"icall/ un ise to -ill the" for "inor offenses; surel/ hipping as an accepted for" of punish"ent to a sla.e# Thus it "a/ be that arriors .ie ed hipping as a degraded penalt/ because it as reser.ed for sla.es#2 S<ogren also argues that 1all e -no of Ai-ing life points to a societ/ founded upon the idea of sha"e, not guilt, as the negati.e beha.ioral pole# Ai-ings ne.er felt guilt about an/thing, but the/ defended their honor fiercel/, and ould a.oid a sha"eful act at an/ cost# 3assi.el/ sub"itting to the hip "ust ha.e been ad<udged sha"eful in the extre"e, and far orse than death itself#2 These speculations carr/ us bac- to Ibn FadlanFs "anuscript, and his choice of the ords 1 hipping ith dirt#2 Since the Arab is so fastidious, one "ight onder hether his ords reflect an Isla"ic attitude# In this regard, e should re"e"ber that hile Ibn FadlanFs orld as certainl/ di.ided into clean and dirt/ things and acts, soil itself as not necessaril/ dirt/# On the contrar/, ta/a""u", ablution ith dust or sand, is carried out hene.er ablution ith ater is not possible# Thus Ibn Fadlan had no particular abhorrence of soil on oneFs person; he ould ha.e been "uch "ore upset if he ere as-ed to drin- fro" a gold cup, hich as strictl/ forbidden# P%7Q This passage is apparentl/ the source of the 6D8$ co""ent b/ the scholarl/ Re.# !oel Harleigh that 1a"ong the barbaric Ai-ings, "oralit/ as so per.ersel/ in.erted that their sense of al"s as the dues paid to eapons9"a-ers#2 HarleighFs Aictorian assurance exceeded his linguistic -no ledge# The !orse ord al" "eans el", the resilient ood fro" hich the Scandina.ians "ade bo s and arro s# It is onl/ b/ chance that this ord also has an English "eaning# LThe English 1al"s2 "eaning charitable donations is usuall/ thought to deri.e fro" the 4ree- eleos , to pit/#M P%DQ 'inea adeps = literall/, 1fat line#2 Although the anato"ical isdo" of the passage has ne.er been Juestioned b/ soldiers in the thousand /ears sinceIfor the "idline of the bod/ is here the "ost .ital ner.es and .essels are all foundIthe precise deri.ation of the ter" has been "/sterious# In this regard, it is interesting to note that one of the Icelandic sagas "entions a ounded arrior in 6>B> ho pulls an arro fro" his chest and sees bits of flesh attached to the point; he then sa/s that he still has fat around his heart# Most scholars agree that this is an ironic co""ent fro" a arrior

ho -no s that he has been "ortall/ ounded, and this "a-es good anato"ical sense# In 6DC7, the A"erican historian Robert Miller referred to this passage of Ibn Fadlan hen he said, 1Although ferocious arriors, the Ai-ings had a poor -no ledge of ph/siogno"/# Their "en ere instructed to see- out the .ertical "idline of the opponentFs bod/, but in doing so, of course, the/ ould "iss the heart, positioned as it is in the left chest#2 The poor -no ledge "ust be attributed to Miller, and not the Ai-ings# For the last se.eral hundred /ears, ordinar/ +estern "en had belie.ed the heart to be located in the left chest; A"ericans put their hands o.er their hearts hen the/ pledge allegiance to the flag; e ha.e a strong fol- tradition of soldiers being sa.ed fro" death b/ a (ible carried in the breast poc-et that stops the fatal bullet, and so on# In fact, the heart is a "idline structure that extends to .ar/ing degrees into the left chest; but a "idline ound in the chest ill al a/s pierce the heart# P%$Q According to di.ine la , Musli"s belie.e that 1the Messenger of 4od has forbidden cruelt/ to ani"als#2 This extends to such "undane details as the co""and"ent to unload pac- ani"als pro"ptl/, so that the/ ill not be unnecessaril/ burdened# Further"ore, the Arabs ha.e al a/s ta-en a special delight in breeding and training horses# The Scandina.ians had no special feeling to ard ani"als; nearl/ all Arab obser.ers co""ented on their lac- of affection for horses# PB>Q Most earl/ translators of Ibn FadlanFs "anuscript ere &hristians ith no -no ledge of Arabic culture, and their interpretation of this passage reflects that ignorance# In a .er/ free translation, the Italian 'acalla L6DC7M sa/s= 1In the "orning I arose fro" "/ drun-en stupor li-e a co""on dog, and as "uch asha"ed for "/ condition#2 And S-o."and, in his 6$6$ co""entar/, brusJuel/ concludes that 1one cannot place credence in Ibn FadlanFs stories, for he as drun- during the battles, and ad"its as "uch#2 More charitabl/, Du &hatellier, a confir"ed Ai-ingophile, said in 6$>D= 1The Arab soon acJuired the intoxication of the battle that is the .er/ essence of the !orse heroic spirit#2 I a" indebted to Massud Far0an, the Sufi scholar, for explaining the allusion that Ibn Fadlan is "a-ing here# Actuall/, he is co"paring hi"self to a character in a .er/ old Arabic <o-e= A drun-en "an falls into a puddle of his o n .o"it b/ the roadside# A dog co"es along and begins lic-ing his face# The drun- assu"es a -ind person is cleaning his face, and sa/s gratefull/, 1Ma/ Allah "a-e /our children obedient#2 Then the dog raises his leg and urinates on the drun-ard, ho responds, 1And "a/ 4od bless /ou, brother, for ha.ing brought ar" ater to ash "/ face#2 In Arabic, the <o-e carries the usual in<unction against drun-enness, and the subtle re"inder that liJuor is -h"er , or filth, as is urine# Ibn Fadlan probabl/ expected his reader to thin-, not that he as e.er drun-, but rather that he luc-il/ a.oided being urinated upon b/ the dog, as he earlier escaped death in battle= it is a reference, in other ords, to another near "iss#

PB6Q :rine is a source of a""onia, an excellent cleaning co"pound# PB%Q So"e authorities on "/tholog/ argue that the Scandina.ians did not originate this idea of an eternal battle, but rather that this is a &eltic concept# +hate.er the truth, it is perfectl/ reasonable that Ibn FadlanFs co"panions should ha.e adopted the concept, for the Scandina.ians had been in contact ith &elts for o.er a hundred and fift/ /ears at this ti"e# PBBQ LTM literall/, 1desert of dread#2 In a paper in 6$%7, G# 4# To"linson pointed out that precisel/ the sa"e phrase appears in the Aolsunga Saga, and therefore argued at length that it represented a generic ter" for taboo lands# To"linson as apparentl/ una are that the Aolsunga Saga sa/s nothing of the sort; the nineteenth9centur/ translation of +illia" Morris indeed contains the line 1There is a desert of dread in the utter"ost part of the orld,2 but this line as MorrisFs o n in.ention, appearing in one of the "an/ passages here he expanded upon the original 4er"anic saga# PBCQ The Isla"ic in<unction against alcohol is literall/ an in<unction against the fer"ented fruit of the grape; i#e#, ine# Fer"ented drin-s of hone/ are specificall/ per"itted to Musli"s# PB?Q The usual ps/chiatric explanation for such fears of loss of bod/ parts is that the/ represent castration anxiet/# In a 6$B7 re.ie , Defor"ations of (od/ I"age in 3ri"iti.e Societies, Engelhardt obser.es that "an/ cultures are explicit about this belief# For exa"ple, the !ana"ani of (ra0il punish sexual offenders b/ cutting off the left ear; this is thought to reduce sexual potenc/# Other societies attach significance to the loss of fingers, toes, or, in the case of the !orth"en, the nose# It is a co""on superstition in "an/ societies that the si0e of a "anFs nose reflects the si0e of his penis# E"erson argues that the i"portance accorded the nose b/ pri"iti.e societies reflects a .estigial attitude fro" the da/s hen "en ere hunters and relied hea.il/ upon a sense of s"ell to find ga"e and a.oid ene"ies; in such a life, the loss of s"ell as a serious in<ur/ indeed# PB8Q In the Mediterranean, fro" Eg/ptian ti"es, d ar.es ere thought especiall/ intelligent and trust orth/, and tas-s of boo--eeping and "one/9handling ere reser.ed to the"# PB7Q Of approxi"atel/ ninet/ s-eletons that can be confidentl/ ascribed to the Ai-ing period in Scandina.ia, the a.erage height appears to be about 67> centi"eters L?F72M# PBDQ Dahl"ann L6$%CM rites that 1for cere"onial occasions the ra" as eaten to increase potenc/, since the horned "ale ani"al as <udged superior to the fe"ale#2 In fact, during this period both ra"s and e es had horns# PB$Q Goseph &antrell obser.es that 1there is a strain in 4er"anic and !orse "/tholog/ hich holds that o"en ha.e special po ers, Jualities of "agic, and should be feared and "istrusted b/ "en# The principal gods are all "en, but the Aal-/ries, hich "eans literall/ Rchoosers of the slain,F are o"en ho transport dead arriors to

3aradise# It as belie.ed that there ere three Aal-/ries, as there ere three !orns, or Fates, hich ere present at the birth of e.er/ "an, and deter"ined the outco"e of his life# The !orns ere na"ed :rth, the past; Aerthandi, the present; and S-uld, the future# The !orns R o.eF a "anFs fate, and ea.ing as a o"anFs or-; in popular representations the/ ere sho n as /oung "aidens# +/rd, an Anglo9Saxon deit/ hich ruled fate, as also a goddess# 3resu"abl/ the association of o"en ith "anFs fate as a per"utation of earlier concepts of o"en as fertilit/ s/"bols; the goddesses of fertilit/ controlled the gro ing and flo ering of crops and li.ing things on the earth#2 &antrell also notes that 1in practice, e -no that di.ination, spellcasting, and other sha"anistic functions ere reser.ed to elderl/ o"en in !orse societ/# Further"ore, popular ideas of o"en contained a hea./ ele"ent of suspicion# According to the Har.a"al, R!o one should trust the ords of a girl or a "arried o"an, for their hearts ha.e been shaped on a turning heel and the/ are inconstant b/ nature#F 2 (endixon sa/s, 1A"ong the earl/ Scandina.ians there as a -ind of di.ision of po er according to sex# Men ruled ph/sical affairs; o"en, ps/chological "atters#2 PC>Q This is a paraphrase of a senti"ent a"ong the !orth"en, expressed full/ as= 13raise not the da/ until e.ening has co"e; a o"an until she is burnt; a s ord until it is tried; a "aiden until she is "arried; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drun-#2 This prudent, realistic, and so"e hat c/nical .ie of hu"an nature and the orld as so"ething the Scandina.ians and the Arabs shared# And li-e the Scandina.ians, the Arabs often express it in "undane or satiric ter"s# There is a Sufi stor/ about a "an ho as-ed a sage= 1Suppose I a" tra.eling in the countr/side and "ust "a-e ablutions in the strea"# +hich direction do I face hile perfor"ing the ritualK2 To this the sage replies= 1In the direction of /our clothes, so the/ onFt be stolen#2 PC6Q In the Faeroe Islands of Den"ar-, a si"ilar "ethod of scaling cliffs is still practiced to gather bird eggs, an i"portant source of food to the islanders# PC%Q This description of the ph/sical features of the endol has spar-ed a predictable debate# See Appendix# PCBQ 'ectulus # PCCQ Fenestra porcus = literall/, 1pig indo #2 The !orse"en used stretched "e"branes instead of glass to co.er narro indo s; these "e"branes ere translucent# One could not see "uch through the", but light ould be ad"itted into houses# PC?Q This section of the "anuscript is pieced together fro" the "anuscript of Ra0i, hose chief interest as "ilitar/ techniJues# +hether or not Ibn Fadlan -ne , or recorded, the significance of (uli /fFs reappearance is un-no n# &ertainl/ Ra0i did not include it, although the significance is ob.ious enough# In !orse "/tholog/, Odin is popularl/ represented as bearing a ra.en on each shoulder# These birds bring hi" all the ne s of the orld# Odin as the principal deit/ of the !orse pantheon and as considered the :ni.ersal Father# He ruled especiall/ in "atters of arfare; it as

belie.ed that fro" ti"e to ti"e he ould appear a"ong "en, although rarel/ in his godli-e for", preferring to assu"e the appearance of a si"ple tra.eler# It as said that an ene"/ ould be scared a a/ si"pl/ b/ his presence# Interestingl/, there is a stor/ about Odin in hich he is -illed and resurrected after nine da/s; "ost authorities belie.e this idea antedates an/ &hristian influence# In an/ case, the resurrected Odin as still "ortal, and it as belie.ed that he ould so"eda/ finall/ die# PC8Q The classic popular account of E.ans and Schlie"ann is &# +# &era" L)urt +# Mare-M, 4ods, 4ra.es, and Scholars, Alfred A# )nopf, !e ,or-, 6$87# PC7Q M# I# Finle/, The +orld of Od/sseus, Ai-ing 3ress, !e ,or-, 6$8?# PCDQ 'ionel &asson, The Ancient Mariners, Sea Farers and Sea Fighters of the Mediterranean in Ancient Ti"es, Mac"illan, !e ,or-, 6$?$# PC$Q A"ong the "an/ discussions of Ai-ing societ/ for the general reader, see= D# M# +ilson, The Ai-ings, 'ondon, 6$7>; G# (rondsted, The Ai-ings, 'ondon, 6$8?; 3# Sa /er, The Age of the Ai-ings, 'ondon, 6$8%; 3# 4# Foote and D# M# +ilson, The Ai-ing Achie.e"ent, 'ondon, 6$7># So"e of these references Juote passages fro" Ibn FadlanFs "anuscript# P?>Q To "/ -no ledge there are still onl/ t o principal sources in English# The first is the text frag"ents I read as an undergraduate= Robert (la-e and Richard Fr/e, 1The Ai-ings Abroad and at Ho"e,2 in &arleton S# &oon, A Reader in 4eneral Anthropolog/, Henr/ Holt and &o#, !e ,or-, 6$?%, pp# C6>9C68# The second source is Robert 3# (la-e and Richard !# Fr/e, 1!otes on the Risala of Ibn9Fadlan,2 (/0antina Metab/0antina , 6$C$, .#6 part %, !e ,or-, pp# 79B7# I a" grateful to 3rofessor Fr/e for his assistance during the first publication of this boo-, and this recent re.ision# P?6Q For trends in post9"odern acade"ic thought, see, for exa"ple, 3auline Marie Rosenau, 3ost9Modernis" and the Social Sciences= Insights, Inroads, and Intrusions, 3rinceton, !e Gerse/, 6$$%; and H# Ara" Aeser, ed#, The !e Historicis", Routledge, !e ,or-, 6$D$# 3RAISE FOR MI&HAE' &RI&HTO!

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