(l) Guthrum bade him tell his story, but died of horror at hearing his
god Loke foully spoken of, while the stench of the hair that Thorkill
produced, as Othere did his horn for a voucher of his speech, slew many
bystanders.

This is the regular myth of Loke, punished by the gods, lying bound with
his own soils' entrails on three sharp stones and a sword-blade, (this
latter an addition, when the myth was made stones were the only blades),
with snakes' venom dripping on to him, so that when it falls on him he
shakes with pain and makes earthquakes--a Titan myth in answer to the
question, "Why does the earth quake?" The vitriolic power of the poison
is excellently expressed in the story. The plucking of the hair as a
token is like the plucking of a horn off the giant or devil that occurs
in some folk-tale.




MAGIC AND FOLK-SCIENCE.

There is a belief in magic throughout Saxo's work, showing how fresh
heathendom still was in men's minds and memories. His explanations, when
he euhemerizes, are those of his day.

By means of spells all kinds of wonders could be effected, and the
powers of nature forced to work for the magician or his favourite.

"Skin-changing" (so common in "Landnamaboc") was as well known as in the
classic world of Lucian and Apuleius; and, where Frode perishes of the
attacks of a witch metamorphosed into a walrus.