afterwards dwelt there himself. He taught Are the priest, and
gave him information about many circumstances which Are
afterwards wrote down. Are also got many a piece of information
from Thurid, a daughter of the gode Snorre. She was wise and
intelligent, and remembered her father Snorre, who was nearly
thirty-five years of age when Christianity was introduced into
Iceland, and died a year after King Olaf the Saint's fall. So it
is not wonderful that Are the priest had good information about
ancient events both here in Iceland, and abroad, being a man
anxious for information, intelligent and of excellent memory, and
having besides learned much from old intelligent persons. But
the songs seem to me most reliable if they are sung correctly,
and judiciously interpreted.



HALFDAN THE BLACK SAGA.


PRELIMINARY REMARKS.

Of this saga there are other versions found in "Fagrskinna" and
in "Flateyjarbok". The "Flateyjarbok" version is to a great
extent a copy of Snorre. The story about Halfdan's dream is
found both in "Fagrskinna" and in "Flateyjarbok". The
probability is that both Snorre and the author of "Fagrskinna"
must have transcribed the same original text. -- Ed.