I intend to
reward him; he was before my torchbearer, and shall now be my lenderman;
and there shall follow what is still more, that he shall be the most
distinguished of my lendermen. Go thou and sit among the lendermen, and
be a servant no longer."

Ottar became one of the most celebrated men in Norway for various good
and praiseworthy deeds.

31. OF KING SIGURD'S DREAM.

In King Sigurd's latter days he was once at an entertainment at one
of his farms; and in the morning when he was dressed he was silent
and still, so that his friends were afraid he was not able to govern
himself. Now the farm bailiff, who was a man of good sense and courage,
brought him into conversation, and asked if he had heard any news of
such importance that it disturbed his mirth; or if the entertainment
had not satisfied him; or if there was anything else that people could
remedy.

King Sigurd said, that none of the things he had mentioned was the
cause. "But it is that I think upon the dream I had in the night."

"Sire," replied he, "may it prove a lucky dream! I would gladly hear
it."

The king: "I thought that I was in Jadar, and looked out towards the
sea; and that I saw something very black moving itself; and when it came
near it appeared to be a large tree, of which the branches stretched far
above the water, and the roots were down in the sea. Now when the tree
came to the shore it broke into pieces, and drove all about the land,
both the mainland and the out-islands, rocks and strands; and it
appeared to me as if I saw over all Norway along the sea-coast, and
saw pieces of that tree, some small and some large, driven into every
bight."

Then said the bailiff, "It is likely that you an best interpret this
dream yourself; and I would willingly hear your interpretation of it."

Then said the king, "This dream appears to me to denote the arrival in
this country of some man who will fix his seat here, and whose posterity
will spread itself over the land; but with unequal power, as the dream
shows."

32. OF ASLAK HANE.

It so happened once, that King Sigurd sat in a gloomy mood among many
worthy men. It was Friday evening, and the kitchen-master asked what
meat should be made ready.

The king replies, "What else but flesh-meat?" And so harsh were his
words that nobody dared to contradict him, and all were ill at ease.
Now when people prepared to go to table, dishes of warm flesh-meat were
carried in; but all were