ow commenced, and the whole household, aroused from their
slumber, came trooping in. For some time the issue of the combat was
dubious, both adversaries being fairly well matched. But at length
Rerir began to prevail, and Signi's father cried out for some one to
help him. Then Signi, anxious to save her parent's life, seized a knife,
and, aiming a frantic blow, inadvertently struck her father, who
instantly sank on the ground, leaving her at the mercy of his furious
opponent.

With a loud snarl of triumph, Rerir rushed at the girl, and was bearing
her triumphantly away, when the cook--an old woman who had followed the
fortunes of the Bersekir all her life--had a sudden inspiration.
Standing on a shelf in the corner of the room was a jar containing a
preparation of sulphur, asafoetida, and castoreum, which her mistress
had always given her to understand was a preventive against evil
spirits. Snatching it up, she darted after the wer-bear and flung the
contents of it in its face, just as it was about to descend the stairs
with Signi. In a moment there was a sudden and startling metamorphosis,
and in the place of the bear stood the ugly, misshapen man, Rerir.

The hunchback now would gladly have departed without attempting further
mischief; for although the household boasted no man apart from its
incapacitated master, there were still three formidable women and some
big dogs to be faced.

But to let him escape, after the irreparable harm he had done, was the
very last thing Signi would permit; and with an air of stern authority
she commanded the servants to fall on him with any weapons they could
find, whilst she would summon the hounds.

Now, indeed, the tables were completely turned. Rerir was easily
overpowered and bound securely hand and foot by Signi and her servants,
and after undergoing a brief trial the following morning he was
summarily executed.

Those Icelanders who possessed the property of metamorphosis into wolves
and bears (they were always of the male sex), more often than not used
it for the purpose of either wreaking vengeance or of executing justice.
The terrible temper--for the rage of the Bersekir has been a byword for
centuries--commonly attributed to Icelanders and Scandinavians in
general, is undoubtedly traceable to the werwolves and wer-bears into
which the Bersekirs metamorphosed.

It is said that in Iceland there are both lycanthropous streams and
flowers, and that they differ little if a