uld stand, thrust her out of his kingdom. She made her way to
Denmark, and soon after married the Danish King. Though beautiful, Queen
Gunhild's pride and arrogance made her hateful to her new subjects, and
her attendants watched their opportunity to rid themselves of such an
obnoxious mistress. The time came for them when the Queen was travelling
through Jutland. A sign was given to her bearers, whilst journeying
through the marshes near Vejle, to drop her down into the bog. This was
done, and a stake driven through her body. To-day in the church at Vejle
a body lies enclosed in a glass coffin, with a stake lying beside it,
the teeth and long black hair being in excellent preservation. This body
was found in 1821, when the marshes near Vejle were being drained for
cultivation. The stake was found through it, thus giving colour to the
tradition. Poor Queen! lost in the eleventh century and found in the
nineteenth.

_Folk-dancers._

The Danes, like all the Scandinavians, are renowned for their love of
dancing. Lately they have revived the beautiful old folk-dances,
realizing at last the necessity of keeping the ancient costumes, dances
and songs before the people, if they would not have them completely
wiped out. A few patriotic Danes have formed a society of ladies and
gentlemen to bring about this revival. These are called the
folk-dancers, their object being to stimulate the love of old-time
Denmark in the modern Dane, by showing him the dance, accompanied by
folk-song, which his forefathers delighted in. Old-time ways the Dane of
to-day is perhaps a little too ready to forget, but dance and song
appeal to his northern nature. The beautiful old costumes of the Danish
peasants have almost entirely disappeared, but those worn by the
folk-dancers are facsimiles of the costumes formerly worn in the
districts they represent. These costumes, with heavy gold embroidery,
curious hats, or pretty velvet caps, weighty with silver lace, must have
been a great addition to local colouring. The men also wore a gay dress,
and it is to be regretted that these old costumes have disappeared from
the villages and islands of Denmark.

In olden times the voice was the principal accompaniment of the dance,
and these folk-lorists generally sing while dancing; but occasionally a
fiddler or flautist plays for them, and becomes the leader in the dance.
Some of these dances are of a comical nature, and no doubt were invented
to parody the s