Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-11-10
eURlALs STRANGE AND WEIRD
Row the vikings OF ola Inferred The
naaH la,

Dead In ships.
Prom the ancient Scandinavian lit
erature we learn a great deal that Is
interesting about the customs and man
ner Of living OF the hardy Norsemen of
DID," said George II. Boomer, OF the
Smithsonian institution, to a Star re-
porter. There has been thus preserved
a curious story relating TO the origin Of
ship burial. Those bold Vikings, being
rather more at home on the water than
on land, were commonly inferred in
mounds together with their vessels, the
great sca-going boat sometimes serving
as a kind of sarcophagus for containing
many corpses The model Of the Viking
ship now on exhibition in the National
museum is restored reproduction on
small scale of IA big vessel that was found
some years ago at Golsstad, in Norway.
II was dug out Of mound, which had
been known for centuries as the Kings
mound, because of tradition to the
effect that royal parsonage had been
inferred there with all his treasures.
II was In the expectation of securing
the latter that the mound was first
opened by robbers, who carried away
great deal that would have been of
interest TO science and the world.
"Thc story ! speak OF refers TO the
age of fable, when the Scandinavian
north was peopled by race of gods,
whose king was Odin. Odn and his
wife, Freya, had two sons, Baldr and
Thor. Baldr was beautiful and gentle
and was beloved by the gods, who
looked TO his dreams for guidance. He
had, however, one enemy, Loki, the
evil god. One night Baldr in dream
heard voice telling him that his life
was in danger and in the morning he
told his mother OF II. Freya was great
ly worried and going to all things ami
NAL, mineral, and vegetable she ex-
acted Of them an oath that thu y would
not harm Baldr. While on her mis-
sion Freya came TO one little plant, the
mlstlctoc, which appeared to be incapa-
BILE OF working harm and thus no oath
was cxactcd of IL. When Freya had
finished her task she returned home
and told Baldr and his friends what
she had done, and the gods In their
plays often amused themselves by
shooting arrows or throwing stones at
his invulncrablc body to see them
swcrvc aside just before reaching him.
Lold, however, being determined to do
Baldr harm, went TO Frcya disguised ms
an old woman and learned from her the
only thing that might be employed in
injuring his enemy. Then, hurrying
away, he found the little mistletoc, and,
carving IL into an arrow, returned to
the spot whepc the gods amused them
selves shooting at Baldr. Apart from
the crowd stood Holder, the blind. and,
approaching him, Bolxi induced him to
shoot the arrow at Baldr, who fell, shot
through the heart
"Odin mourned three DAYS, and then
he ordered that Baldr's body be carried
TO the seashore and be placed upon the
armor, splendid clothes, and his horse
with all its trappings. The ship WIS
launched, and fire from the friction of
the rollers burned II, together with its
contents, TO ashes. And Odin ordered
that all dead men should be burned
upon their ships, together with all
their property, the remains to be col
lected and covered with II mound OF
earth.
"Of crematories Of this kind the ship
grave at Mokklebyist, Norway, affords
an excellent illustration. The mound
is located In a plain, in full view OF the
sea over which the buried ship used to
bound. All around tho m ound is IA
ditch twelve feet wide and three
feet deep, which, on the south
and west, is traversed by bridge
like dam. The interior OF the m ound
| - II
splintcrs intermixed with soil and
cinders, and tho other consisting of
cinders and burned remains. Over this
number Of objects were strewn, which
showed that here a ship had been
hauled ashore and gayly decorated with
shields around its bulwark and with
arms and other articles of war piled up,
serving thus as the funeral pyre of its
commander.
The remains in this instance having
been consumed they were collected in u
fat bronze vessel, together with some
personal property of the owner, con-
sisting OF two combs, checkermen, dice
and arrow heads. This receptacl e
holding the remains OF the dead CHIEF
was placed in an excavation at the bot
tom of the mound. Above it a number
OF articles were piled. In an Unframed
goatslsin were found the unburned
remains OF animal bones, posi-
bly, the portion assigned to the dead
man from the funeral feast for his long
journey to walhalla. The bottom OF
the mound was covered with hundreds
OF nails, mountings, mast rings, an
chors, shields and other things.
I'm another kind Of Morse burial the
body was placed in the ship without
being burned, the entire vessel being
covered with layer Of earth so as tc
form large mound. The best-lSnown
example Of this style of interment u
afforded by the buried ship at Golsstad
An excavation OF this mound, conduct
ed with great care by opening pas
sageway through the middle, rewarded
the scientific explorers by revealing ar
entire ship eighty feet In length. II
the middle of the ship was a larg,
grave chamber Of wood In the form o.
. span roof with gable, In which
tho remains OF the dead wer,
deposited. The spot for the mount
was required TO have fret
view of the sea. After digging
away the soil from the place chosen
the ship was drawn thither by horsei
and lowered with its stem seward intC
the excavation, being staid on each sid,
with struts. The sepulchrsl chamber
was then built. When IL was ready
the corpse, arrayed in state attire ant
grit with arms, was drawn TO thu
ground, introduced into the chamber
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