eoforlíc scionon the forms of boars they seemed ofer hleor beran above their cheeks to bear gehroden golde, adorned with gold, fáh and fýrheard various and hardened in the fire ferhwearde heóld. it held the guard of life[674]. And again: ac se hwíta helm but the white helmet hafelan werede, guarded the head, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . since geweorðad, adorned with treasure, befongen freawrásnum, set about with lordly signs, swá hine fyrndagum as it in days of yore worhte wæpna smið, the armourer made, wundrum teóde, wondrously produced, besette swínlícum, set it about with shapes of ðæt hine syððan nó boars, brond né beadomecas that afterwards neither bítan né meahton. brand nor warknife might penetrate it[675]. Grimm citing this passage goes so far as even to render “freá wrasnum” by _Frothonis signis_, and thus connects it at once with Frea[676]; and we may admit at all events the great plausibility of the suggestion. But though distinct proof of Freá's worship in England cannot be supplied during the Saxon period, we have very clear evidence of its still subsisting in the thirteenth century. The following extraordinary story is found in the Chronicle of Lanercost[677], an. 1268. “Pro fidei divinae integritate servanda recolat lector quod, cum hoc anno in Laodonia pestis grassaretur in pecudes armenti, quam vocant usitate Lungessouth, quidam bestiales, habitu claustrales non animo, docebant idiotas patriae ignem confrictione de lignis educere et simulachrum Priapi statuere, et per haec bestiis succurrere. Quod cum unus laicus Cisterciencis apud Fentone fecisset ante atrium aulae, ac intinctis testiculis canis in aquam benedictam super animalia sparsisset, ac pro invento facinore idolatriae dominus villae a quodam fideli argueretur, ille pro sua innocentia obtendebat, quod ipso nesciente et absente fuerant haec omnia perpetrata, et adiecit, et cum ad usque hunc mensem Junium aliorum animalia languerent et deficerent, mea semper sana erant, nunc vero quotidie mihi moriuntur duo vel tria, ita quod agricultui pauca supersunt.” ----- Footnote 668: För Skirnis. The legend of Geát and Mæðhild however must have been of this character: and thus Wóden may have been in some sort a phallic Hermes. Footnote 669: M. Adami Bremensis lib. de situ Daniae. Ed. 1629, p. 23. Ihre, in his Gloss. Sueogoth. mentions forms dug up in the North which clearly prove the prevalence of phallic rites. Footnote 670: See Grimm, Mythol. p. 193 _seq._ Footnote 671: Fornman. Sög. ii. 73 _seq._ Footnote 672: Germ. xlv. Footnote 673: Beów. l. 4299 _seq._ Footnote 674: Beów. l. 604 _seq._