The walls of the halls were hung with tapestry, made by the wives and daughters of the family, often representing the deeds of their forefathers or those of their lord; the carvings on the walls were occasionally very fine. An idea of the vast size of these festive halls can be gleaned from the number of guests and attendants they could hold. Some walls were adorned with shields put so closely together that they overlapped each other; many were inlaid or ornamented with gold and silver, which must have added to the brilliancy of the scene. “King Knut began his journey to Borgundarhólm (Bornholm), where Egil had made a grand feast for him; he went to this with a large hird.[190] There he had a hall as large as a king’s, hung all over with shields” (Flateyjarbók iii., p. 401). “King Harald Sigurdarson came to the chief Aslák, and invited himself to his house. Aslák went to meet him, and received him very well. The king and his men were shown in to a hall and seated; it was covered with shields and most splendidly adorned in all respects”[191] (Flateyjarbók iii., p. 401). Once Thorfinn (an Icelandic poet) sat on an easy chair before King Olaf. The king said to him: “‘Make a song, Scald, about that which is drawn on the hangings.’ Thorfinn looked at them, and saw that Sigurd slaying Fafnir was embroidered on them” (Flateyjarbók iii.). [Illustration: Fig. 1092.—The Church-door of Versås, Vestergötland. Representation of Sigurd slaying the serpent Fafnir: Runic inscription, _Asmutr Kärthi Dyrr_ = Asmund made the door; and svastica. ] The halls were used for feasts,[192] and were built east and west, the long walls running north and south; along the latter were the benches, and in the middle of each of these were the _hásæti_ or high-seats, also called _Ondvegi_ or _Ondugi_, because the two seats were opposite each other (_Ond_ = opposite, _vegi_ = way). The most important benches were the _œdri bekk_, which ran along the northern wall, and the high-seat or the chief seat in the hall, which stood facing the sun, and was for the use of the master of the household, who never allowed any one else to use it. The long bench which ran along the southern wall was called “_úœdri bekk_” (the lower bench); the high-seat on this bench was called _annat ondvegi_, _nordr ondvegi_ and _ondvegi a hinn uœdra bekk_, and was opposite to the other high-seat. To be placed in this _ondvegi_ was the highest honour that could be shown to any one, and consequently this place was only assigned to most prominent men. The nearer the place on the benches assigned to any one was to the high-seat, the greater the honour; the places farthest away, near the doors, were the lowest. [Illustration: Fig. 1093.—Door of Faaberg’s Church, 9 feet high, 3 feet wide. Only three doors of the same kind (with ironwork) are preserved. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1094.—Door from Vånga Church, Ostergötland, Stockholm Museum. ]