[Illustration: Fig. 1115. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1116. ] Door-jambs of Hyllestad Church, Sœtersdal. Height, 7 feet; width, 1⅔ feet. Representation of seven episodes from the Volsunga Saga—Regin forging a sword; Sigurd trying it; Sigurd piercing the snake Fafnir; Sigurd roasting the heart of Fafnir; Sigurd’s horse _Grani_; Sigurd slaying Regin; and Gunnar in the snake-pit playing the harp with his toes. [Illustration: Fig. 1117. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1118. ] Door-jambs in Faaberg Church, Gulbrandsdal, about 7½ feet long. [Illustration: Fig. 1119. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1120. ] Door-jambs in Lardals Church, Jarsberg. Height, 6⅙ feet; breadth of broader plank, 1⅔ feet. Representation of the skin of Regin’s brother in the shape of an otter, and Sigurd slaying Fafnir. [Illustration: Fig. 1121. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1122. ] Door-jambs, Ulvick Church, Hardanger; 8 feet high; nearly 2 feet wide. [Illustration: Fig. 1123. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1124. ] Door-jambs, Hyllestad Church, Sætersdal; 7 feet high, 1⅔ feet wide. [Illustration: Fig. 1125.—Engraved ornaments of silver upon wood, found in a mound.—Ringerike, Norway, earlier iron age. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1126.—Hinge of bronze with rosette of silver gilt. ½ real size. Found with shield boss and sword.—Hammenhoj, Scania, earlier iron age. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1127. ] [Illustration: Fig. 1128. ] Ornaments of silver rivetted upon wood. ⅔ real size.—Mammen find, later iron age. [Illustration: Fig. 1129.—A unique specimen of a box in extraordinary preservation (of box-wood), found in a mound, with a bronze kettle containing two ribs, one of a cow, the other of a dog. In the box was a large needle of bronze, fragments of a small silver ornament. At the ends are seen traces of bronze nails. 9/16 real size.—Norway, earlier iron age. ] We see in smaller objects (as on p. 272) how highly finished were the carvings in the earlier iron age. When a house was built the people inquired if the ground be lucky or unlucky in the new house. They measured the length and breadth repeatedly, and then they carefully examined if all the measurements were the same. If the measurements grew longer they thought it foreboded an increase of well-being for the dwellers; if the opposite they thought it foreboded a decrease in the well-being of the persons. Ogmund went to Iceland from Norway. “He measured the ground for his house. It was a belief that if the measurement was the same when it was tried repeatedly, then the well-being of the man whose measuring-yard grew too short would decrease, but increase if it grew longer. The measurement was performed three times and the yard was too short.” ----- Footnote 184: Bœr or Bu, meant a dwelling-place occupied by a single family. Footnote 185: The name gard, gaard, still signifies all the buildings of a farm. Footnote 186: