Hástigi forward into the fire, and threw the hide over him; he jumped on his back, and then went to his bench. The king ordered them to take the man out of the fire; he was much burnt. The king was very angry, though he saw it was chiefly his own fault” (Hjalmter’s and Olver’s Saga, ch. 17). To such a maritime people, the idrótt of swimming was most important. There were men who could swim for miles with armour on, or with a companion on their shoulders. Occasionally it happened that a fierce struggle ensued in the water, and that the stronger carried his adversary down to the bottom, holding him until he was almost half drowned, and unable to offer any further resistance. “One day in fine weather and warm sunshine many men were swimming, both from the long-ship and the trading-ship. An Icelander who was swimming amused himself by taking under water the men who did not swim so well as himself. They laughed at it. King Sigurd heard it and saw; then he threw off his clothes and jumped out, swam to the Icelander, took hold of him and put him under water, and kept him there, and as soon as the Icelander came up again the king put him down again. Then Sigurd Sigurdsson said: ‘Shall we let the king drown the man?’ A man said that no one seemed very willing to go to them. Then he answered: ‘If Dag Eilifson were here, he would be the man to do it.’ Then he jumped overboard and swam to the king, took hold of him, and said: ‘Do not kill the man, lord; all now see that thou swimmest far better. The king said: ‘Let me alone, Sigurd, I shall kill him; he wants to drown our men.’ Sigurd said: ‘Now let us play first; and thou, Icelander, swim to the land.’ He did so. The king let Sigurd loose and swam to his ship; Sigurd did the same” (Sigurd Jorsalafar’s Saga, ch. 36).