CHAPTER XI HUNTING, FOWLING, AND FISHING I launched my boat in Largo Bay, One for wad and one for hook, And one was left for me. From an old Scottish ballad showing Scandinavian influence. A THOUSAND years ago the Scandinavian waters teemed with fish to an even greater degree than at present, and an abundance of game was found in virtually Wild Ani every part of the land. Hence, many North- Impormen eked out their larders and added to their tance of wealth by taking toll from the wild life about mal Life them. And the humbler people in the more out-of-the-way parts lived, in many instances, entirely upon hunting; the wild land- and water-animals supplied not only food and the means with which to secure other necessaries, but largely clothing, as well. The Skridfinns, or Lapps, were probably the greatest nimrods of all. They pursued the chase not only for the sake of securing a livelihood and commercial gain, but also in order to pay the tribute of skins and furs exacted from them by the Northern chieftains of Germanic blood who lived upon their frontiers. These nomadic hunters appear to have especially excelled in catching sea mammals, and to have given some of their skill to their blonde neighbors.1 1 Nansen, In Northern Mists, I, 224-225. Among the more prosperous, hunting was primarily a summer occupation, and the special hunter whom many people employed was, in winter, given some Hunting The animals usually sought were common deer, reindeer, elks, wild hogs, wolves, martens, otters, sables, lynxes, wild cats, squirrels, hares, brown bears, polar bears, and various kinds of foxes. Most of these animals were found in continental Scandinavia, while only a few were native to Iceland. The white bear, on the other hand, was limited to Greenland and Iceland. But it was only a temporary visitor to the latter place, to which it came as a passenger in the winter and springtime upon floating Greenland ice. And such visits caused considerable uneasiness in the minds of the Iceland farmers, for if the animals once landed they were likely to work havoc in the sheep-folds. Consequently, the people living along the north and west coasts kept a sharp lookout when the icebergs began to arrive, and if a bear was known to have come with them, a hunt was immediately begun.2 The customary hunting weapons were the bow-generally made from the wood of the yew tree-and arrow, the club, and the spear; the last being employed only for large game. The hunter was, in addition, always equipped with a short, sharp hunting knife, which he used for attacking at short range, especially in self-de 2 Olassen and Povelsen, Reise durch Island, I, 276; Henderson, Iceland, I, 355-356. fense, and also for skinning and cutting up the animals when killed. The trained hunting dog was the invaluable companion of the Scandinavian hunter; he scared the game out of its hiding place, helped his master by chasing and worrying it, and brought the smaller animals to him after they had been shot. There was probably more than one kind of dog used for such purposes. In Dahlsland, Sweden, the hunting dog was especially large and powerful. It had long gray hair, with dark markings, and was probably related to the Saint Bernard. This animal was also highly prized in Norway, where it had been introduced from Sweden; while in Denmark, the ancestors of the breed now known as Danish were probably the favorite hunters.3 Trapping Animals were brought down not only by means of the chase, but by use of traps of various sorts, as well; and the latter method, as the simpler and easier of the two, was perhaps the more common. Elks were caught in pits dug for the purpose; smaller and less clumsy game, such as wolves and deer, were often lured by the use of bait into high inclosures built of strong palings, after which the gate was closed and the animal slaughtered. The Northmen constructed spring traps of one sort or another, especially for the fox and other small game; and fashioned nets and spread them on the forest trails frequented by the prey.1 In the legislation of the early Christian period there were laws for the regulation of hunting, many Hunting of which doubtless originated far back in the Laws pagan time. It was dangerous to walk un guardedly in the forests, lest one fall victim to the de 3 Weinhold, Altnordisches Leben, 54-56; Müller, Vor Oldtid, 656; Schönfeld, Der isländische Bauernhof, 271. 4 Weinhold, Altnordisches Leben, 65. vices laid for the capture of wild prey; but the likelihood of injury was reduced to some extent by the fact that in many places those laying traps or snares in a careless manner were held responsible by the law for damages done. Other laws determined the ownership of dead game. In some sections, the animals belonged to the persons killing or capturing them, regardless of who owned the soil; in others, persons were entitled only to game taken upon their own land, or upon the territory of another, if the pursuit of it was started upon one's own land and continued upon the property of another with the latter's permission. Hunting in the community forests was free to the whole population, except for the restrictions imposed by the legislation for the protection of the game, which seem to have been in force pretty well throughout the North, though the most numerous instances are found in the Swedish law codes. In most of the provinces of this land the squirrel and hare, both of which were useful for flesh and fur, had several months of grace each year. These generally came in the spring and summer, though the time varied somewhat in different parts. Punishment for the violation of the protective laws was as a rule in the form of fines, sometimes as high as three marks -or twenty-four ounces of silver.5 The laws of Sweden were, however, just as insistent that all make war upon the wolf, man's greatest enemy in eastern Scandinavia. Every Westgothlander possessed of forest land was required to maintain both wolf snares and wolf traps. Others must at least own a wolf net, which the law demanded be shown to public officers who passed through the province four times per year Ibid., 66-67; Guta-Lagh, 84-85. for the purpose of inspecting them. East Gotland had similar laws regarding the possession of wolf nets." Animals caught in traps were generally killed upon being found; the skin, if of value, was saved, and the flesh, if edible, was preserved by being frozen, salted, or dried. When the hunter had a goodly supply of meat, furs, and skins Pets on hand, he piled it upon a sledge or loaded it Wild Ani mals as on the back of a pack horse and thus took it out to the settlements where he disposed of his load to private individuals or sold it at the markets generally held along the coasts. But sometimes the animals, if uninjured, were permitted to live in captivity, especially if they were young; and were kept as pets, or were sold for the same purpose. This seems to have been particularly the case with bears, for which there was a fad. Polar bears, for instance, were regarded as a worthy gift for nobles or kings, for they were not known in Europe until the settlement of Iceland, and, hence, were quite a curiosity." But brown bears from the forests were also domesticated. The tame bears were known in Iceland as "house bears," and were so common there that the law took cognizance of them. Brown bears were not native to the island; but some were imported and became such a nuisance that their further importation was absolutely prohibited. Owners of white or forest bears already in the island, like the owners of dogs, were liable to punishment if Weinhold, Altnordisches Leben, 65. 7 Origines Islandicae, I, 128. The droll and charming ancient little story of Auðun tells how Auðun, the happy-go-lucky hero of the tale, brought a polar bear from Greenland, and after one or two disappointments in an effort to bestow it as a gift to his own advantage, finally found favor in the eyes of the king of Denmark by giving it to him, and was enriched to such a degree by the king that he was able to establish himself in Iceland as a man of importance. |