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RemigiuszGogosz
horse-fighting(hestavig),butasitwillbedemonstratedlater,itwasonlyapart
ofalargergatheringcalledhestaling,duringwhichpeoplewerealsoselling
horsesandenjoyingotherformsofentertainment.Inthiscaseitisnotprob-
lematictoreconstructtherulesofthissport.Interestingly,wecanfindhorse-
fightingnowadaysinsomepartsoftheworld,suchasSoutheastAsia.Itwill
beelaboratedonlaterinthispaper.
InreferencetoScandinaviansandtheirinterestinhorse-fights,itisalso
worthmentioningthepaganandreligiouspastoftheVikings.MaeveSikora
describestheroleofthehorseinfertilitycultanditsassociationwithFreya.
Hestatesthathorse-fightswereon“importantcomponentoffertilitycults”
2
.
BycontrastUlfErikHagbergsuggeststhathorseswereputtofightorraceto
increasetheirbloodcirculationsoitwas“easiertobleedthematslaughter”
3
.
PeterShensupportedthisargumentsbycomparingittoIbnFadlan’sdescrip-
tionofRus’burial
4
butIamfarfromclaimingthatbeforeaburialhorses
wereputtoraceorfight.TerryGunnellclaimsthat“bothhorse-racingand
horse-fightingmusthavehadparticularsignificancewithinthepaganreligion
ofScandinavia”
5
.HeillustrateshisthesiswithanexamplefromFinnurJóns-
son’sHistoriaecclesiassticaIslandiæwherewecanreadaboutBishopOddur
Einarsson’sprohibitioninIceland(1592)forbiddingpriesttoattend“horse-
fights,vigils,gatheringsofcommonpeopleandshepherds,andotherrelicsof
paganceremony”
6
.ButasTerryGunnellrightlyobserved,thereisnoevidence
whichcanlinkhorse-fightstoanypaganfestivitiesinIcelandaccordingto
theircalendare.g.jólorvetrnætur
7
.Horse-fightsaremorecommonlyseenbe-
ingheldduringthesummerorautumn,whichdoesnotmatchanyeventson
thepagancalendar.
SvaleSolheimpointstothefactthatthelifeofNorwegiansandIceland-
ersdidnotdiffermuchinthismatter.Hewrotethathorse-fightscamefrom
NorwaytoIceland,wherethisentertainmentevolved,withtheNorwegian
emigrantswhosettledontheisland
8
.Itiscertainthathorse-fightscameatthe
timeofthefirstsettlers,andwhatsupportsthisstatementisthefactthatthe
firstlawsofNorwegianswhichprovideinformationaboutthesporthadbeen
writtenbeforetheirequivalentsinIceland.ItisworthquotingSolheims’sac-
2
MaeveSikora:DiversityinVikingAgehorseburial.“TheJournalofIrishArchaeolo-
gy”200312004,Vol.12113,p.79.
3
U.Hagberg:TheVotiveDepositsintheSkedemosseFenandtheirRelationtothe
IronAgeSettlementonÖland,Sweden.In:TheArchaeologyofSkedemosseII.Stockholm1967,
p.80.
4
PeterShenk:ToValhallabyHorseback?HorseBurialinScandinaviaduringtheViking
Age.AnunpublishedMAthesisonNordicVikingandmedievalculture.Oslo2002,p.60.
5
T.Gunnell:TheOriginsofDramainScandinavia.Cambridge1995,p.31.
6
F.Jónsson:HistoriaecclesiassticaIslandiæ.Vol.3.Havniæ1775,p.336.
7
T.Gunnel:TheOrigins…,p.36.
8
S.Solheim:Horse-FightandHorse-RaceinNorseTradition.Oslo1956,pp.52153.
