“Thorhall sent to the next farm for the men there, and told them what had taken place.  All thought highly of the exploit that heard of it, and it was the common talk that in all Iceland there was no man like Grettir Asnundarson for strength and courage and all kinds of bodily feats.  Thorhall gave him a good horse when he went away, as well as a fine suit of clothes, for the ones he had been wearing were all torn to pieces.  The two then parted with the utmost friendship.

“Thence Grettir rode to the Ridge in Water-dale, where his kinsman Thorvald received him heartily, and asked closely concerning his encounter with Glam.  Grettir told him how he had fared, and said that his strength was never put to harder proof, so long did the struggle between them last.  Thorvald bade him be quiet and gentle in his conduct, and things would go well with him, otherwise his troubles would be many.  Grettir answered that his temper was not improved; he was more easily roused than ever, and less able to bear opposition.  In this, too, he felt a great change, that he had become so much afraid of the dark that he dared not go anywhere alone after night began to fall, for then he saw phantoms and monsters of every kind.  So it has become a saying ever since then, when folk see things very different from what they are, that Glam lends them his eyes, or gives them glam-sight.

“This fear of solitude brought Grettir, at last, to his end.”

Ghosts being seldom dangerous to human life, we follow up the homicidal Glam with a Scottish traditional story of malevolent and murderous sprites.

‘THE FOUL FORDS’ OR THE LONGFORMACUS FARRIER

“About 1820 there lived a Farrier of the name of Keane in the village of Longformacus in Lammermoor.  He was a rough, passionate man, much addicted to swearing.  For many years he was farrier to the Eagle or Spottiswood troop of Yeomanry.  One day he went to Greenlaw to attend the funeral of his sister, intending to be home early in the afternoon.  His wife and family were surprised when he did not appear as they expected and they sat up watching for him.  About two o’clock in the morning a heavy weight was heard to fall against the door of the house, and on opening it to see what was the matter, old Keane was discovered lying in a fainting fit on the threshold.  He was put to bed and means used for his recovery, but when he came out of the fit he was raving mad and talked of such frightful things that his family were quite terrified.  He continued till next day in the same state, but at length his senses returned and he desired to see the minister alone.

“After a long conversation with him he called all his family round his bed, and required from each of his children and his wife a solemn promise that they would none of them ever pass over a particular spot in the moor between Longformacus and Greenlaw, known by the name of ‘The Foul Fords’ (it is the ford over a little water-course just east of Castle Shields).  He assigned no reason to them for this demand, but the promise was given and he spoke no more, and died that evening.