great expense, and with such means as were at hand. There were twelve Idngdoms and one overking, and many lands and nations belonged to each kingdom; there were in the city twelve chief languages.[1] Their chiefs have surpassed all men w^ho have been in the world in all heroic things. No scholar who has ever told of these things has ever disputed this fact, and for this reason, that all rulers of the north region trace their ancestors back thither, and place in the number of the gods all who w^ere rulers of the city. Especially do they place Priamos himself in the stead of Odin; nor must that be called wonderful, for Priamos was sprung from Saturn, him whom the north region for a long time believed to be God himself
5. This Saturn grew up in that island in Greece w^hich hight Crete. He was greater and stronger and fairer than other men. As in other natural endowments, so he excelled all men in wdsdom. He invented many crafts w^hich had not before been discovered. He was also so great in the art of magic that he was certain about things that had not yet come to pass. He found, too, that red thing in the earth from which he smelted gold, and from such things he soon became very mighty. He also foretold har-
- ↑ Dasent translates "hövuðtungur" (chief or head tongues) with "lords," which is certainly an error.
