Greek and Roman
Boys and their Birds
“He acquiesced; and the lady, after salutation, requested him to let her touch the bird. No sooner was it in her possession, than she wrenched its head from the body.” […]
Sport
Human Affairs
The Dangerous World of Ice-Skating
“You are never in greater peril or nearer to death than when you set off skating while the ice is covered with even the thinnest layer of snow.” […]
Humor
Wrestling With Power
” Kjartan plunged into the river and made for this man who was the best swimmer, and forced him under water at once and held him there for a while before letting go of him. No sooner had they come to the surface than this man seized hold of Kjartan and pulled him down, and they stayed under for what seemed to Kjartan a very reasonable time. They surfaced for a second time, and still they exchanged no words.” […]
Humor
Alternative Justice Through Jousting
“But the king listened to wiser counsel, and was unwilling that the noblemen and elders of the people should be thus inconvenienced, and so he decreed that the matter should be decided by a tourney. ” […]
Human Affairs
The Viking Who Played Too Rough
“On the third day two men went after him and many of them shoved him. He struck the eye out of one of them with the ball, and felled another and broke his neck.” […]
Human Affairs
Wholesome Pursuits for a Young Viking
“Another pleasant and useful diversion is to practice throwing with a sling both for distance and for accuracy, and with a staff sling as well as with a hand sling, and to practice throwing stone missiles.” […]
Britons and Celts
Corineus the Giant-Killer
” Once, when [the king] was celebrating a day dedicated to the gods in the port where he had landed, this creature, along with twenty other giants, attacked him and killed a great number of the Britons.” […]
Human Affairs
The Martial Glory of the Snowball Fight
“Absconders, however, and any timid creatures who quit the field, have snow put down their backs between their skin and clothing when they have been caught and, after being chastened with insults and abuse, are set free.” […]
Human Affairs
Rough Games for Rough Men
“Running, Gisli took the ball and pitched it between Thorgrim’s shoulder-blades. The blow pushed him flat on his face.” […]
Greek and Roman
The Strongest Emperor of Them All
“Thereupon Maximinus threw sixteen attendants with so great ease that he conquered them one by one without taking any rest by pausing between the bouts.” […]