Possibly this was the game knattleikur , which is described in some of the Sagas. "Þorgrímur was unable to hold his own against Gísli, who threw him down and carried the ball away. Gísli sought again to take the ball, but Þorgrímur held it fast. Then Gísli threw him down so violently that he skinned his knees and knuckles, and blood was running from his nose…" A forerunner of rugby, or American rules football?