Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1974, Side 55

RÓÐUKROSSINN í FANNARDAL
61
leið til að halda við bænhúsinu, því að jörðin var helst til lítil til að
standa undir kostnaði við endurnýjun þess og það jafnvel þótt fram-
lag kunni að hafa komið frá Hólum og Tandrastöðum, hjáleigu Hóla.
Áheit eru að mörgu leyti sama eðlis og happdrætti nútímans, aðeins
með trúarlegu yfirbragði.88
Sú siðvenja að heita á Fannardalskrossinn þraukaði af siðaskiptin
og hélst fram undir lok síðustu aldar og ekki fara af því sögur að við
þeirri venju hafi verið amast, enda var hún bundin við mjög svo tak-
markað svæði og heitféð jafnan svo óverulegt að yfirvöld létu málið
aldrei til sín taka.
Þjóðskjalasafn Islands
12. okt. 1974.
SUMMARY
The Crucifix frorn Fanna/rdalur.
In the present paper the author tells in detail the history of a small carved
crucifix, which until 1895 was preserved on the farm Fannardalur (now aban-
doned) in the East of Iceland. The image is obviously not made by a professional
woodcai-ver. More likely it is the work of a gifted amateur, probably an Icelandic
peasant. Consequently a dating on stylistic grounds is difficult, but the author
attempts to show that the work is probably from Catholic times, more precisely
the 14th century. Although unwarranted in available documents, it is consi-
dered likely that there was a church or a chapel at Fannardalur at that time.
The crucifix was possibly part of its inventory and may have remained on the
farm as its only reminiscence after its abolition shortly before the Refonnation.
The main interest of this humble work of art and worship lies in the fact that
as long as we know the crucifix held a place of honour and veneration among the
peasants in the neighbourhood. In 1819 the local parson writes the following:
„I can tell with certainty that for a long time after the abolition of papal wor-
ship this image aroused a good deal of superstition, even up to our own days,
namely that people used to make vows to it in times of disaster, and in most cases
the difficulties were incredibly well solved. Often the presents promised consisted
of pieces of cloth, candles and lighting fat, and even in my time the farmer at
88 Um heimildir í íslenzku fornbréfasafni um fégjafir til handa krossum sjá
tilvitnanir í grein eftir Jakob Benediktsson í Kulturhistorisk leksikon for
nordisk middelalder, IX. bindi, dálkar 181—182 (undir Kors, Island).