Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1984, Side 73

ÍSLENSKUR BRÚÐARBÚNINGUR í ENSKU SAFNI
77
VIÐAUKI I
Lýsing William Hooker á kvenbúningi þeim er hann fékk á íslandi 1809, birt neðanmáls
bls. 72-79 í ferðabók hans, sbr. supra, bls. 72, 1. tilvitnun. Eins og fram kemur í lýsing-
unni er hún að verulegu leyti greinargerð á íslensku scm Hooker fékk um hina ýmsu hluta
búningsins, en stiftamtmaður, Trampe greifi, útvcgaði honum í enskri þýðingu.
Höfundar greinargerðarinnar er hvcrgi getið. (Tckið skal fram að engin grcinaskil eru í
lýsingunni í bókinni, en hefur verið bætt inn í hér til hægðarauka við lesturinn.)
As I had this day 127. júní], for the first timc, an opportunity of observing carefully
the dress of an Icclandic lady, which is diffcrent fronr that of othcr countries, I shall
avail myself of the present occasion of describing [bls. 73] it at some lcngth; a thing
I am thc bctter able to do, since I had the good fortune to bring onc of thc richest
in the island safe to England with me. I have prcscrvcd, also, an Icelandic account of
the different articles it is composed of; from an English translation of which, that thc
governor has bcen so good as to procure me, I have borrowed a grcat part of what
follows.
To bcgin then with the Faldur, or head-drcss: this is thc most singular and unbe-
coming part, and I feel such a difficulty in making my dcscription of it intclligible,
that I think it right to anncx ati engraving of it [sjá supra, bls. 64, 12. mynd]. The insidc
is composed of a numbcr of pieces of paper, foldcd into an oblong shape, and neatly
covered with two white lincn handkcrchicfs, in such a way that, below the bottom
of thc papcr, thcy are formed into a sort of cap, that ftts the head, and goes on ncarly
as far as the cars, which arc, however, always exposed, whilst the hair is carefully
twisted into a knot on thc crown of thc head, and cntircly concealed. From the top
of the hcad to the cxtremity, thc Faldur mcasurcs cighteen inches, and, from a cyl-
indrical shape bclow, becomcs gradually compressed, till the upper part is quitc flat,
and bends ovcr in the front in a man- [bls. 74] ner that sonrcwhat rcsembles an ostrich
feather, though sadly infcrior to it in clcgance. Its width at the top is five inches and
a half; lowcr down, near the hcad, four inches and a half. The part which covers the
hcad is bound round, to keep it on tnorc securcly, with two handsonte chcquered silk
handkerchicfs like a turban, but more tight. The uppcr part is stiffencd with numer-
ous rows of pins. Three gilt silvcr ornaments arc fastcncd to the front of the Faldur,
about cight or tcn inchcs above the top of thc hcad, of a spherical shapc, hollow, orn-
amented with open work, and richly cmbosscd; from these hang knobs of thc same
metal, and rings with lcaf-like appendages; in thc ccntre of the ring is an cmbossed
figurc of the Blessed Virgin, with Our Saviour in her arms.
Thc ncxt articlc I shall mention is the Upphlutur, or bodice; which is made of fine
green velvct, bound with a narrow strip of gold lacc, with two broad bands of the
same materials, and of elcgant workmanship, in front, and three on thc back; this is
fastened before, all the way down thc middle, by means of six large clasps of silvcr
gilt, on each sidc of thc opening, as large as a half crown, and fincly embossed with
flowers; and thcsc clasps arc rendered more conspicuous by being fixed upon a bordcr
of black velvet, with a red edge. From thc bodicc depends a grecn pctticoat of fine
cloth, which gocs over several othcrs of wadmal.
Over this is worn anothcr petticoat (Fat) of fmc bluc broadcloth, which, of coursc,
conccals the grecn one: it is bound witli rcd at thc bottom, just abovc whicb is a broad
bordcr of flowcrs of various colors, worked in tambour. Over the pctticoat in front,
is worn an apron (Svynta) made of thc same materials, ornamentcd with flowers likc
the pctticoat, and bordered all round with red. From the uppcr part of it hang thrcc
large silver gilt ornamcnts; thc centre one spherical, the latcral oncs hemispherical; all
hollow, riclily ornamented and cmbossed, and having a silver leaf depending from