Lögberg-Heimskringla


Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.1988, Qupperneq 6

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.1988, Qupperneq 6
6-ALDARAFMÆLISÁR, FÖSTUDAGUR 15. JANÚAR 1988 Skaprheðin The mist had risen, clouds obliter- ated the sun, a gentle breeze rippled the water surface that lay in the fjord, back of us the steep mountain rose high, partly clad in green vegetation, changing to earthly colours at higher altitude, with numerous patches of white snow. In our immediate prox- imity was a cemetery, no longer in use, dating back to a distant past, perhaps several centuries. The farm house had been abandoned, the dis- trict was no longer populated, the road back of us dwindled to a trail, threading along the mountain side towards the open sea. It was quiet, there was no reason to expect any- one, we were alone Pétur and I, as we toiled to improve the entrance gate and approaches to the cemetery. The toils of long ago were evident, in the remains of a stone wall that had protected this plot of land. It is no longer effective, having sunk and all but disappeared until now, it is no more than a slight grass covered rise in the ground. Sheep were grazing all around us, down by the water edge, on the knolls and up in the mountain sides, several horses roamed at will in the distance. It was July 30th, 1982 and the place Álftamýri in the Arnarfjörð of N.W. Iceland. A district that had been the home of generations, dating back to the years of settlement more than 1,000 years ago. The bounty of the sea had filled the sheltered fjord with marine life, that was a source of sus- tenance and revenue in the form of fish exports. The grass laced area reaching from the mountain base to the waters edge supplied the fodder, that sustained mainly sheep and to a lesser degree cattle, which provided meat, the numerous milk products and wood for clothing. It was never a heavily populated area, but the Ar- narfjörður was fairly comfortable, in a sheltered position, that was protect- ed from the more intense ravages of the sea, as the Atlantic and Artic oceans vied for dominance, where they clashed off the N.W. coast of Iceland. The sun was reaching up into the sky, its rays were bringing comfort, the temperature was rising from an overnight low of five degrees centi- grade. Back of us, at the mountain base, the sheep were moving as peo- ple could be seen in the distance with a dog, urging the sheep onward to be herded together along the shoreline of the fjord. A second sweep gathered the strays. By midday they had to all been herded into a corral in the dis- tance down by the water edge, it was sheep shearing time. The neighbours from distant areas inland and in the next fjord had come to help Sigga, the owner of this flock of some 250 sheep. There were a total of 20 peo- ple involved that included farmers, their sons and daughters together with hired help. The shearing ended at midnight, we had witnessed a communal cooperative voluntary ef- fort, whereby humans are cast together, to create the temporary manpower required on sheep herd- ing occasions. There is no accounting in monetary terms or hours of effort, simply a voluntary response that is repaid by neighbours helping neigh- bours without remuneration. Who is Sigga? She has lived her maternal life in the Arnarfjöorð hav- ing lost her spouse some two years ago. She continues living alone, on the farm that she shared with her husband. Sharing the middle and out- er reaches of the North shore of Ar- narfjörð is an individual farmer also living alone, named Sigurjón. These two people áre the total population remaining in a district that at one time supported a substan- tial population. It is only further in from the sea, at the bottom of the fjord, that a few people reside in proximity to the birthplace of the great patriot Jón Sigurðsson, who with only words of logical persua- sion, broke the heavy yoke of despotism by foreign domination, that led to the independent Repub- lic of Iceland as we know it today. During the second sweep of the herders, I suddenly became aware of a young native, as his head appeared above the rise of ground in front of me, and instinct told me that here comes an interesting fellow, I was not to be disappointed. Pétur, my host and companion, greeted him in a good Icelandic fashion asking his name, where he was from and who his relatives were. After adding his own comments and asking us what brought us into the fjord he was about to leave, when I decided that I should continue the conversation. His name was Skar- pheðin, I was tempted to make the comment, ''Hey fellow, are you in the wrong part of the country?'' I refrained I wanted to camouflage my Western Icelandic status. The only reason I thought of posing the ques- tion was due to the fact that I was reading a French translation of Njal's Saga, in which Skarphedin is a character, that occurred in the South of Iceland some 1000 years ago, far from the Arnarfjörð of N. W. Iceland. He probably would not have ap- preciated such a question, his mind was on herding those blasted sheep. I changed my thoughts and com- mented that it must be strenuous to chase all over the mountain sides herding sheep on foot. He explained it was not so bad when you're young, my observation was that old codgers like myself would not be able to do it, his reply was, ''Sigga is sixty and she runs after the sheep regardless of terrain." I bid him farewell and good luck before suffering utter defeat in our conversation, carried out in Icelandic. Reading Icelandic sagas in the French language is hardly a patriotic act especially while visiting Iceland. However, it has the advantage of practising French while becoming familiar with the greatest Icelandic Saga. Besides I have a cousin in Iceland who is doing it, and if she can do it, I can do it, I mean French, that is reading Njála in French. And so we leave the fjord, that is lying in waste on its Northern por- tion, gradually erroding the disrup- tion of mankind over the centuries, to return to its original state before the years of settlement. It was an in- teresting four days of solitude and companionship with my most Pétur Magnússon of Reykjavík and foster brother of my wife Thora. Einar Arnason víkingaferð! Enjoy hospitality and fellowship on a bus tour to the 69th Annual Convention of the Icelandic National League next March at Innisfail, Alberta. The voyage will begin in Winnipeg on March 24th and will make stops at Brandon, Elfros, and Saskatoon to pick up additional Vikings travelling to the convention. The tour will overnight in Saskatoon both ways. The voyage back will begin on March 27th, with an afternoon and overnight stop at the West Edmonton Mall, arriving back in Win- nipeg on March 29th. The fare is $257.00 per person and includes bus travel to and from Innisfail, with overnight accommodation both ways. Not Included: — Hotel accommodation at Innisfail (Country Lodge special convention rate is $43.00 per person for 2 nights, extra person charge $8.00 per night), convention registration and meals. A deposit of $50.00 per person is required by JANUARY 12, 1988. Cancellation and travel health insurance is available on request. For reservations contact: STEFAN STEFANSSON I.N.L. OFFICE Box 125, Gimli R0C 1B0 525 Kylemore Ave. (204) 642-5693 Winnipeg R3L 1B5 (204) 284-3014 or (204) 488-2160 SUBJECT TO CHANGE - DEPENDING ON RESPONSE 750,000- Heritage Image Pride 700,000- 650,000- A Campaign To Raise Funds For The Chair of Icelandic Language and Literature At The University of Manitoba Yes, 1 wish to make a donation to ensure that the chair of lcelandic Language and Literature at the University of Manitoba continues to serve the needs of the lcelan- 600,000- dic community of North America. NAME 550,000- ADDRESS 500,000- 450,000- PHONE NO. Donation in honour of: 400,000 J ■ Other: 350,000- «1 Please mail this form with your donation to: The H.I.P. Committee, #501-55 Donald Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 1L8 300,000- « Ipledge: □ □ Q □ 250,000- ÉÉ $100.00 $500.00 $1,000.00 Other $ 1 1 intend to honor my pledge in the following manner: □ Payment in full (cheque enclosed). 200,000- Original □ By annual payment of $ in each of the next years 150,000- 218,000 Endowment (fírst payment enclosed) 100,000- Fund □ Through a bequest in my will. Signature 50,000- All cheques should be made payable to the University of Manitoba. An income tax receipt will be mailed to you.

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