Lögberg-Heimskringla - 29.05.1992, Blaðsíða 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 29. maí 1992
lceland Diary:
A Western lcelander
Finds the Homeland
By Edith Bjornason
Saturday, July 4,1981. Akranes
(2nd Day)
I have been in Iceland now thirty-six
hours, staying with my mother’s rela-
tives, who have greeted me very kindly.
They are of the family of my mother’s
cousin, the late Haraldur Böðvarsson,
who was the prosperous owner of a
large fishing business. I stay with his
daughter-in-law Rannveig, a widow of
my age, who lives in Akranes on the bay
near Rekjavík, in a big house with all six
of her grown children close by. I fondly
rememberherhusband Sturlaugur, who
visited in Canada when we were both
teenagers in 1939.
In true Icelandic fashion, the first
few hours were spent talki ng about rela-
tives. Out came the book of genealogies,
and the family photographs. It was im-
portant to establish just how we are
related, and to review all the members
of each generation, for several genera-
tions back. All came to life as we spoke,
and myrustygenealogical skillscranked
up, ready for the complicated national
passion and pastime of geneology. Our
family tree was traced back in the book
to Norway, for thirty generations. Out-
standing family members include
Guðbrandur Þorvaldsson, who in the
early 19th century lived in a fjord on the
west coast, on a small island called “Red
Island”. Through fishing and selling ei-
derdown, Guðbrandur became very
prosperous, and is remembered for his
generous distribution öfgold coins. He
was the father of my grandmother’s
mother, Margrét.
Futher back in our family book, I
came across the name of Snorri
Sturluson, the well known saga writer,
poet, and political fígure (d. 1241). Be-
fore him were fíve “konungar”, kings of
Norway, one the Haraldur who was
driven outof England with his armies in
1066, and one the Haraldur the Fair-
Haired who united Norway in the 800’s
and in the process drove out many
nobles, who then settled Iceland (874).
Today, young Haraldur Sturlaugsson
took me around the large físhing plant
which his grandfather founded in 1906
and which he himself took over from his
father in 1976, at age 26. The grandfa-
ther, Haraldur Böðvarsson, is remem-
bered with admiration throughout Ice-
land, since he started out as a poor
fisherman with one small dory and
bought successively larger boats as the
business grew, till now it floats several
multi-ton boats.
Oral tradition says that the Red Is-
land people were noted for their great
ability in enterprise. The youngest gen-
eration has shown this ability, since in
five short years, young Haraldur has
enlarged the plant and introduced new
machines for processing the fish, while
supervising the restoration of his moth-
er’s large home which was wrecked by a
boiler explosion.
These people are notable for their
great sense of family, both past and
present, their friendly poise, their love
of children, and their determination to
stay in Iceland and preserve the lan-
guage and tradition.
Thevillageof Akranes, in 1906, con-
sisted of a few houses, one where old
Haraldur had been born. By 1930 a
large fishing plant was here, and several
streets of homes. After 1945 came rapid
growth, till today there are several thou-
sand people, employed in the fishing
industry, in the cement factory, and in
building. All the workers’ homes are
built of cement and are of modern de-
sign, in good middle-class style. There
are no poor people in Iceland, and, says
young Haraldur, few class differences.
All know each other and greet each
other in an atmosphere of friendly kin-
ship.
At midnight, I go out and walk in the
full light of the midnight sun. Cars are
ambling, children are playing, phones
ring at all hours, everyone sleeps on a
different schedule, whenever they can
feel sleepy.
Drivlng from Akranes to Akureyri
(3rd Day)
My hostess, Rannveig, and I start on
our great adventure: to drive around the
perimeter of the island in a week! Our
fírstday, we travel northeast many hours
through treeless grassy valleys with
brown mountains, some ice-capped, ris-
ing sharply from the plain. Long miles
go by with only few farms, occasional
cars, but with sheep and horses on every
slope. The farms are cement-modem
and neat, with once in a while a remain-
Poetry and Short Story Contest
The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba invites you to submit poetry (three entries
per person limit) and/or a short stoiy (one entry per person). Prize money
will be awarded and successful entries will be published in the Festival
booklet. Categories are as follows:
Poetry Junior (12 and under)
Intermediate (13 - 18)
Open
lst Prlze $25.
lst Prize $35.
lst Prize $50.
2nd Príze $25.
lst Prize $50.
Short Story Open
Submissions which contain material reftecting Icelandic or
Icelandic culture will be given preference. Entries will not be
retumed. Send your material before June 22, 1992 to:
FEiSTIVAL WRrnNG CONTEST
c/o Gord Peterson, 1435 Somemlle Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R3T104
Fishing boats in the harbour at Akranes.
í
nt
ing ruin of the old sod-and-timber style.
As we approach the northern town of
Akureyri, our day’s destination, spec-
tacular jagged mountains tower in the
blue sky. We pass the legenday
Skagafjörður, where the Icelandic Ca-
nadian poet Stefan G. Stephansson was
born, and I remember his lyrical, pas-
sionate lines.
The roads are gravel with some
stretches of paving. At noon we leave
the main road to find Rannveig’s sons,
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