Lögberg-Heimskringla - 13.05.1994, Page 6

6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 13. maí 1994
Letters to the Editor
A note from Switzerland
It was years ago during the Great
Depression, surely long before your
present editör was bom, when I first
saw the publication that meant so much
to Vesturíslendingar, east, west and
north of the Red River. If I recall correct-.
ly, there were actually two periodicals,
each carrying one-half of the present
hyphenated name.
In the home of Sveinnbjöm (Bamey)
and Gudbjörg Benson in Upham, N.D.,
the two weeklies were the indispensable
links to eldgamla Ísafold and to the other
pioneering Icelanders. Each paper
reflected parallel Spiritual paths, a
dichotomy that neither the “orthodox”
nor the “liberals” among the readers
took too seriously, certainly not in the
Benson home where I was first tolerated
as an American-Swiss oddity, then
accepted when I courted the girl who
has now been my wife for fifty-five years.
The parents are long gone. The two
weeklies had shed their sectarian views,
and with a vestige of nostalgia and in
consideration of possible factional rem-
nants, they merged and wisely named it
“Lögbeig-Heimskringla”.
I don’t know who among my in-laws
or among second and third generation
Icelanders, still reads the Weekly. But I
can attest that when we happened to
receive the 25. February, 1994, issue
from our good Reykjavík friend, Vilborg
Kristjánsdóttir, it was avidly read in
Chalet Dakota — Sigrid perusing its
entirety, and I, sticking to the English
text, including diverse ads.
The issue’s contents certainly merit a
few comments colored with relevant
reminiscences of a pérsonal nature.
Though Þorrablótin seem to be an
annual gustatory event favoured by
Icelandic groups wherever they may be,
its origin takes second place midst all
the frolic. Shirley McCreedy lifts the
misty curtain of ancient times in her
well-presented “Þorrablót’s Story”.
Those of us, Icelanders and non-
Icelanders, who gratefully push well-
• filled b'ellies away from the table now
know why we ate what we ate.
Congratulations to Kirsten Wolf for
the scholarly “Lost Stories Retrieved”
and her sketch about gifted Ragnhildur
Guttormsson.
It was back in 1934-35 during a
stipend year at the University of Basel,
that I first heard about Icelandic'writers
abroad whose contributipns are npw an
integral part of literature. Even then, it
was not a mere footnote in the lecture
course, Survey of Nordic Literature, by
that eminent, unforgotten-and revered
scholcir, Andreas Hausler. Since then so
much has been added, also by Icelandic-
Canadians, whose writings in English,
have found general acclaim.
Richard Beck, were he still alive,
would be pleased with Ms. Wolf s refer-
ences to him.
As a graduate student in educational
administration at the University of
North Dakota, 1937-38, I talked myself
into taking, as an elective, Old Norse,
under the ubiquitous, Iceland devotee,
teacher and poet, Richard Beck. Not
only was Sigrid in the course, but the
other classmates were bilingual
Icelanders or of Scandinavian extraction.
I may exaggerate, but not much: that
course took more time, more energy,
than half of the others leading toward an
M.Sc.. Beck used to scratch his bald pate
in nervous frustration when Fred Ott
held up the class’s progress. I never mas-
tered old or new Icelandic, but along
with the all-too generous grade of B
minus, there was a special bonus: I got to
know Sigrid better. SHe, her sister Byerg,
Ingibjörg Johnsson, Sigurd Kristjansson
and Jimmy Piprew, all of them friends,
helped me over the many hurdles of
grammar and syntax,.over Edda and saga
obstacles. Then there was Lauga Geir
whom I met on several occasions at the
University.
Thanks to Sigrid, I read Gunnar
Gunnarsson’s novels in English and
Ihope you will allow me to express
in your paper my appreciation for
Tom Oleson’s excellent write-up
concerning the recent Arborg
“Þorrablót” and giving us here on the
west coast the opportunity to read and
enjoy Svava Simundson’s speech
about my father “Guttormur skáld”.
She and the others in the Esjan chap-
ter and indeed all involved have
shown once again that they deserve
the title - “cultural capital of Nyja
ísland”. That was what my father
called it. As early as the age of four-
teen or fifteen he was seeking out liter-
ary men in the Arborg Geysir district. I
remember reading his account of hav-
ing walked fifteen miles to the.home of
the author J. Magnus Bjamason, cany-
ing with him a collection of his poetry
which he hoped to read to Magnus.
He wrote “At that young age I am
afraid I did not realize one does not do
any favours by inflicting one’s feeble
efforts on others”.
MESSUBOÐ
Fyrstá Lúterska
Kirkja
Pastor Ingthor I. Isfeld
1030 a.m. The Service followed by
Sunday School & Coffee hoUr.
First Lutheran Church
580 Victor St., Winnipeg, MB
R3G 1R2 Ph. 772-7444
German translation, even pilgrimaged to
his birthplace. Now, having read
Ragnhildur’s delightful tale of love and
courtship, “All is Fair”, I could not help
making favorable comparison to some
of Gunnarsson’s short stories. I suppose
I’m an incurable romantic, for my love
affair with my wife and things Icelandic
continues to this day.
May Lögberg-Heimskringla ignite
further sparks of aurora borealis in the
minds of those who love that lonely
island in the North, its people and those
who found their way abroad without
losing old ties.
With eveiy. good wish, naturally also
from Sigrid.
Sincerely,
Fred Ott
Chalet Dakota
Switzerland
Magnus, although in the process of
preparing a book for publication, was
kind enough to lay it aside and then
over endless cups of strong black cof-
fee the young lad and the much older
author sat up most of the night dis-
cussing literature and pogtry, and that
was the beginning of a long standing
friendship.
I would also like to thank the Esjan
Chapter for their wonderful support
regarding the monument being
planned in honour of my father, hope-
fully to be unveiled this summer
Thank You again
Sincerely
Hulda Clarke
White Rock, B.C.
“Gooiy”
Iwonder if anyone could give me any
information on the derivation of the
word “Gooly” as it refers to
Icelanders in Winnipeg. The most com-
mon explánation is that it refers to
hockey from the days of the famous
Falcon hockey team. The goal keeper or
“goalie” of the team was an Icelander
named Wally Byron and Icelanders with
their accent called him the “gooly”.
Another theory is that Icelandic
immigrants would take any type of work
and. many took work digging graves in
the cemetery and became called
“goolies” deriving from the word ghouls
who allegedly haunted cemeteries.
This is not of international impor-
tance but it would be rather fun if some-
one like Nelson Gerrard could come up
with an explanation.
I veiy much enjoy receiving the L-H
paper but it seems to me to becoming
too academic for uneducated labouring
types like myself.
Thank you
Freeman Skaptason,
Winnipeg
Erua h.f.
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