Lögberg-Heimskringla - 21.03.1997, Side 6

6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Fridayr 21 March 1997
CZhILDREN’S (Zörner
KARL OG KERLING
This children’s story, taken from an old lcelandic reader, concludes in
this issue. It is translated by Gunnur Isfeld.
Þegar hún sá einu kúna í kotinu hanga dauða ofan af bæjarveggnum,
skar hún á reipið með ljánum, en við það féll karlinn á höfuðið beint
ofan í grautarpottinn, og þar stóð haijn, þegar kerling kom inn. Hún
var ekki sein á sér að hjálpa karli upp úr, setti hann á búrstólinn og greiddi
grautinn úr hárinu. Kerlingin masaði, en karlinn sagði fátt, og ekki er þess
getið, að hann hafi upp frá því fárast yfir, að kvenfólkið hafi aldrei neitt að
gera, né óskað eftir verkaskiptum.
When she saw their only cow hanging dead from the farm wall, she cut
the rope with the scythe, whereby the man fell head first into the
porridge pot and there he was when the woman entered. She wasted
no time to help the man out of the pot, put him on a larder chair and combe the
porridge from his hair. The woman chatted but the man said little and there is no
mention of his complaining about the woman not doing much, or asking to
change work places.
The word As it appears Grammar English translation
in the story -
dauð dauða acc. dead
skera skar pt. cut
standa stóð pt. stank
sein Iate, slow
hjálpa help
greiða greiddi pt. comb
masa masaði pt. chatter
fárast yfir make fuss over
óska óskað pt. wish
verkaskipti verkaskiptum dat. exchange of work
Sagas for Youth
Landnámsöldin / The Settlement Age
English translation by Gunnur Isfeld
Hjörleifur drepinn
Hjörleifur reisir tvo skála við höfðann yfir fólk sitt og fénað. Var önnur
tóftin 18 faðmar að lengd, en hin 19. Veitti ekki af miklum húsak-
ynnum, því að tuttugu karlmenn voru í heimili, helmingurinn frjálsir
menn. Voru það skipverjar Hjörleifs. Hitt vour þrælar þeir, er hann tók á
Irlandi. Sat nú allt þetta fólk um kyrrt yfir veturninn. En er voraði, vildi Hjör-
leifur plægja akur sinn og sá, eins og títt var í Noregi. Hann átti einn uxa og
plóg. Skipaði hann nú þrælunum að vinna að akuryrkjunni, en þeir voru þess
ófúsir. Vildu þeir heldur hefna harma sinna á Hjörleifi, ef færi gæfist. Gera þeir
nú samsæri, drepa uxann, en segja Hjörleifi, að björn hafi komið úr skóginum
og orðið honum að bana. Hjörleifur er heima við skála og frjálsu mennirnir tíu.
Bregða þeir nú við að leita bjarnarins og dreifa sér um skóginn. Þá réðust
þrælarnir á þá, hvern i sínu lagi, og drápu þá alla. Að því búnu flýðu þeir með
Helgu og aðrar konur úr skálanum út í eyjar, sem þar voru skammt frá landi,
vestur með ströndinni. (Landnáma, 30-35).
Hjörleifur killed
jörleifur built two sheds at Hjörleif’s Cape for his people and livestock.
One shed was 18 fathoms long and the other 19. They needed large build-
ings for the 20 men, half of whom were Hjörleifur’s crew and free men,
the other ten were the slaves Hjörleifur brought from Ireland. They all wintered at
the cape. In the spring Hjörleifur wanted to plow and seed his fíeld as his custom
had been in Norway. He had one oxen and a plow. He now ordered the slaves to
work in the field, but they were unwilling. They sought revenge for their enslave-
ment when the opportunity presented itself. The slaves now conspired and killed
the oxen, telling Hjörleifur it was killed by a bear which came from the woods.
Hjörleifur was at home on the farm with his free men. They reacted quickly and
ran into the woods, spreading out to look for the bear. There the slaves attacked
them, one by one, killing them all. The slaves took Helga and the other women and
fled west along the coast and out to some islands a short distance from the shore.
{Book ofSettlement, 30-35). □
Sagas for Little People
Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a seven-part children’s saga set in lceland and written by Thora Robinson of Bancroft, Ontario.
Thora also did all the drawings and illustrations which accompany the sagas.
Valdi and Steini
Valdi and Steini were two little boys, who lived in a tiny town, north of
Reykjavík. They worked hard every day, gathering hay for the sheep,
shearing them, cleaning out the sheds, putting the wool in huge bags.
They hauled the bags of wool to all the ladies who carded and spun the wool,
made it into batting for quilts, yam for sweaters and mitts.
The work the boys did was very important and made them very strong,
and very hungry. They ate monumental meals, to keep up their strength.
But they were still little boys, and little boys need to “let off steam,” make
fun, make noise, be boisterous. So every once in a while, they tried something
different.
Valdi made a sling shot out of a huge piece of rubber, and some leather.
He nailed the two ends to two trees, with the piece of leather between the
trees. He called Steini over to the sling shot. “Back up, Steini,” he said. “Go as
far back against the leather as the rabber will stretch — that’s it — now hold
your breath.” Then, Valdi lifted Steini and the leather off the ground, and let
go. Steini flew into the air twenty meters, and landed in the hay.
When the boys were bored, they wrestled (Glíma — a form of Ju Jitsu).
This sport is done with a belt around the waist, down each side, and around
each leg. It is a test of speed and strength, and is very popular, very exertive
without violence.
When their arms and legs had enough exercise, Valdi and Steini loved to
sing, and, not living near cities, they heard only songs the men sang. Some of
them were beautiful, some Gospel, some historical, etc. The boys mostly loved
the drinking songs, and the nonsense ones.