Lögberg-Heimskringla - 13.12.2002, Síða 11

Lögberg-Heimskringla • 6 Desember 2002 • page 11
The Spell of
David Gislason
Arborg, MB
Continued from last issue
Guðríður participates in
seiður
There are a couple of very
intriguing episodes in
Guðríður's saga. On fxrst arriv-
ing in Greenland in the late
fall, after that harrowing cross-
ing, they spent the winter near
the south point at a place called
Heijólfsness with the farmer
Þorkell and his wife. Times
were hard in Greenland that
fall, and Þorkell invited the
local seeress, Þorbjörg by
name, to hold a séance, and
predict the future for the people
there. Elaborate preparations
were made, but one element
Guðríður
was missing. Unless someone
could be found who could sing
a magic incantation, nothing
would be revealed to the seer-
ess. No one knew the tune or
words. Upon looking further, it
was discovered that Guðríður
knew one called, Varðlokur,
having learned it as a child
from her foster mother in
Iceland. She, however, had
accepted Christianity and
wanted nothing to do with this
heathen ritual. The seeress con-
vinced her that it would not
reflect badly on her, if she were
to help the others in their time
of need, and so she did sing the
Varðlokur, and did so more
beautifully than those in the
room had ever heard before.
The future was now
revealed to the seeress, and she
predicted many things for
Guðríður, all of, which would
be realized. She would make
the best of' marriages in
Greenland, and would eventu-
ally retum to Iceland, where
she would leave many promi-
nent descendants: "Over your
lineage shines a light brighter
than I can adequately see or
describe".
The other episode took
place in Vínland, where she
and her countrymen spent three
years, in their effort to establish
a settlement on what is now
Canada's East Coast. There had
been encounters with the
natives of the new land. In
spite of the language barrier,
and the stark differences
between these two peoples,
trading had taken place
between them, and now the
natives were back in greater
numbers than before. Þorfinnur
Karlsefni forbade his men to
trade any of their metal
weapons, which the natives
lacked, and wanted. When one
of the natives tried to take
some of these wondrous
weapons he saw near the build-
ing, an intervening Icelander
killed him. During the skirmish
that followed, Guðríður was
inside trying to comfort her
newbom son, Snorri. As she
rocked him, she saw a vision of
a native woman enter the
house. The vision asked her her
name, and she replied, "My
name is Guðríður." The vision
replied, "My name is also
Guðríður." The clamour out-
side the door grew louder, and
the vision vanished. This trou-
bled our Guðríður, and she
took this as a sign that they
should leave and return to
Greenland, which they did.
Guðríður Returns to Iceland
They did not leave this
Vínland empty-handed. Laden
with furs and timber, and other
resources of the new world,
they returned to spend the win-
ter in Greenland, then on to
Norway with the most valuable
cargo ever brought back to
Europe at that time. From
there their path led home to
Iceland. It is interesting
that now, for the first
time, this woman of
adventure felt a sense of
insecurity and unease.
Not at the thought of yet
another ocean voyage,
but at the thought of
meeting her mother-in-
law! She was not bom
of royal blood, as were
her parents-in-law, and
this had her worried.
How would her new
family receive her?
Initially not that well, as
it tumed out. Þorfinnur
had married beneath his
status, and this was now
a problem at Reynines. The
solution was for the young cou-
ple to strike out on their own,
and build their own farm at a
place they called Glaumbær,
the sagas say. Glaumbær in
Skagafjörður, that most beauti-
ful of valleys in northern
Iceland.
David Gislason delivered
this talk at the New lceland
Heritage Museum's Fall
Fundraising Dinner in Gimli.
To be concluded in the next
issue
r
Ðrðaleikur
\
Match the Icelandic word or phrase to its
English meaning.
(Answers below)
divine
heilagur .
engill
kerúb
erkiengill
guðdómlegur
guðspjall
guðþjónusta
guðdómur
divine service
gospel
divinity
angel
archangel
cherub
holy
Answers
/(jiuiAip ‘jmuoppnS laaiAjas suuip
Mamma: Ég held að íslendingar hér hafi I think Icelanders here used to Anna: Ég ætla að hringja í hana strax. I am going to phone her right away.
haldið jólaböll, en hættu því vegna have Christmas balls, but quit because Mamma: Gerðu það. You do that,
þess að það voru svo fáir sem komu. very few people came. Anna fer og hringir í Michelle: Anna goes and phones Michelle:
Anna: Kanske við gætum byrjað á því aftur. Maybe we could start it again. Anna: Sæl. Hvemig gengur? Hi. How is it going?
Mamma: Já, ef við fengjum nógu marga til að Yes, if we would get enough people to Michelle: Sæl. Ég er hálf þreytt í dag. Hi. I am a bit tired today.
taka þátt í því, þá væri það hægt. participate then that could be done. Anna: Heyrðu, viltu fara með mér á Listen, do you want to go to a
Anna: Ég heyrði að það eigi að vera I heard that there is going to be jólaskemmtun? Christmas party with me?
jólaskemmtun fyrir krakka í a Christmas party for children at Michelle: Hvar er það og hvenær? Where is it and when?
Manitóba háskólanum. the University of Manitoba. Anna: I Manitóba háskólanum. At the University of Manitoba
Mamma: Langar þig að fara? Do you want to go? á Laugardaginn kemtir. next Saturday.
Anna: Já, það vildi ég gjarnan. Heldurðu Yes, I would gladly go. Do you think Michelle: Jú, ég held ég geti farið, það er Yes, I think 1 can go, there is
Michelle megi koma lfka? Michelle could go too? ekkert annað á dagskrá hjá mér. nothing else on my calendar.
Maninia: Hún getur það örugglega, svo She definitely can, so Anna: Þá ákveðum við það. Sé þig á Then that is decided. See you
franiarlega sem foreldrar hennar long as her parents rnorgun í skólanum. Bless. tomorrow at school. Bye.
leyfa henni það. allow her to go. Michelle. Bless. Sé þig á morgun. Bye. See you tomorrow.
íslendingar Icelanders jólaskemnrtun Christmas party örugglega definitely kemur next, coming
vegna þess because háskólanum the university svo framarlega so long as annað else
kanske maybe langar want leyfa allow dagskrá calendar
taka þátt í participate gjaman gladly þreytt tired ákveðum decide
væri hægt could be done heldurðu do you think hvenær when skólanum the school
Anna fór á jólaball
Anna Went To A Christmas Ball
‘ujsnuofcJpnS qadsoS ‘[[nfdspnS íauiAip ‘jnS
-3|uioppnS ‘.[aSutnjDJT! ‘[[íSuoiijja íqnjoqa
‘qiuaif íjoSue ‘[[iSus íXjoq ‘jnScpsq
Children 's Corner
by Ámý Hjaltadóttir
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