Ársrit Ræktunarfélags Norðurlands - 01.01.1983, Qupperneq 114

indalega þekking er takmörkuð og lítið hefur þokast á leið til
raunverulegs skilnings á því undri sem við köllum líf, og er
furðulegast allra dularfullra fyrirbæra.
HEIMILDASKRÁ
Ámi Óla: Strönd og Vogar. Reykjavík 1961.
Bergsveinn Skúlason: Breiðfirskar sagnir /-///. 2. útg. Rvík 1982.
Bjarni Sæmundsson: Spendýrin. fsl. dýr II. Rvik 1932.
Gríma hin nýja I-V. Rvík 1978-1979.
Helgi Guðmundsson og Arngrímur Bjarnason: Vestfirskar sagnir I-III. bindi.
Rvík 1933-1946.
Jochum Eggertsson: Skammir. Akureyri 1946.
Jóhann Hjaltason: Frá Djúpi og Ströndum. Rvik 1963.
Jóhannes Örn Jónsson (Örn á Steðja): Sagnablöð. Rvík 1956.
Jón Árnason: Islenzkar pjóðsögur og œvintýri. I-VI. Rvík 1961. 3. útg.
Jón Gíslason: Úr farvegi aldanna. Rvik 1973.
Jón Guðmundsson lærði: Tíðfordríf (1644). Handrit i Landsbókasafni.
Jón Ölafsson: lctyographia (1737). Handrit i Landsbókasafni.
Jón Viðar Jónmundsson: Kennsluhefti um nautgriparœkt. Hvanneyri 1976.
Jónas Rafnar: Fœreyskar pjóðsögur. Akureyri 1950.
Ólafur Davíðsson: íslenzkarpjóðsögur I-IV. Rvik 1978-1980. (3. útg.).
Páll Zophoníasson: Kúalitir. Búnaðarritið, 34. árg. 1920.
Sigfús Sigfússon: Islenzkar pjóðsögur og sagnir I-XVI. 1922-58.
Þórbergur Þórðarson: Frásagnir, Rvik 1983. (Indriði miðill, Viðfjarðar-
undrin o.fl.).
Þórbergur Þórðarson: Ævisaga Árna Þórarinssonar I-III. Rvik. 1977.
Þórbergur Þórðarson og Sigurður Nordal: Gráskinna hin meiri, 2. útg. 1979.
Þorsteinn Erlingsson: Þjóðsögur. Rvik 1954.
ENGLISH SUMMARY
The so called „sea cattle“ (Icel.: Sæneyti, sænaut, sækýr) is a common
feature in Icelandic folklore. These strange creatures came from the sea (or
from inland lakes), and after a short stay on land, they went into the sea (or
water) again. Their typical colour was „sea-grey“ (sægrár), and they
commonly had a bladder attached to the nostrils. If one could destroy the
bladder, then the cattle would remain on land, and take up the manner of
common cows or bulls, and even copulate with them, thus giving birth to a
new race which was said to be much better than average.
In addition to this old lore, we also have more recent tales and descrip-
tions of „animals“ coming from the sea onto land, the latest case occurred in
1958 in the North-East. It was witnessed by the local people and confirmed
at a court held at Húsavik, in the same year. Some of these creatures are said
to have been similar to cattle, others have been compared with horses or
other animals. In most cases there has been a considerable differnce be-
tween them and the domestic animals, and they do not exhibit the typical
features of the „sea-cattle“ in folklore.
The latter group of events is thought to be the origin of the former group.
At the end of the article some explanatory theories are discussed.
116