Árdís - 01.01.1963, Blaðsíða 11

Ársrit Bandalags lúterskra kvenna
9
lcelandic Folk Tales
MRS. AUDUR ROBERTSON
Delivered at the thirty-ninth Annual Convention of the
Lutheran Women’s League at Baldur, Man.,
Saturday, May 25, 1963.
Now in this age of speed, when
everyone is busy rushing to and fro
by all means of transportation, I
invite you to stop a while and
take an imaginary journey with
me into the long ago. Let us take
a trip over the Atlantic Ocean and
over the waves of time, to let’s say
one hundred years ago.
We are now approaching an old
Icelandic farm home. It is a turf
house with a turf roof. One wall,
the front one, is made of timber.
High mountains are to be seen
wherever you turn your eyes. They
are covered with snow as is the
earth. The wind is blowing and the
sound is rather unpleasant in the
darkness. We are impatient to
step into the warm farmhouse because it is chilly standing out-
side in the winter weather.
Of course we cannot walk in without announcing ourselves.
I do not think we should knock at the door either. Let us go to
the window and call the usual greeting,, “Here be God.” Then the
people will know that we are guests who have nothing in mind
but good will. Now we can go to the door. If we wish to knock
we will knock three times because twice would mean the presence
of evil spirits or ghosts.
A young girl with a liver oil lamp in her hand opens the door
and invites us to the sitting room. Here in the largest room of the
house, all the people of the farm have gathered at the end of the
long workday. This is the room where the servants sleep but it