Jökull - 01.12.1967, Page 61

cross-country route. In the year 1575 the sea-
sonal migration of fishermen from northern
Iceland to the Suclursveit district was aban-
donned. There are other indications of com-
munication between the Öræfi district ancl the
Sudursveit district on one hand and the north-
ern part of the country on the other in pre-
vious centuries, which illustrates that the Vatna-
jökull ice cap was much smaller before and in
the beginning of the cold climatic period than
at present. In that connection it suffices to
mention accounts in the book “Vatnajökull”
by f. Eythórsson (Eythórsson 1960).
We have recurrently mentioned the cold
climatic period and some of its effects. This
period also occurs simultaneously with the so-
called “times of misery” of the nation, the
printe causes of which are thought to have been
foreign oppression and trade monopoly. To us
it seems that the climatic deterioration should
be given much more account as a reason for
the times of misery of the nation than hitherto
lias been done. The success of correlating years
of famine with temperature as l’. Bergthórsson
has done really proves that the Icelanders are
so-cal!ed stress population, a population yield-
ing to climatic changes so clearly that the
condition of the nation can be used as a thermo-
meter.
A CKNO WLEDGEMENT
The anihors wish to thank Mr. Páll Ingólfs-
son, Ii.A.,for translating the paper into English.
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