Studia Islandica - 01.06.1983, Blaðsíða 137

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11. Seal in the Cooking Pit. A seal emerges from a cooking pit at
Fródá, but is forced back down by youngster Kjartan. The following
morning, farmer Thóroddur and his whole boat crew perish at sea.
If the mishap is caused by the seal, as seems fairly probable, this has
a parallel in Laxdaela Saga’s account of the drowning of Thorsteinn
the Black near Helgafell. While it is tempting to posit a literary
allusion here, the seal in Eyrbyggja Saga must be taken for the
embodiment of an evil spirit. Kjartan’s feat is supposed to prove that
he is actually the son of Björn the Breidavík Champion.
12. Living Corpses Sitting by the Fire. Living-dead Thórodddur and
his companions show up at the memorial feast given at Fródá, where
they sit by the fire every evening. After that affair, long-dead resi-
dents of the farm visit with Thóroddur’s party in the hall. The semi-
pagan people at Fródá think at first that the retum of the drowned
men bodes well. As that belief seems not to have existed in pre-
Christian times, the detail may have been inserted by the writer to
illustrate the evil of heathenism. Found in the Sagas of Icelanders
are two other instances where drowned persons appear as ghosts im-
mediately after death, both times at Helgafell, but there is not neces-
sarily any link between these passages and Eyrbyggja Saga. That the
ghosts warm themselves at the fire, probably an old folktale feature,
agrees well with the notion of the living corpses.
15. Tail in the Stockfish Stack. What looks like the singed tail of a
bovine animal is noticed in a stockfish stack at Fródá. The thing slips
away when pulled, and it is discovered that the creature has eaten
most of the fish. A fair case can be made that a demon is wreaking
havoc, possibly because of the failure to observe Advent. It seems
likely that this episode is an insertion by the writer.
14. Remedies Against the Wonders. Varied methods are used in the
successful effort to dispel the supernatural beings. First, Thórgunna’s
bedclothing is bumed — no doubt an old and possibly original detail.
Second, the living dead are banished in special legal proceedings
(duradómur), a feature that seems ancient. Third, a priest performs
a number of rituals; he conducts Mass and carries sacred relics and
holy water through the buildings, among other things. Apparently a
late addition, this detail may have been provided by the writer; at any
rate, it blends well with the Christian veneer of the narrative.
15. Conclusions. The Fródá Wonders section of Eyrbyggja Saga is an
accumulation of features from different times: variously reflecting
pagan and Christian attitudes, details seem to have been grafted