Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.06.2013, Page 8

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8 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • June 15 2013
The Lady Troll of Morsárdalur
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Einar Jónsson was one of the more famous of Ragnar’s ancestors. He
farmed Skaftafell during the
mid-eighteenth century. He
was skilled in metal work,
manufactured weapons that
tested well against the best that
Copenhagen could produce and
his handwriting would almost
equal that of any medieval
monk. He was a recognized local
headman and neighbours would
come to him for resolution of
disputes or to help with difficult
questions. He was Ragnar’s
favourite ancestor, although
there was a serious flaw in his
admiration for Einar. It was
believed at the time that Einar
had a strange relationship with
the lady troll of Morsárdalur.
Often before answering a
difficult question he would take
off into the mountains for a few
days and offer his decision on
his return. It was whispered that
he had gone to seek the advice
of his lady troll.
Einar had another
community function. Already
by the 18th century almost all the
forests found throughout Iceland
by the early Viking settlers had
been cut down. Firewood was
scarce. Bæjarstaðurskógur was
an enviable source. As it was on
Einar’s land, he controlled the
supply. So when he periodically
gave his approval for a group of
farmers from farther south to cut
wood in the forest, on reaching
the mid-point of the valley, they
were instructed to stand in their
stirrups and called out loudly
“Einar sends his greetings”.
This would alert the lady troll
not to harm them although they
all would understand that she
was closely watching them.
Ragnar paused for effect.
Then he quietly topped up the
three small glasses. He was
obviously enjoying himself
and so was Barbara Stanzeit,
our German-born Icelandic
interpreter. Ragnar’s tale now
took on a surprising twist.
A short time prior to Einar
beginning his instructions to
the farmers in order to alert the
lady troll, a murder had been
committed in Siða, a district
to the west of Skeiðarársandur.
The culprit, reputed to be
a large and powerful man,
and consequently much
feared, escaped confinement,
crossed the sandur and sought
Einar’s assistance. This was
understandable as Einar’s wife
came from Siða and there was
an assumed family tie. Little
is known of the murderer’s
eventual fate although local
lore claims that he escaped
abroad some years later on a
Danish merchant ship from
Höfn. But it is known that Einar
did provide accommodation
and food for him in return for
his shepherding that part of
Einar’s flock that used to insist
on staying the winter in the
mountains above Morsárdalur.
This was also corroborated
for me much later by Filippus
Hannesson of Nupsstaður, one
of whose ancestors had helped
him halfway across the sandur
to meet with Einar.
By this time the level of
cognac in the bottle was rather
low. Ragnar looked across the
table toward me and smiled:
“Jack, which ending do you
prefer?” What could I say?
“Ragnar, it was the lady troll,
of course, because I knew she
lived in the valley as I had
heard her throwing rocks off the
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From inside the troll house, lo king down and imagining Einar’s farmers far below
Part two
Jack Ives
Ottawa, ON
PHotos courtesy of Jack ives
In part one of this story, published in the June 1 issue, #11, Jack Ives began describing Ragnar
Stefánsson from Skaftafell and his tales of the lady troll who protected the local birch forest.