The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1984, Side 47

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
45
return to Sweden for two years, 1884-
1886, in itself an unusual feat for a farmer
in Douglas County in the late nineteenth
century. He knew something about runes.
He had little formal schooling, but like so
many of his countrymen he possessed a
keen interest in history, of which he read a
great deal. In this he was a typical product
of nineteenth-century Sweden. The chief
subjects taught in the little country schools
were religion and Swedish history, and
history was studied in minute detail, al-
though from a provincial point of view,
with heavy emphasis on the royal rulers
and the past glories of the nation.
EDITOR’S FOOTNOTE
Erik Wahlgren in his book THE KENSING-
TON STONE, A MYSTERY SOLVED ques-
tions the authenticity of the Kensington Stone.
He maintains, for example, that the inscription
on the stone is in nineteenth-century Swedish,
whereas fourteenth-century Swedish must have
been closer to the common language (Old
Norse) spoken in all the Scandinavian countries
a thousand years ago. If the inscription had been
the product of the fourteenth century, then Mr.
Wahlgren surmises that the most likely equiva-
lent in Old Swedish is as follows:
Atta Gotar ok twer ok tiughu Normaen po1
faerthum fra Vinlandi vaestur.
Vi hafdhum laegher vith2 twem skaeriom
en dagsfaerth nor fra thessum steni.
Vi var a fiski en dag.
Aeptir vi komum hem funnum tio maen
rothe af blothi ok dothe.
AVM fraelse os af illu.
Har tio maen vith hafinu at se
aeptir varum skipum fmghurthan daghs-
faerthir
fra thessi O. Ar A. D. MCCLXII.
This version is not far removed from Old
Norse.
Since modem Icelandic has not changed a
great deal from its ancestral Old Norse, today’s
Icelanders would have no difficulty in under-
standing it.
1. An abbreviation of the Old Norse (and Ice-
landic) ‘uppa’ (meaning ‘upon’ or ‘on’).
2. Instead of ‘th’ Wahlgren uses the Old Norse
(and Icelandic) letter ‘thorn’.
ITEMS FROM NEWSLETTERS
Courtesy of the Icelandic
Association of Chicago
We celebrated our Thorrablot on March
31, 1984, and as in the past the popular
Icelandic harthfiskur (dried fish) was
served with butter as appetizer. The buffet
included Icelandic epicurean such as
smoked leg of lamb (hangikjot), roast leg of
lamb (saltkjot), liver and blood sausage.
Dessert-lovers savored delicious skyr as
well as thin Icelandic pancakes (pon-
nukokur) stuffed with whipped cream.
This year the ever popular Haukur
Mortens and his band flew from Iceland
to play for the dinner and dancing, which
lasted until one in the morning. It was
Haukur’s first appearance at the Chicago
Thorrablot. The grand prize generously
donated by Icelandair is again a round
ticket to Iceland.
Aslaug Johnson, Chairman of the Seven-
teenth fo June Committee, is preparing a
festive event for the Association and friends
of Iceland on the 40th anniversary of the
Republic of Iceland. The final and com-
plete separation of Iceland for Denmark
occurred with the establishment of the
Republic and was declared at historic
Thingvellir on June 17, 1944. We will
celebrate the anniversary at lunch at the
Orrington Hotel in Evanston on Sunday,
June 17, 1984.
Speaking of Aslaug Johnson (above
story)! Aslaug, wife of Consul General of
Iceland Paul S. Johnson, has over a number
of years participated with great enthusiasm
and in various capacities in the activities of
the Icelandic Association, and in the