Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1987, Page 32

36
SANDOYARBÓK
ment over the weddings and the entertain-
ment they brought the village may well
have had a key role to play in rekindling
Clemensen’s interest in ballad collecting.
However, he recorded nothing that event-
ful autumn, preferring to wait until singers
were back in town on some sort of errand
and with sufficient spare time to dictate
their texts to him.
All four of Clemensen’s informants from
Húsavík were his third cousins by descent
from Clemen Laugesen Follerup, and two
of them - Gregers Gregersen and his niece
Anna Pedersdatter - may well have attend-
ed their second cousin Anna Poulsdatter’s
November wedding at í Soylu. The collect-
or’s other two cousins from Húsavík, Joen
Lukassen and his brother Peder (who had
grown up with his maternal grandparents in
Skálavík) were well acquainted with their
family in Sandur: in 1803, Peder was ac-
cused of stealing and as a result had exten-
sive dealings with the county sheriff, Clem-
ensen’s father, who apparently did what he
could to help his unfortunate relative.
None of Clemensen’s three informants
Informants from Skúgvoy and Húsavík
Numberof Adult Place of Yearof
Ballads
Daniel Joensen 1
Joen Eriksen, senior 1
Sara Thomasdatter 1
Gregers Gregersen ■ 1
Joen Lukassen 1
Anna Pedersdatter 1
Residence Birth Birth
Skúgvoy Skúgvoy 1780
Skúgvoy Skúgvoy 1751
Sandur and Skúgvoy 1753
Skúgvoy Húsavík Húsavík 1748
Húsavík Húsavík 1776
Húsavík Húsavík 1766
from Skúgvoy were relateđ to him, but
they all had family members in Sandur who
were among his informants. Moreover, it is
likely that all of these singers were in Sand-
ur in November of 1820 attending the
wedding of close relatives - Sara Thomas-
datter was no doubt invited to the wedding
of her nephew - and Clemensen’s inform-
ant - Mikkel Thomassen; and the well-
known kvæðakempa Daniel Joensen,
along with his father Joen Eriksen, was
probably at the celebration of the marriage
of Joensen’s brother-in-law, Hans Eriksen
of Grúkhelli. Another of Clemensen’s in-
formants. There are no clues as to what
specific errands might have brought Joen-
sen and Eriksen back to Sandur on those
occasions when Clemensen collected bal-
lads from them; however, once in Sandur
on ferry duty or tending to some business
with the minister or sheriff, they would
have been sure to stop in at Grúkhelli,
where Clemensen was a visitor and would
have an opportunity to record »Sjúrðar