Iceland: Horseback tours in saga land

by W. S. C. Russell

[Page 82],—Family Names:—The system of nomenclature given in Chapter VII is the prevailing one, still there are a few family names in Iceland. This is due to settlers from foreign lands, who have kept their family names and bequeathed them to their children. As an illustration I mention the Zoëga family, which, if my informant is correct, came from Italy many years ago.

[Page 84],—Kárastaðir:—Possibly a more probable derivation of this name lies in the fact that in the early days of the settlement of this portion of the country one of the settlers bore this name, Kára. Thus it should be translated, the stead or the farm of Kára.

[Page 89],—Öxerá:—It was not till the summer of 1913, a year after Chapter VII was written, that I learned a most interesting thing about this river so famous in Icelandic history. It seems that in ancient days the river followed a natural channel near the ridge that rises above the heath near Kárastaðir. It did not enter the lake, Thingvallavatn, by the way of Almannagjá as it does to-day.

The Vikings dispatched Geitskour in 965 throughout the country to choose a suitable place for the meeting of the Althing. After a summer of travel he chose this sunken valley and named it Thingvallir. The Vikings then turned the river from its ancient bed and caused it to tumble into this rift. What joy there must have been in the hearts of those sturdy old fellows as they stood on the opposite wall and watched the torrent make its first plunge into the abyss! Hence Axe River, the river whose channel was fashioned by their axes.

[Page 92],—Measuring Stone:—Various authors have perpetuated the story of this peculiar stone, as given in Chapter VII, that stands in the church yard at Thingvellir. They tell us, and so do the guides, that it was the standard of measurement adopted by an ancient Althing, from which all linear measures in the country were taken.

Since writing Chapter VII, I have had another opportunity, in 1913, to examine this stone with more care. I emphatically state that it was not made by the hand of man and that the so-called “measuring marks” on it are nothing but steam holes blown through it by the great pressure when the stone was molten and cooling. The stone has been split open and the marks have the appearance of having been placed there by man. To further substantiate this I would refer to the fact that in 1913 Mr. J. C. Angus of York, England, and myself saw numerous blocks of lava in various places at Mývatn with identical markings. Mr. Angus fully agrees with me in the above statement about the “measuring stone.”

Further, if the people who examine this stone in the future will go around it, examine it on all sides and near the ground they will find actual holes that penetrate deeply into the stone in several places. These have evidently escaped the eyes of those who like to point to this as the “first standard of linear measurement ever prepared by the people of northern Europe.” It is a pretty story and affords the guides a lot of amusement,—but facts are facts.

[Page 104],—Brúará:—There is another story differing from the one I gave in Chapter VIII, though that one is correct, relative to the way in which this river received its name of Bridge River. In the old days there was a natural lava arch spanning the stream just below the site of the present bridge. The story relates that a woman on the side of the river nearest to Geysir was widely known for her hospitality. In those days it was the custom of the people to go “guesting” in the autumn and stay until spring. The Sagas are replete with such incidents.

At length this good lady became weary because of the large number of her uninvited guests from across the river. She dispatched two of her thralls in the autumn to break down the lava arch. This they did but they both lost their lives in the flood when the arch fell. The natural arch gave this stream the name of Bridge River. The illustration facing page 114 was taken from the present bridge.

[Page 134],—Galtalaekur:—During the severe earthquake that preceded the eruption of Hekla in the latter part of April 1913 these ancient buildings were entirely demolished. It was one of the oldest of Icelandic turf houses. It has sheltered nearly all the people who have ascended Hekla for many generations.