Bóndinn á Grænmó
Stóri-Grænmór was the name of one of those ancient farms that used to be in that settlement district in Norðurmúlasýsla called Eyar. In the 17th century, hovels still remained standing at Grænmór, and for a long time hay was harvested from the farm ruins. At this farm, the water source was bad in winter, so water had to be fetched from the Lagarfljót river, which then ran in a different channel than it does now, and much closer to the farm, yet it was still a long sheep-path to get there.
Once, in a blinding blizzard, the farmer at Grænmór intended to fetch water from Lagarfljót, and did not return. But during the night, this verse was chanted at the window up above his wife:
"Frost and drift-snow are fast on my body,
frozen marrow in my bones;
it is proven by me, as the old saying goes,
that few tales are told by a solitary one."
People thought the farmer haunted the place significantly after this, and the settlement at Grænmór was then abandoned.
Once (after 1800), a man perished on the Grímsey cliff late in the evening, and news of his death was not heard around the island until the morning after; but during the night a woman, who died in 1843, dreamt that this man came to her window, was wringing the blood out of his cap, and chanted this verse:
"Thoughtful man, wary and true,
consider in your mind a while,
whether this terrible news
has saddened the mood of some."
In the morning, the man's death became known, and it was held that he was not mourned by everyone.
Learn more
→ Complete guide to Icelandic pronunciation
→ Icelandic grammar lessons for all
Original text
(Eptir handriti Jóns bónda Sigurðssonar í Njarðvík)
Stóri-Grænmór hèt eitt af fornbýlum þeim, sem höfðu verið í bygðarlagi því í Norðurmúlasýslu, sem Eyar heita. Á 17. öld löfðu enn uppi kofar á Grænmó, og fèkkst leingi taða af bæarrústunum. Á bæ þessum var ílt vatnsból á vetrum, svo sækja varð í Lagarfljót, sem þá rann í öðrum farveg, en nú, og miklu nær bænum, en þó var þángað laung stekkjargata. Einu sinni í kafaldsbyl ætlaði bóndinn á Grænmó að sækja vatn í Lagarfljót, og kom ekki aptur. En um nóttina var þessi vísa kveðin á glugganum uppi yfir konunni:
„Frost og fjúk er fast á búk,
frosinn mergur í beinum;
það finnst á mèr, sem fornkveðið er,
að fátt segir af einum.“
Þókti mönnum bóndinn gánga mjög aptur eptir þetta, og lagðist þá niður bygð á Grænmó.
Einu sinni (eptir 1800) fórst maður í Grímseyar-bjargi seint um kvöld, og frèttist ekki lát hans um eyna, fyrr en morguninn eptir; en um nóttina dreymdi konu, sem dó 1843, að maður þessi kom á gluggann hjá henni, var að vinda blóðið úr húunni sinni og kvað þessa vísu:
„Þánka maður gætinn, gegn,
gerðu þèr í hug um stund,
hvort að þessi feiknafregn
fákætt hafi sumra lund.“
Um morguninn frèttist lát mannsins, og var haldið, að hann hefði ekki orðið öllum harmdauði.
