Páll galdramaður

There was once a sorcerer named Páll who lived in a small, humble cottage near the Stóruborg estate in Húnavatnssýsla. His legacy was so dark that after his time, his farmstead was completely abandoned and left to ruin.

Páll murdered his own wife using treacherous black magic. He carefully carved lethal "death runes" into a slice of cheese, completely concealed the wicked symbols beneath a thick layer of butter, and served it to her to eat.

However, his horrific crime was eventually discovered. Páll was condemned to be burned at the stake—a gruesome fate that the truly wise and cunning sorcerers of the time almost always managed to avoid.

The execution took place at the Nesbjörg cliffs. After the pyre had burned down to ashes, the men sifting through the remains made a chilling discovery: Páll's heart lay among the embers, completely unburned. Taking heavy iron hooks, they tore the blackened heart apart. As it split open, a swarm of vile black insects scurried out from within the chambers. Only after the bugs had fled did the sorcerer's heart finally catch fire and burn to ash.

 

Original text

(Eptir handriti sèra Skúla Gíslasonar á Stóranúpi.)

Páll hèt galdramaður, sem bjó í koti nokkru hjá Stóruborg í Húnavatnssýslu, og lagðist kot þetta í eyði eptir hans dag. Páll drap konu sína með göldrum, þannig að hann risti henni helrúnir á ostsneið og drap smjöri yfir og gaf henni svo að snæða. En þetta komst upp um hann, og var hann dæmdur til að verða brendur, en það henti aldrei hina fróðari galdramenn Hann var brendur á Nesbjörgum, en þegar kannað var í öskunni, var hjartað óbrunnið; var það þá rifið sundur með járnkrókum, og hrukku þá svartar pöddur út úr því; síðan brann hjartað.