Chapter I: Front Matter

Note: Images of the original pages are available through
Internet Archive. See
https://archive.org/details/norurfariorram00milerich

Transcriber’s note:

Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

Small capitals have been converted to all capital letters.

NORÐURFARI, OR RAMBLES IN ICELAND.

by

PLINY MILES.

Nefndan Norðurfara
Nu á hann að svara
Fyrir fyrða tvo;
Virðið vel það gaman!
Við því sattir framan
Erum allir saman—
Eða mun ei svo?
Jú—allir Isalandi
Unum við og sandi
Er bláar bárur þvo.

BRINJULFSSON.

New York: Charles B. Norton, 71 Chambers Street, 1854.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by Charles B. Norton, In the Clerk’s office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Baker, Godwin & Co., Printers, 1 Spruce St., New York.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO

PHILIP JAMES BAILEY,

AUTHOR OF “FESTUS,”

IN ADMIRATION OF HIS GENIUS,

RESPECT FOR HIS CHARACTER,

REMEMBRANCE OF HIS FRIENDSHIP

AND THE MANY

VALUABLE HOURS SPENT IN HIS SOCIETY,

THIS UNPRETENDING VOLUME

Is Affectionately

INSCRIBED.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONTENTS.

PREFACE, XIII

CHAPTER I.

The Voyage—Stop a day at Elsinore—Elsinore Castle, Hamlet,
and Shakspeare—“Independence Day” at Sea—Fourth of July
Oration—Whales and Sharks—Passengers, Live Stock, Books,
and Amusements—The Meal Sack—Sea-Birds—The Gannet, or
Solan Goose—Land at Reykjavik, Page 17-32

CHAPTER II.

Iceland, its Discovery and Settlement—Discovery and Settlement of
Greenland and North America by the Icelanders—Ericsson—Trading
and Skirmishing between the Icelanders and the North American
Indians—Voyage of Columbus to Iceland—Icelandic Congress, or
Althing—Thingvalla, the Capital—Administration of the Laws, 33-47

CHAPTER III.

Geographical Features of Iceland—Productions and Minerals—Character
and Literary Taste of the People—Wild and Domestic Animals—Exports
and Imports—Chief Towns—Habits of the Icelanders of Olden
Time—Beards, 48-60

CHAPTER IV.

Town of Reykjavik—Houses, Gardens, and Productions—A Ride in the
Country—Visit Hafnarfiorth—Preparations for a Journey in the
Interior—A Party of Travelers—Face of the Country—Salmon-Fishing—A
Tumble—Breakfast on the Hill-side—Stop at a Hotel!—Splendid
Scenery—Extraordinary Purity of the Atmosphere—Almannagjá, or
Chasm in the Rock—Arrive at Thingvalla—Trout-Fishing on a large
scale—Encamp for the Night, 61-75

CHAPTER V.

Dining Out—Many Tongues, but no Confusion—A Merry
Dinner-Party—Angling—Thingvalla, and place of Meeting of
the Ancient Althing—Daring Act of a Criminal—“If you Hang a
Rogue, you must Catch him First”—Old Customs—Introduction
of Christianity, and Fall of Idolatry—A Lacteal
Disquisition—Company Separate, 76-84

CHAPTER VI.

Etymology of Icelandic Words—Similarity of the Icelandic and
English—The Iceland Numerals—Counting—Geographical Terms, 85-88

CHAPTER VII.

Journeying to the Eastward—A Forest—Blacksmithing—Game-Birds—The
Ptarmigan—Iceland Ladies Riding Horseback—Thingvalla Lake—Rough
Traveling—First View of Mount Hekla—Broad Valleys and Large
Rivers—A Cave, and Such a Cave!—Singular Cataract—Frail
Bridge—Arrive at the Geysers, 89-99

CHAPTER VIII.

The Great Geyser—Its Size and Appearance—Numerous Hot
Springs in the Vicinity—Springs of Boiling Mud—Beautiful
Colored Clays—A Seething Cauldron—The Little Geyser—Wait
for an Eruption of the Great Geyser—Singular Warnings, or
Signal Guns—An Eruption—The Strokr, another Geyser—Forced
Eruption of the Strokr—Surtshellir, or the Devil’s Cave—A
Warm Bath—How to Cook a Dinner without Fire—Beautiful
Birds—Termination of the “Show,” 100-113

CHAPTER IX.

Journey towards Mount Hekla—Iceland Rivers—Haying—An Iceland
Meadow—How the Horses Live—Beautiful Birds—The Pochard—Playing
Mazeppa—Swimming a River Horseback—A Hospitable Icelander—Herre
Johann Briem—Slanders and Falsehoods of Madame Pfeiffer, 114-123

CHAPTER X.

Productions of Iceland—White Clover—A Singular Ferry—Horses
Swimming—Sleeping Under the Bed—Sleeping in a Church—An
Iceland Salute—Iceland Horses—An Icelander with a Brick in
his Hat—Boyish Sports—Rolling Stones down Hill—Guess I
rolled a Big One down—Guess it knocked the Stone Wall
over—“Guess” a certain Yankee had to pay for it, too, 124-131

CHAPTER XI.

Ascent of Mount Hekla—Preparations and “Victualing” for the
Trip—Mountain Gorges—Hard Climbing for Ponies—Obliged to
Dismount, and leave our Horses—Streams of Lava—Smoke and
Fire—Variegated Appearance and Color of the Lava—Almost an
Accident—Up, up the Mountain—Hard Climbing—A Lonely Flower
on Mount Hekla—Beautiful Weather—Snow—Craters of the Late
Eruption—Fire and Brimstone—Awful Scene, and Dangerous
Traveling—Arrive on the Summit—An Elevated Dinner—Boundless
View from the Top—Descent into the Large Crater—Ancient
Snow-Banks—Descent of the Mountain, 132-146

CHAPTER XII.

Volcanoes in Iceland—A Submarine Eruption—Awful Eruption of
Skaptar Jokull in 1783—Terrible Destruction of Life and
Property—Details of the Eruption—A River of Fire—“Fiske
Vatn”—A Mountain Giant Drinking up a Lake—Eruptions of
Mount Hekla since the year 1000, 147-155

CHAPTER XIII.

Pleasing Customs—“Son of man, set thy face against the
daughters of thy people”—Roses in Iceland—Fields of
Beautiful Heath—Skarth—Crossing the Ferry—A Lofty Cataract—The
Westmann Islands—People on Volcanic Rocks, 3,000 feet
above the Sea—One Half of the World never knows how the
other Half lives—Climbing Crags for Sea-Fowl—Islands
Plundered by Pirates, 156-168

CHAPTER XIV.

Game-Birds of Iceland—Wild Reindeer—Ravens—Skalholt—A Merry
Sysselman—Good Cheer in Prospect, “for he’s a jolly good
fellow!”—Finally concluded not to stay all night with
him—Took “a Horn,” and left, 169-176

CHAPTER XV.

Stay at Hraungerthi—Rev. Mr. Thorarensen and Family—Christianity,
Comfort, and Refinement—Church-yard and Homes of the
Dead—Gardening and Farming in Iceland—Iceland Hospitality, 177-184

CHAPTER XVI.

Leave Hraungerthi—A Pretty Girl, and a Man not so Pretty—Crossing
a Ferry—The Reykir Springs—Singular Group of Boiling Fountains
and Geysers—Nero, 185-192

CHAPTER XVII.

An Icelander in a Warm Bath—A Churl—Not born to be
drowned—Vogsósar—Rev. Mr. Jonson—Hospitality
again—Drift-wood—Plum-pudding Stone—Arrive at Krisuvik, 193-199

CHAPTER XVIII.

Krisuvik—The Sulphur Mountains—Fire and Brimstone—Sulphur
Mines—Jet of Steam from a Hole in a Rock—A Mud Geyser—“Stones
of Sulphur,” 200-207

CHAPTER XIX.

Leave the Sulphur Mountains—Fun with Mr. Philmore—Stealing another
Man’s Thunder—Up and down Hills—A Horrible Road—Arrive at
Hafnarfiorth—Visit at Mr. Johnson’s—House full of Pretty
Girls—A Lady in a “fix”—A Bachelor in the same—Girls Riding
Horseback—The Town and Harbor of Hafnarfiorth—Journey to
Reykjavik, and Cordial Reception, 208-217

CHAPTER XX.

Ornithology of Iceland—Eider-Ducks Half Domesticated, yet
Wild—A Bird that won’t be Caught—Cormorants—The Gannet, or
Solan Goose, 218-225

CHAPTER XXI.

Snow-Birds—Gulls—The Iceland Gull—Skua Gull—The Great White
Owl—The Jer-Falcon, or Iceland Falcon—His Unequaled
Velocity on the Wing—Falcon of Henry IV. carrying the Mail
from Paris to Malta—Trained Falcons, 226-232

CHAPTER XXII.

The Faroe Isles—Little known to Modern Travelers—Majestic
Scenery—Thorshaven—The “Witch’s Finger”—Men Climbing
Crags—A Terrible Chasm; a Home for Sea-Fowl—Anecdote of
Graba—Norwegian Collectors, and Faroese Maidens, 233-241

CHAPTER XXIII.

Northern Mythology—The Chaotic World, and Scandinavian idea
of Creation—Surtur and Surturbrand—Ymir—The Myth of the
Ash—Mimir’s Well—Odin, Thor, and Baldur—Forseti, the God
of Justice—Bragi, the God of Poetry—Frey—Freyja, Heimdal
and Hödur—The Goddesses, the Valkyrjor, and the Norns, 242-253

CHAPTER XXIV.

Mythology of the Northmen, Concluded—Day and Night—The Earth,
Sun, and Moon—Loki, the Wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent,
and Tyr—Hela, or Death—Valhalla—Death of Baldur—Adventures
of Thor with the Giants of Jötunheim—Ragnarök, 254-267

CHAPTER XXV.

Early Literature of the Icelanders—Eddas and Sagas—Manners
and Customs of the Period—Extracts from the Poetic Edda, 268-280

CHAPTER XXVI.

Modern Icelandic Literature—Icelandic Poetry—Jon
Thorlakson’s Translations of Milton and Pope—Burns’
Bruce’s Address—Icelandic Hymn—Franklin’s Story of a
Whistle—Quotations from an Iceland Newspaper, 281-292

CHAPTER XXVII.

Matters Personal, Literary, and General—Manners and Customs of
the People—Iceland Politics—Books and Newspapers—Congressional
Reports—Sir Henry Holland—Danish Laws Prohibiting Trade with
Iceland—Productions—Prospects of Trade being Opened to the
World—Letter from President Johnson on the Subject—Trade
Opened to the World, 293-302

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Agricultural Resources of Iceland—Improvements needed—Diseases
and Medical Practice—Public Worship in Reykjavik—Ancient
Costume—Further Extracts from President Johnson’s Letters—Social
Evenings—Young Ladies of Iceland; their Education and
Accomplishments—Mr. Brinjulfsson—Take Leave of
Friends—Embarkation, 303-312

CHAPTER XXIX.

Voyage to Copenhagen—Snæfell Jokull from the Sea—Basaltic Cliffs
of Stapi—The “Needles”—Portland—Mountains on the South Coast
of Iceland—Hospitality of the Icelanders to French Sailors
Shipwrecked—Liberality of Louis Philippe—Loss of the
Lilloise—Scandinavian Commission—Geimar’s Great Work—Mr.
Sivertsen—Young Ladies on Ship-board—Music—Dancing on a
Rocking Deck—Captain of the Sölöven—Contrary Winds—Arrive
at Copenhagen, 313-320

------------------------------------------------------------------------