Iceland: or, The journal of a residence in that island, during the years 1814 and 1815. Containing observations on the natural phenomena, his story, literature, and antiquities of the island; and the religion, character, manners, and customs of its inhabitants / by Ebenezer Henderson ; abridged from the second Edinburgh edition ; illustrated with a map and engravings

Front matter

Clas s9 14 B O O K

Vo LU M E

PEN N SYLVAN IA State Library

Chap. I

Voyage from Copenhagen to Iceland — Ice Mountains — Cape Reykianess — Land at Reykiavik — Description of the Town — Visit to the Archdeacon at Garde — Hafnarfiord — Preparations for an Inland Journey — Divine Service in the Cathedral . 25

Chap. II

Leave Reykiavik for the North— Mode of Travelling— Mode of Salu¬ tation in Iceland — Hospitality — Description of Icelandic Tents — Thingvalla Church — Seat of the Ancient Court of Justice — Tract of Lava— Hot Springs of Laugarvalla — The Geysers— Remarkable instance of Intelligence in a Girl— Desert — Valley of Eyafiord — Group of Icelanders reading the New Testament— Factory of Akur-eyri — Want of Bibles, and anxiety to obtain them— Visit to the Sheriff at Kiarne— Female Library— Domestic Worship. ... 33

Chap. III

Excursion to Holum — Translator of Milton — Ascent of the Yokul — Holum — Gisle Jonson — Cathedral — Gudbrand Thorlakson — Removal of the Press — Situation and present state of Holum — Icelandic Meals — Extent of Hospitality — Return to Akur-eyri . 61

X

CONTENTS.

Chap. IV

Journey to Vopnafiord — Public Worship and Catechising at Hals — Ice¬ landic Dress— Pauperage— Piety— Lava— Salmon River— Husavik — Hot Springs of Reykiahverf— Lava, near My vatn — Traces of Volcanic Eruptions in the Bible — Eruptions of Leirhnukr and Krabla —Church of Reykiahlid— Myvatn— Sulphur Mountain— Hot Springs —Ascent of Krabla— Boiling Pool in the Crater— Obsidian Mountain — Desert — Dangerous River — Grimstad — Rural Happiness — Com¬ putation of Time — Desert — Hof in Vopnafiord . ■ .

Chap. V

Journey through Mult; Syssels— Bridge and Basket— Punishment for neglect of Education — Eskifiord— Holmar— Magnificent Prospect — Beautiful Basaltic Pillars— Ice Mountains of Myrar and Heinaberg — Basalts— Description of Breidamark YOkul, or Moving Ice-Field — Hypothesis respecting its formation, and change of position — Dan¬ gerous Yokul River — Oraefa Yokul and Volcano — Volcanic Erup¬ tion of 1727 described— Skaftafell— Moving Ice Mountain of Skeidera — Passage of the Skeidera . 100

Chap. VI

West Skaftafell’s Syssel — Skaftar Volcano — Eruption of 1783 described — Sida — HOrgland Hospital— Icelandic Leprosy— Landbrot— KOtlugiar Volcano — Its Eruptions described — Vik .

Chap. VII

Fell— Solheima — Yokul River— Solheima Yokul— Caves — Steinar — Varmahlid — Vestmanna Islands— Hollt — Markarfliol — Intelligent Peasant — Odd6 — Dean Jonson— Mount Heckla— Number of its Eruptions— Eyrarbacka— Desolate Mountains— Rein-deer— Reyki-

Chap. VIII

Winter in Iceland — Climate— Greenland ice— Aurora Borealis- Travelling — Occupations in general— Winter employments — Fish¬ ery-Manner in which the Icelanders spend the long evenings— Family devotion— Education— Solitude of Winter— Tone of Society at Reykiavik. . ; .

CONTENTS.

XI

CHAP. IX. Page

Journey through the Syssels of Borgarfiord, Myrar, and Snaefellsness —Innraholm— Printing Office— Staffholt— Sheep-pens— Volcano of Western Skardsheidi— Caves of Hytardal-Stadarhraun— Domes¬ tic Worship— Elldborg, or Fortress of Fire— Stadarstad— Stappen —Ascent of Snaefell Yokul . 1

Chap. X

Journey through the Syssel of Snaefellsness continued — Ennit _ Olafsvik

— Grundarfiord— Mode of Interment— Berserkia Lava and Cairn— Stickesholm — Thorsness — Temple of Thor— Mode of Sacrificing and Origin of Toasts— Helgafell— Ancient and Modern Hospitality of the Icelanders — Snoksdal . J

Chap. XI

Journey through the Syssels of Dala, Bardastrand, and Isafiord— Hvam— Kampur— Domestic Scene— Reykiaholar— Breidafiord and

its Islands-Eider Ducks— Flatey—Hergisley— Effects of Drunken¬ ness Hrafnseyri — Foxes — Hollt — Return — Superstition— Saud-

lauksdal— Surturbrand— Gilsfiord— Raudsey— Skard . 186

Chap. XII

Journey into Stranda Syssel, and return to Reykiavik— Gilsfiord— Fell Paradise — Drift Timber — Stad — Interesting Interview with the Dean— View of the Sun at Midnight— Mount Baula— Reykhollt — Snorro Sturluson’s Bath— Biographical Sketch of Snorro— Hot Springs of Reykiadal — Saurbae — Hebrew Scholar— Hvalfiord— Reykiavik .

Chap. XIII

Handels-tid, or Period of Traffic— Mode of Travelling to Market- Exports and Imports— The interest kept up by the National Assem¬ bly— Its Abolition— Formation of the Icelandic Bible Society _

Letter from its Secretary — Salmon Fishery .

Chap. XIV

Skialldbreid Volcano— The remarkable Cavern of Surtshellir described — Arnarvatn — Desert — Bewildered in a Fog — Hot Springs of Hveravellir described — The Rustic Astronomer .

Xll

CONTENTS.

CHAP. XV. Page

Leave Skagastrand — Hvam — Valley of Skagafiord — Drangey— Glaumbae — Moelifell — Holum — Church of Urdir — Intelligent Peasant — Modrufeil — Sira Jon Jonson — His excellent Character — Forms a Tract Society — Return through the Desert — Yfri Reykium — Alftavatn — Hot Springs of Reykium — Earthquakes — Sulphur Mountain, and Springs of Krisuvik — Leave Iceland . 239

IjVTRODUC tiojv.

Situation and general aspect of Jceland.

The island of Iceland is situated in the Atlantic v)cean, on the confines of the polar circle, between 63° 24 and 6G° 30' of north latitude, and between 13° 15' and 24° 40' in longitude west of Greenwich.

'That this island owes its formation to the operations of submarine volcanoes, is evident from the geological phe¬ nomena which every part of it exhibits. In no other quarter of the globe do we find crowded within the same extent of surface such a number of ignivomous mountains so many boiling springs, or such immense tracts of lava’ 1 he general aspect of the country is the most rugged and dreary imaginable. On every side appear marks of con¬ tusion and devastation, or the tremendous sources of these evils in the yawning craters of huge and menacing volca¬ noes. Nor is the mind of a spectator relieved from the disagreeable emotions arising from reflection on the sub terraneous fires which are raging beneath him, by a tem¬ porary survey of the huge mountains of perpetual ice bv which he is surrounded. These very masses, which natu¬ rally exclude the most distant idea of heat, contain in their bosom the fuel of conflagration, and are frequently seen to emit smoke and flames, and pour down upon the plains immense floods of boiling mud and water, or red-hot tor¬ rents ot devouring lava.

Dismal tracts of lava, whose gloom is barely relieved by the columns of smoke that are constantly ascendiriothrough apertures and fissures in various parts of their surface, traverse the island in almost every direction

INTRODUCTION.

These tracts are often extremely rugged, consisting of broken and pointed rocks, between which are fissures and chasms of tremendous size, that throw insuperable bar¬ riers in the way of the traveller. Rents more than a hun¬ dred feet in width sometimes stretch to the length of sev¬ eral miles. In many parts of these lavas, the heat is still so great, that in winter, when the vapor is prevented by the snow from making its escape from the general surface of the ground, it is impossible to enter any of the caverns, on account of the sulphureous smell which they emit.

Another proof of the universality of volcanic agency, and of the continued existence of subterraneous fires in Iceland, is the multiplicity of hot springs in which it abounds. Not that I suppose any direct or immediate communication to be kept up between these springs and some central source of heat ; but that some extensive con¬ flagration is going forward below the surface of the earth is evident : and it seems natural to conclude that it has originated in volcanic eruptions, especially as the hot springs are always found in connection with lava or other volcanic matter. Many of these springs throw up large columns of boiling water, accompanied by immense vol¬ umes of steam, to an almost incredible height into the at¬ mosphere, and present to the eye of the traveller some of the grandest scenes to be met with on the face of the globe.

• Celebrated as this island has been for its volcanoes and 1 hot springs, it is scarcely less remarkable on account of the enormous ice-mountains which occupy a vast portion of its surface. To these mountains the natives give the name of Yokuls, which signify large masses of ice. They have generally terreous and rocky mountains for their basis ; and, in many places, exhibit magnificent glaciers, which commence at a great height, and run down with a very rapid descent into the plains. The most extensive of all the Icelandic Yokuls is that called Klofa Yokul, in the eastern quarter of the island. It lies behind the Yokuls and other mountains which line the south-east coast, and forms, with little or no interruption, a vast chain of ice and snow mountains, which are supposed to fill a space of not less than three thousand square miles. Nu¬ merous ridges of rugged and irregular mountains stretch

INTRODUCTION.

across the interior, and, from these, other inferior moun¬ tains branch out towards the coasts, and, in many in¬ stances, terminate in high and steep promontories. Be¬ tween these ridges, in the vicinity of the coasts, are rich and beautiful vallies, in which the inhabitants have erected their dwellings : and many of the low mountains are cov¬ ered with coarse grass, which affords summer pasturage to the cattle. The coast is indented with numerous bays and inlets ; yet there is scarcely a harbor in the whole island, where vessels can ride with safety. Many large rivers flow from the Yokuls, and in some instances seem to burst in mighty torrents from the mountain side as if that were their immediate origin. They are generally of a whitish color, like milk diluted with water. Smaller streams rise in the low lands, whose waters are transpa¬ rent. The whole of the interior, as far as it has been ex¬ plored, consists of a vast inhospitable desert, traversed in various directions by barren mountains, between which are immense tracts of lava and volcanic sand, with here and there a small spot, scantily covered with vegetation.

At the arrival of the Norwegians, and for several cen¬ turies afterwards, pretty extensive forests grew in different parts of the island. Owing, however, to their improvi¬ dent treatment of them, and the increased severity of the climate, they have almost entirely disappeared ; and what remains, scarcely deserves any other name than that of underwood, consisting for the most part of birch, willow, and mountain-ash ; but this want of indigenous wood is in some measure supplied by the vast quantities of floating timber which are drifted upon the coasts from the Ameri¬ can continent.

First Settlement, and History.

Iceland was first discovered by Naddodd, a famous Norwegian pirate, who was driven by a tempest upon its coasts about the year 860. He remained some time, but discovered no vestige whatever of inhabitants. He called it Snaland, or the Land of Snow. In 864, Gardar Svafarson, a native of Sweden, was driven upon the coast in the same way, and spent the winter there. The favorable account which he gave of the island induced Floki, an¬ other celebrated pirate, to attempt a settlement upon it.

INTRODUCTION.

But he failed through bad management, and abandoned the island in the spring — leaving it the name by which it has ever since been known. In 870 Iceland was visited by Hiorleif and Ingolf, Norwegians, who having wintered there were so well pleased with the country that they re¬ turned to Norway with the determination to effect a per¬ manent settlement. This they succeeded in accomplish¬ ing in A. D. 874, from which year the Icelanders date the occupation of the country.

Just before this period, Harold the Fair-haired had ex¬ tended his dominion over all the petty kingdoms of Nor¬ way, and deprived the inhabitants of that liberty and inde¬ pendence which they had previously enjoyed. Many of the princes whom he had deprived of their dignity and power, preferred a life of exile to subjection to the tyrant. Accompanied by their families, and a numerous train of dependants, they emigrated towards the west, and formed numerous colonies on the Hebrides, the Orkney, Shet¬ land, and Faroe Islands. To no quarter, however, did they flock in greater numbers than to Iceland : being attracted to that island, on the one hand, by the promising accounts that were circulated respecting its fertility, and stimulated, on the other, by the hopes of being placed in perfect security from the attacks of their oppressor. In little more than half a century, all the coasts around the island were occupied by settlers ; and, in order to put a stop to the emigration, King Harold was under the neces¬ sity of imposing a heavy fine upon all who left Norway for Iceland.

About the year 928, the inhabitants of Iceland formed themselves into a regular republic ; and so admirably did they distribute the different powers of government, that their mutual rights were secured without any compromise of personal liberty. They divided the island into four quarters, agreeably to a division already made in its natu¬ ral constitution, in each of which a chief magistrate was elected by the free suffrage of the people. Each quarter was subdivided into three prefectures or sheriffdoms, ex¬ cepting the northern quarter, which, on account of its size, was divided into four. These were governed by an officer, whose duty it was to maintain order within his district ; to call an assembly for the trial of public causes ;

INTRODUCTION.

to preside and judge on these occasions ; and to see that the punishments prescribed by the laws of the republic were carried into execution. He was, at the same time, minister of religion ; and upon him devolved the care of the temple, and the preservation of due respect to the rites of worship. The sheriffdoms were again divided in¬ to a number of smaller districts, called Hrepps, consisting of the families which lived contiguous to each other ; and over each of these was appointed a Hreppstiori, or bailiff, who had the immediate inspection of his own bailiwick, and whose office principally consisted in taking care otthe poor, and especially in providing aga’inst an increase of pauperism. He had likewise his inferior court, at which he was assisted by four of the most respectable members of the community ; in the election of whom par¬ ticular care was taken that they should be possessed of some property, in order to prevent them from being ex¬ posed to bribery or corruption. Such matters as could not be settled at this court were carried before that of the sheriff, where the bailiffs were amenable for any breach of office. In extraordinary cases, there lay an appeal to -the provincial court, or an assembly of deputies from the dif¬ ferent sheriffdoms, which was held under the presidency of the chief magistrate of that quarter of the island. This court was not held at stated times like the others, but only convened on occasions of great importance and emergency.

Lastly, the Icelanders established a final court of Appeal, which they called the Althing , or General Assembly of the nation, which was held annually, and lasted for six¬ teen days. Here, by common consent, the laws of the republic were enacted ; and to this assembly the whole nation looked for the final and equitable adjustment of any differences which might arise among them. To the Supreme Magistrate who presided on these occasions, they gave the name of Logsogumadr, or the Publisher of the Law. He was elected to this office by the free choice of the people, and generally retained it for life. His judg¬ ment, confirmed by the people, was in all cases considered as decisive. Though he possessed little or no power out of the assembly, he was always respected by his country¬ men as the sovereign judge and the protector of their laws and liberties. He had the power of examining and re-

1*

INTRODUCTION.

versing the sentences passed by the inferior magistrates, and even of punishing them if it were proved that they had acted inconsistently with the spirit or dignity of their office.

The existence and constitution of the Icelandic repub¬ lic exhibit an interesting phenomenon in the history of man. We here behold a number of free and independent settlers, many of whom had been accustomed to rule in their native country, establishing a government on princi¬ ples of the most perfect liberty, and, with the most con¬ summate skill, enacting laws which were admirably adapt¬ ed to the peculiar circumstances of the nation. Unin¬ timidated by any foreign power, guided solely by their own natural genius, and uninfluenced by any other prin¬ ciple than the love of liberty, security, and independence, they combined their interests and their energies in sup¬ port of a political system, at once calculated to protect the rights of individuals, and inspire the community at large with sentiments of exalted patriotism.

This state of liberty the Icelanders maintained for the space of nearly four hundred years. It is true, their tran¬ quillity was ultimately disturbed by a number of intestine feuds and bloody quarrels, against which the laws made no effectual provision ; but these disturbances would never have assumed so serious an aspect, had they not been kin¬ dled and encouraged by the kings of Norway, who always regarded Iceland with an envious eye, and employed all the arts of intrigue to bring its inhabitants into subjection to their sceptre. At last Hacon succeeded in effecting their subjugation. In the year 1261, the greater number of the inhabitants became tributary to Norway ; and their example was followed, four years afterwards, by the na¬ tives of the eastern shores, who thus joined them in the transfer of themselves and their island to a foreign prince. In this very surrender, however, we observe the spirit of a free people ; and, in fact, the Icelanders may be said to have all along retained their liberty ; for the changes that were introduced in consequence of their junction to Nor¬ way, and even those which have resulted from their con¬ nection with Denmark since the year 1387, have been exceedingly immaterial ; and no military force has ever set a foot on the island. In becoming subject to Norway,

IN'T'ROptJCIION.

they expressly stipulated that they snould -be allowed to retain their ansient laws and privileges ; that they should be exempt from taxes-; and that the. king, should. seGure to them the annual importation of the- most trecessary arti¬ cles of foreign produce, and preserve peace on the island by an earl appointed for that purpose. And, if these con¬ ditions were not fulfilled, they were to be at liberty to withdraw their allegiance from the Norwegian crown.

At present, Iceland is governed by a Stiftamptman, who is appointed by his Danish Majesty, and is bound to fill this office for the space of five years. He is likewise special governor of the southern quarter of the island, in which he resides ; and has two Amtmen, or deputy-gover¬ nors, one for the western, and another for the northern and eastern quarters. These quarters are divided into syssels, or sheriffdoms.

In 1800 the venerable Althing was abrogated, and a supreme court substituted in its room at Reykiavik, con¬ sisting of a Chief Justice, two Assessors, and a Secretary. This court meets once a month, and decides on criminal and other cases ; only the Icelanders have the privilege of appealing from its decisions to the high court in Den¬ mark. In ancient times, scarcely any other than pecu¬ niary punishments obtained. But as this mode of punish¬ ment was found ineffectual to the prevention of crime, the laws became gradually more severe, and at last capital punishments were introduced. Hanging was the mode inflicted for murder, drowning for child-murder, and burn¬ ing for witchcraft. At present, fines, imprisonment, and whipping, are the only punishments inflicted in Iceland. Such as are capitally convicted, it is necessary to send over to Copenhagen to be beheaded ; it being a curious fact, that, for some time past, no person could be found on the island who would execute the sentence of the law.

To the Icelanders belongs the honor of being the first discoverers of America and Greenland. The latter coun¬ try had been seen by one Gunnbeorn, who had been driven out to sea in a storm, some time after the coloniza¬ tion of Iceland, but no attempt was made to find it again till the year 982, when Eirik the Red proceeded thither on a voyage of discovery. After spending the greater part of three years, exploring the coasts, and taking pos-

INTRODUCTION.

session of such places as he deemed most suitable for oc¬ cupation, lie returned to Iceland, and spoke so highly in praise of the n-ew.lv; discovered eountfy, to which he had given the name of Greenland, in order to excite a favora¬ ble idea of it in the minds of his countrymen, that he pre¬ vailed on a great number of them to accompany him the following summer. Not fewer than twenty-five vessels left Iceland under his convoy, but of these only fourteen reached the place of their destination ; the rest were either lost or driven back to Iceland. As the distance between the two countries was little more than two hun¬ dred miles, a regular intercourse was established between them ; and the number of settlers increased so rapidly, that, soon after the introduction of the Christian religion, about the year 1000, a number of churches were built along the east coast, and a bishop was appointed to super¬ intend the ecclesiastical affairs of the colony. For the space of more than three hundred and fifty years, a regu¬ lar intercourse was carried on between that country and Denmark, or Norway. In the year 1406, the last bishop was sent over to Greenland. Since then the colony has not been heard of; and its loss is attributed to the wars which took place at that time between the Danes and Swedes, which prevented the trading vessels from putting to sea, and to the accumulation of vast shoals of ice around the coasts, by which they have been rendered totally in¬ accessible.

The fact that America also was first discovered by the Icelanders, though less generally known, is perfectly well authenticated by the northern historians. Biarni Heriulfson, on a voyage from Iceland to Greenland, in the year 1001, was driven by a violent easterly gale into the At¬ lantic ; and, after sailing several days, he discovered a fine woody country, in general flat, and only diversified by small heights, which rose into view upon the coast. Not being able to persuade his men to land, he proceeded with a south-west wind for Greenland, which he reached after a voyage of six days. The description which he gave of the country, some time after, excited the curiosity of Leif Eirikson, whose father had first taken possession of Green¬ land. This adventurer left Norway in a vessel navigated by thirty-five men, and made first a country to the south-

INTRODUCTION.

west of Greenland, which, from the description given of its ice-mountains, appears to have been Labrador. Leav¬ ing this inauspicious region, they proceeded southwards, till they came to the flat woody country discovered by Biarni ; but as they wished to explore the coasts to a greater distance, they again set sail with a north-east wind, and came in two days to an island, separated by a strait from the continent. Having proceeded up this strait, they came to a fine fresh water lake, on the shore of which they built a habitation for their winter residence. The lake abounded with the finest salmon, and the grass retained its verdure, in a great measure, the whole winter. The days were more nearly of an equal length than in Greenland or Iceland, the sun being nine hours above the horizon at the shortest day. One of his men, having dis¬ covered that grapes grew there spontaneously, Leif gave to the country the appropriate name of Vinland, or Vineland, and returned the following spring to Greenland.

The American continent was afterwards visited by Thovald, a brother of Eirik’s, who was killed in an en¬ gagement with the natives ; and a colony of Norwegians was afterwards settled there, and continued to trade with the natives for the period of nearly two centuries, after the country had been discovered.

Population, Character , Literature.

The population of Iceland is supposed to have been much greater in former times that it is at present. Num¬ bers of the inhabitants were carried off by the plague in the year 1402; and in the years 1707 and 1708, not fewer than 16,000 persons were cut off by the small pox. In the year 1801, at which time the last census was taken, the population amounted to 47,207 ; but is sup¬ posed since that time to have received an addition of at least 3,000.

The Icelanders are rather tall, of a frank open counte¬ nance, a florid complexion, and yellow flaxen hair. The women are shorter in proportion, and more inclined to corpulency than the men ; but many of them would look handsome in a modern European dress. In youth, both sexes are generally of a very weakly habit of body, which is the necessary consequence of their want of proper ex-

INTRODUCTION.

ercise, and the poorness of their living ; yet it is surpris¬ ing what great hardships they are capable of enduring in after life. It is seldom any of them attain to a very ad¬ vanced age : the females commonly live longer than the men. Owing to the nature of their food, their want of personal cleanliness, and their being often obliged to sit long in wet woollen clothes, they are greatly exposed to cutaneous diseases. They are also frequently attacked with obstinate coughs and pulmonary complaints, by which perhaps more are carried off annually than by any other disease.

Their predominant character is that of unsuspecting frankness, pious contentment, and a steady liveliness of temperament, combined with a strength of intellect and acuteness of mind seldom to be met with in other parts of the world. They have also been noted for the almost unconquerable attachment which they feel to their native island. With all their privations, and exposed, as they are, to numerous dangers from the operation of physical causes, they live under the practical influence of one of their common proverbs : “ Iceland is the best land on which the sun shines.”

Their language, dress, and mode of life, have been invariably the same during a period of nine centuries; whilst those of other nations have been subjected to numerous vicissitudes, according to the diversity of ex¬ ternal circumstances, and the caprices of certain leading individuals, whose influence has been sufficiently power¬ ful to impart a new tone to the society in which they moved. Habituated from their earliest years to hear of the character of their ancestors, and the asylum which their native island afforded to the sciences when the rest of Europe was immersed in ignorance and barbarism, the Icelanders naturally possess a high degree of national feeling, and there is a certain dignity and boldness of carriage observable in numbers of the peasants, which at once indicates a strong sense of propriety and indepen¬ dence.

The Icelandic is justly regarded as the standard of the grand northern dialect of the Gothic language. The remoteness of the island, and the little intercourse which its inhabitants have maintained with the rest of the world,

INTRODUCTION.

have effectually secured the purity and originality of this ancient language ; and it is a curious fact, that while our ablest antiquaries are often puzzled, in endeavoring to decipher certain words and phrases in writings which date their origin only a few centuries back, there is not a peasant, nor indeed scarcely a servant girl in Iceland, who is not capable of reading with ease the most ancient documents extant on the island.

The early and successful application of the Icelanders to the study of the sciences, forms a perfect anomaly in the history of literature. At a period when the darkest gloom was spread over the European horizon, the inhabi¬ tants of this comparatively barren island, near the north pole, were cultivating the arts of poetry and history; and laying up stores of knowledge, which were not merely to supply posterity with data respecting the domestic and political affairs of their native country, but were also des¬ tined to furnish very ample and satisfactory information on a great multiplicity of important points connected with the history of other nations. To this a wonderful combi¬ nation of circumstances proved favorable. The Norwe¬ gians, who first went over to Iceland, were sprung from some of the most distinguished families in the land o{ their nativity. They had been accustomed from their infancy to listen to the traditionary tale of the deeds of other years ; and had frequented the public assemblies, where they saw the value and importance of knowledge. Their mythology and the wonderful scenery of their native land were favorable to the cultivation of poetic genius. The art of writing was for a long time little practised, and in order to transmit to posterity an accurate know¬ ledge of important events, history assumed the garb of poetry. It has generally been agreed among the learned, that the ancient Scandinavians were, and that the Ice¬ landers still are, possessed of a peculiar and underived national poetry. We possess almost innumerable monu¬ ments of northern prosody, of both ancient and recent origin, which exhibit all the characteristics of an inde¬ pendent literature, and well merit the attention of such as wish to become acquainted with the diversified pro¬ ductions of the human intellect, or the peculiar features which it assumes under different circumstances.

INTRODUCTION.

The fame of the Skalds, or poets of Iceland, was not confined to their native country. They visited the courts of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, where they were re¬ ceived with the highest honors, and richly rewarded for singing the praises of their entertainers.