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Eyvindur of the FellsEyvindur was born 300 years ago, into a very poor family with many children. When he was boy, only 10 years old, he stole some cheese from an old lady. He did not know that the old lady was a witch! But a witch she was, and when she discovered her cheese was missing, she cursed Eyvindur. She said, "You will spend your whole life stealing!" Eyvindur's parents heard of the curse, and were sad and worried for their son. The brought the witch some cheese to replace that which Eyvindur had stolen, and told her how sorry they were for his behavior. Now the witch could not undo the curse but she made it not quite so bad, for she added: "He shall spend his whole life stealing, but he will not get caught!" I do not know if the story of the witch's curse is true, but in Iceland they believe it is. It is on the town's records, which go back hundreds and hundreds of years, that Eyvindur had to leave that town for laziness and stealing. He went to another town and married a widow named Halla. She already had several children and a small farm. The town records do not speak kindly of Halla, for they say "Halla is short and hollow backed and dark, with heavy brows, and she is very ill mannered and disagreeable and uses a large quanitity of tobacco." 
This is how the town records describe Eyvindur: "He has a happy disposition, athletic, an excellent swimmer and wrestler, fast on his feet beyond compare, especially on the steep slopes and so expert at hand-running that he is faster than the swiftest horse. He is tall and thin, with large hands and feet. He has blond curly hair and wears a moustache. He is agreeable in manner, well-groomed and clean, a skilled craftsman in wood and metal, able to read a little but cannot write at all."What is hand running? It is running, using the arms and knuckles as a second pair of legs, like a horse or dog would run. No one in Iceland can do it now, but in the days before roads and wagons, many young men could hand-run. Halla and Eyvindur were forced to leave their farm and become outlaws. Some people say that Eyvindur was caught stealing a rope and ran away to escape hanging. Others say that Halla killed a boy who was working for them. Halla wanted to burn their house down so that people would think they were dead but Eyvindur would not let her do it. They left their children behind. One daughter, named Olof, ran to the next farm, and so the children were saved from starving. Halla and Eyvindur first moved into the hills above the sheep farms. They built a hut near a hot spring, and stole sheep. They cooked the sheep in the boiling water of the spring. After a while the farmers noticed that some sheep were missing and went to capture the outlaws. Eyvindur escaped by hand-running but Halla was captured and taken to the settlement. The next winter Eyvindur had a very hard time. He caught wild birds and ate them raw. In the spring, Halla escaped from the town and joined Eyvindur and they moved to another area where again they built a hut of stones and sod, near to a spring. They lived there for 5 years, stealing sheep and other things from the farmers. Again, the farmers followed the sheep tracks and discovered Eyvindur and Halla's hut. Eyvindur and Halla had a narrow escape and just had time to bury their tools in a swampy place and run away to some lava caves. The farmers burned the hut and took back the sheep, but they did not catch the outlaws. The next winter, they were very hungry. Eyvindur was saying his prayers, but Halla said that would do no good. Then Eyvindur looked out the door, and there was a horse! They killed the horse and ate it, raw, all that winter. They used the skin as a door to their hut.
There was a farmer named Einar, who had lost his horse. In the spring, he was travelling with some friends when he came upon Eyvindur's hut unexpectedly. He recognized the hide of his horse on the doorway and grabbed Eyvindur as a thief. Eyvindur surrendered when he saw how many men were there, but Halla put up a fight, using a sharp tool to keep the men away. In the end, they captured her and tied her up.
On Easter Sunday, Eyvindur asked to attend the Church service, and was allowed to go. He sat by the door, and no one watched him, they all looked at the pastor. While the pastor was reading the gospel, Eyvindur slipped out and at the end of the service the people noticed he was gone. A search party was gathered, but a mist lay so heavy it was impossible to travel. To this day, such a mist is called Eyvindur's mist. The search contined for a long time, but no one found Evyndur. Later, Eyvindur said that he had hidden in a ridge of lava near the church. No one thought to look so near the church. Men had search far and wide for that which was close at hand.
People say that Halla and Eyvindur were outlaws for 20 years and then earned a pardon, and returned to the same farm from which they had fled. And that they lived there for many years and were buried in a marsh near the farm. |