There is a reality TV show (Deadliest Catch)these days featuring men who go
out on the Bering Sea in the winter to fish for crabs. Their boats
sometimes get covered with such heavy loads of ice from frozen spray off the
ocean that they have to use sledge hammers to get it off. If they don't get
it off fast enough, it can become so heavy that the boat will capsize. Most
of the boat captains and owners are Norwegian by heritage. Amazing people -
then and now.
Grace
Jökuls þáttr Búasonar
GUÐNI JÓNSSON
bjó til prentunar (couldn't figure out what the last word was)
1. Jökul hrakti til Grænlands. Jokul driven to Greenland
Jökli þótti nú illt verk sitt, reið því þegar í burt ok til skips, er þá var
á Eyrarbakka, ok
(It) seemed to Jokull his deed (was) evil, (he) rode away immediately and to
a ship which then was at Eyrarbakka, and
sigldi með Úlfi stýrimanni. Gaf þeim lítt byri, ok rak á fyrir þeim myrkr ok
hafvillur, svá
sailed with Ulf (as) captain. The got little wind and (what little they
got) drove them into darkness and (they) lost course, so
þeir váru úti allt sumarit. En er hausta tók, gerði storma með miklum hríðum
ok
they were out (at sea) all summer. And when the fall arrived, (it) became
stormy with a great snow storm and
frostum, svá sýldi hvern dropa, er inn kom. Urðu allir í austri at standa
bæði nætr ok
frost, so that each drop which came in froze. All were obliged to endure
baling both night and
daga, ok gerðust allir mjök dasaðir ok gáfust upp um síðir nema Jökull einn.
Hann
day and all became very tired and gave up at last except for Jokull alone.
He
gekk at ausa aleinn í fjóra daga.
went on baling alone for four days.
Um síðir rak skipit at skerjaklasa miklum með boðaföllum stórum. Var þá
allsterk
At last the ship was driven to a great cluster of islands with a huge reef.
Then the storm was very powerful
hríðin, svá at skipit braut í spón ok týndist gózit. Komst Jökull í sker upp
með Úlfi
so that the ship broke up into splinters and the cargo destroyed. Jokull
got himself up on a skerry with Captain Ulf
stýrimanni ok sumir skipverjar, en sumir drukknuðu. Váru þá allir yfirkomnir
af mæði
and some of the crew, but some drowned. Then all were overcome with
exhaustion
ok kulda nema Jökull einn.
and cold except for Jokull alone.
Jökull spyrr nú Úlf, hvat til ráða skyldi taka. "Hvárt skulum vér láta hér
yfir drífa?"
Now Jokull asks Ulf what plan they should decide on, “Shall we give it up
here?”
"Nei," segir Úlfr, "þat dugir ekki. Er nú þar til órræða at leita, sem þú
ert."
“No,” says Ulf, “That won’t do. Now (one) is obliged to seek help, as you
are (the only one in any condition to).”
Jökull segir þeim skuli at því verða, - "ok mun ek nú til lands leita."
Jokull tells them that it shall be (so) “and I will now look for land.”
Síðan kastaði hann sér til sunds ok lagðist inn at landinu. Þar var brim
mikit ok stór
After that he cast himself to swimming and aimed himself for land. There was
tremendous surf and very
áföll, svá at honum var bágt at koma þar við sundi, ok því kafaði hann til
lands. En er
heavy seas so that for him it was awkward to reach by swimming and for this
reason he swam underwater to land. And when
hann var á land kominn, sýldi um hann öll klæðin, en hríðin var svá sterk,
at hann
he had reached land, all his clothing were stiff with ice and the snow storm
was so strong that he
mátti varla ráða sér. Vissi hann ok aldri, hvar hann fór.
could scarcely orient himself. He also never knew where he went.
Honum varð þá reikat með sjónum, ok um síðir kom hann at skála nökkurum
He had been driven then along the sea and at last he came to a certain hut
sterkum ok fornum. Var skálanum læst, en lykillinn greyptr í stafinn. Hann
lauk upp
old and sturdy. The hut was locked, but the key was stuck in the gable end.
He opened (it) up
ok gekk þar inn, þreifar síðan fyrir sér ok fann stóran ás ok eld í. Síðan
lagði hann
and went in there, afterwards felt with his hand before him and found a
powerful main beam and a fire (place?) inside. Afterwards he put
skíði á eldinn. Varð þá skjótt bjart um allan skálann. Sá hann tvau rúm váru
í
firewood on the fire. Then (it) became bright quickly all about the hut.
He saw two rooms were in