TRAVELS JN ICELAND. 



GENERAL OPINION OF THE INHABITANTS RESPECTING 

 THIS GLACIER. 



There is no Icelander, who does not know the Geitland, and 

 who does not admire its wonderful construction, its masses of 

 ice, and its extraordinary height, in which it surpasses all the 

 other mountains. They likewise believe from ancient traditions 

 and legends, that there is in the middle of this mountain a deep 

 valley, embellished with beautiful meadows, and inhabited by a 

 small body of unknown people, who are said to live with their 

 flocks and cattle, and to be the descendants of banditti and giants. 

 In the ancient books of Iceland, they are called the men of the 

 woods, which fable owes its origin to a saga or history, in 

 which it is said, that these giants inhabited the valley during 

 winter. It states that at the period in question, that is to say, 

 about the year 1026, there lived a herdsman named Thorir, who 

 had two daughters, with whom the Grtttis or giants got ac- 

 quainted ; that this valley, besides being ornamented with beau- 

 tiful woods and meadows, has an abundance of fine sheep, 

 which are of the largest size. The same passage adds, and with 

 reason, that this valley can never be covered with ice ; because 

 there is at the bottom a strong heat and several hot springs. 

 We shall not proceed any farther in relating the wonders re- 

 ported of this valley : the circumstances that may be relied on, 

 are very few, and these are founded only on vague relations com- 

 municated by those Icelanders, who had the courage to visit 

 the mountain at different periods, and returned without any 

 accident. 



Messrs. Bioernsen and Helge, two ecclesiastics of the country, 

 examined this mountain and the valley of Thorir. We had an 

 -opportunity of procuring the history of their journey, which is 

 written in an obscure style ; but it is nevertheless authentic. 

 They state that they arrived towards evening, but in delightful 

 weather, at a large valley situated in this glacier : it was of such 

 a depth, that they could not distinguish whether it was covered 

 with grass or not ; and the descent to it was so steep, that they 

 were not able to go down, and consequently returned. 



On the 9 th of August, we set off from Reykholtzdal on our 

 way to the glacier of Geitland : our object was not to discover 

 a region, or inhabitants different from those we had quitted, 

 but our journey was to observe the glacier with the most 

 scrupulous accuracy, and thus to procure new intelligence re 

 lative to the construction of this wonderful edifice of nature. 

 The weather was so fine, and the sky so clear, that we had 

 reason to expect we should accomplish our object according to 

 our wish ; but it is necessary to state, that in a short time the gla- 

 ciers draw towards them the togs and clouds that are near, that 



OLAFSEN.] F 



