134 THE KING'S MIRROR 



Father. We have already mentioned nearly every- 

 thing in Iceland that is really worth noticing; but there 

 are a few other things which I may discuss, if you wish. 

 In that country there is an abundance of the ore that 

 iron is made of: it is called " swamp-ore " in the speech 

 of the people there, and the same term is used among 

 ourselves. It has happened at times that great deposits 

 of this ore have been found, and men have prepared to 

 go thither the next day to smelt it and make iron of it, 

 only to find it gone, and none can tell what becomes of 

 it. This is called the " ore-marvel " in that country. 

 There is still another marvel that men wonder at. It is 

 reported that in Iceland there are springs which men call 

 \y^ **jf ale-springs. f They are so called because the water that 



^ e * ) runs from them smells more like ale than water; and 

 i fas </ 



I when one drinks of it, it does not fill as other water does, 

 - but is easily digested and goes into the system like ale.J 

 There are several springs in that country that are called 

 ale-springs; but one is the best and most famous of all; 

 this one is found in the valley called Hiterdale.* It is 

 told about this spring, or the water flowing from it, that 

 it tastes exactly like ale and is very abundant. It is also 

 said that if drunk to excess, it goes into one's head. If a 

 house is built over the spring it will turn aside from the 

 building and break forth somewhere outside. It is fur- 

 ther held that people may drink as much as they like 

 at the spring; but if they carry the water awayit will 

 soon lose its virtuejand is then no better than other 



* Mineral springs yielding carbonated waters are found in Iceland, though 

 they are not numerous. The Hiterdale spring is probably mythical. See Herr- 

 mann, Island, I, 66. 



