Sæmundar þáttr

This little episode is quite delightful. Firstly, it reads as a sort of a legend, secondly, it adds to the hagiography of saint Jón, thirdly, the most important bit in my opinion, it has a moral function: Sæmundur has been studying abroad for so long that he has forgotten even his name!

In any case, here is the story, Sæmundar þáttr, in a hurried and poor translation, first in English and then Icelandic, arbitrarily divided into six chapters. Comments or questions relating to the translation are welcome as ever, if you happen to have such interests, dear reader. Also, apologies for the sometimes-confusing word order. Enjoy:

1.
While the holy bishop Jón was on [the] southern roads [i.e. to Rome], as was mentioned before, he managed to track down and take with him Sæmundr the learned in the manner which here is told.
It does not befit to do otherwise, than to mention further than already is said, of how great assistance holy Jón was to Icelandic men abroad as well as inland. We count that act particularly, where he persuaded/lured with him out here Sæmundr Sigfússon, that man who has been one of the greatest utility for God’s Christianity in Iceland, and had been abroad for a long time without being heard from. But holy Jón managed to inquire about him that he was with a certain excellent master, studying there unknown/mysterious/unusual lore, so that he lost [as a result] all that which he had learnt in childhood, and even his baptismal name.

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Þá er inn heilagi Jón byskup var á suðrvegum, sem fyrr segir, gat hann upp spurt ok með sér haft Sæmund inn fróða á þann hátt sem hér segir.
Eigi hœfir annat en at geta framarr en áðr er sagt hversu mikit lið íslenzkum mǫnnum varð at inum heilaga Jóni jafn vel útan lands sem innan. Teljum vér þann hlut einkanliga þar til er hann spanði út higat með sér Sæmund Sifússon, þann mann er verit hefir einnhverr mestr Guðs kristni til nytsemðar á Íslandi, ok hafði lengi verit í útlǫndum svá at ekki spurðisk til hans. En inn heilagi Jón gat hann upp spurðan at hann var með nǫkkrum ágætum meistara, nemandi þar ókunniga frœði, svá at hann týndi allri þeiri er hann hafði á œskualdri numit ok jafnvel skírnarnafni sínu.


2.

But when St. Jón came where he was staying, they asked each for the others name. St. Jón said his name, but Sæmundur named himself Kollr. Jón respondss with the gift of the holy spirit and a great power of recognition [or wisdom of Christian learning]: “I conjecture that your name is Sæmundr and that you are Sigfús’ son and born in Iceland in that estate that is named in Oddi.” The holy Jón affected him with his speech so that he recognized himself and his ancestry.
Sæmundr spoke: “It may be that your story is true. And if that is the case, then there will be found in the field in Oddi a certain hill, the one by which I constantly played.” And after this they recognized one another entirely.
Then spoke Jón the holy: “Do you not desire to depart hence?”
Sæmundr responds: “I find it good with my master, although since I heard your words and I saw you, it seems that he has it better who follows you and never separates from you. But I can not see a way so that I might follow you, for my master wants in no way to let me go free.

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En er inn heilagi Jón kom þar er hann var fyrir, spurði hvárr annan at nafni. Inn heilagi Jón sagði sitt nafn, en Sæmundr nefndisk Kollr. Jón svarar af gipt heilags anda ok mikilli kennispeki: “Ek get at þú heitir Sæmundr ok sér Sigfúss son ok fœddur á Íslandi á þeim bœ er í Odda heitir.” Talði inn heilagi Jón þar til fyrir honum at hann kannaðisk við sik ok ætt sína. Sæmundr mælti: “Vera má at sǫnn sé saga þín. Ok ef svá er, þá mun finnask í túninu í Odda hóll nǫkkurr, sá er ek lék mér jafnan við.” Ok eptir þetta þá kannask þeir við með ǫllu.
Þá mælti inn heilagi Jón: “Fýsir þik ekki í brot heðan?”
Sæmundr svarar: “Gott þykkir mér hjá meistara mínum, en þó síðan ek heyrða þín orð ok ek sá þik virðisk mér þó svá sem sá hafi betr er þér fylgir ok aldri við þik skilsk. En eigi sé ek þó ráð til þess at ek mega þér fylgja, því at meistari minn vill með engu móti gefa mik liðugan.”


3.
Jón the holy spoke: “We shall both sit over it, and I will stay here for a while. We shall make use of every moment when we may speak to one another, no less nights than days. Now if your master loves you much, then he will look for us if we are alone together, and he will then become accustomed to it and not find it suspicious if it happens often. But if he ceases to come to find us, then we shall try to leave as quickly as possible.
Sæmundr spoke: “It is a wise plan that you have suggested. Shall this be the foundation of our design, but we contend with a wise man where my master is, for he sees our journey when he looks to the heavenly bodies when the weather is clear, for he knows so precisely astronomiam, - that is the art/skill of stars - that he recognizes every man’s star whom he sees and looks at for a time [i.e. once].

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Inn heilagi Jón mælti: “Vit skulum báðir þar at sitja, ok mun ek dveljask hér um hríð. Skulum vit til nýta hverja stund er vit megum við talask, eigi síðr nætr en daga. Nú ef meistari þinn ann þér mikit, þá mun hann leita okkar ef vit erum einir saman, ok mun hann þá venjask við ok þykkja ekki grunsamligt ef þat kemr opt at. En ef hann léttir af at leita okkar, þá skulum vit leita á brott sem skjótast.”
Sæmundr mælti: “Viturligt ráð er þetta er þú hefir til lagt. Skal þetta grundvǫllr okkarrar ráðagerðar, en við vitran mann eigum vit þar sem meistari minn er, því at hann sér ferð okkra þegar hann hyggr at himintunglum í heiðríku veðri, því hann kann svá algerla astronomiam - þat er stjǫrnuíþrótt - at hann kennir hvers manns stjǫrnu þess er hann sér ok hyggr at um sinn.”


4.

Now after this strategizing Sæmundr leads Jón to meet his master. He received him quite well. Jón stays there for a while until they try to leave one night. The weather was thick, and they go all that night and the day after. But when the master feels their loss, they were searched for and they were not found. But on the second night all heavenly bodies were visible. The master sees immediately where they travel and goes after them hurriedly.
Sæmundr looked up into the sky and spoke: “My master is now moving and sees where we go.”
Jón spoke: “What action shall we resolve to now?” [Or what plan/advice is there now available. Or something like that.]
Sæmundr responds: “Quickly shall we adopt a plan. Take a shoe off my foot and fill it with water and put it into/in/on my head.” So does he.
Now is to say of the sage that he looked up into the sky and spoke: “Ill tidings, for Jón the foreign has drowned Koll my foster-son, for water is around his star.” And he goes home again; but they go their way that night and the day after.

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Nú eptir þessa ráðagerð fylgir Sæmundr Jóni á fund meistara síns. Tók hann við honum allvel. Er Jón þar um hríð þar til er þeir leita á brot á einni nátt. Var veðr þykkt, ok fara þá nótt alla ok daginn eptir. En er meistarinn saknar þeira, þá var þeira leitat ok fundusk þeir eigi. En á annarri nátt þá sá ǫll himintungl. Sér meistarinn þegar hvar þeir fara ok ferr eptir þeim skyndiliga.
Sæmundr leit í loptit upp ok mælti: “Á ferð er meistari minn kominn ok sér hvar vit fǫrum.”
Jón mælti: “Hvat er nú til ráða?”
Sæmundr svarar: “Skjótt skal til ráða taka. Tak skó af fœti mér ok fyll af vatni ok set í hǫfuð mér.” Svá gerir hann.
Nú er at segja frá spekinginum at hann sá í himininn upp ok mælti: “Ill tíðendi, því at Jón inn útlenzki hefir drekkt Koll fóstra mínum, því at vatn er um stjǫrnu hans.” Ok ferr heim aptr; en þeir Jón fara leið sína þá nótt ok daginn eptir.


5.
Now is to be said of the sage again that on the following night he interprets the heavenly bodies and sees the star of Sæmundr going over with him living and goes after him and Jón.
Sæmundr spoke: “Again the master of stars is moving, and again will a plan be required. Take again a shoe of my foot and a knife from the sheath and strike my calves and fill the shoe with blood and set into/in/on/around my head. [i.e. on the crown of the head.]” Jón does so.
Then could the master still see the star of Sæmundr and spoke: “Blood is now around the star of master Kollr, and it is now certain that this foreigner has destroyed him.” And therefore he disappears back his on path, but Sæmundur and Jón the holy go forward their own way.

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Nú er enn at segja frá spekinginum at á næstu nátt eptir skipar hann himintunglum ok sér stjǫrnu Sæmundar fara yfir með honum lifanda ok ferr eptir þeim Jóni.
Sæmundr mælti: “Enn er stjǫrnumeistarinn á ferð kominn, ok mun enn ráða við þurfa. Tak enn skó af fœti mér ok kníf ór skeiðum ok hǫgg á kálfa mér ok fyll skóinn af blóði ok set í hvirfil mér.” Jón gerir svá.
Þá gat meistarinn enn sét stjǫrnu Sæmundar ok mælti: “Blóð er nú um stjǫrnu meistarans Kolls, ok er nú víst at þessi útlendingr hefir fyrirfarit honum.” Ok því hverfr hann aptr leið sína, en þeir Sæmundr ok inn heilagi Jón fara sinn veg framleiðis.


6.

It is yet to be said that when this learned master arrived home he tried his art anew and saw again the star of Sæmundr and spoke: “Alive is still Kollr my apprentice, which is better, but much enough I have taught him, for he defeats me now in the art of stars and his trickery. And go they now whole and well, for I can not oppose their departure. And greatness will be this Jón’s lot, and longlasting benefit will men have in his good fortune [or guardian spirit].” But they went now their way, and they got on well and readily.

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Þat er enn at segja at þá er þessi inn fróði meistari kom heim reyndi hann list sína enn af nýju ok sá enn stjǫrnu Sæmundar ok mælti: “Á lífi er enn Kollr lærisveinn minn, er betr er, en nógu mart hefi ek kennt honum, því at hann sigrar mik nú í stjǫrnuíþrótt ok bragðvísi sinni. Ok fari þeir nú heilir ok vel, því at ekki get ek á móti staðit þeira brotferð. Ok mikils mun Jóni þessum auðit verða, ok langæligar nytjar munu menn hafa hans hamingju.” En þeir Jón fóru leiðar sinnar, ok fórsk þeim vel ok greiðliga.

It is as if he is under some sort of a spell, an enchantment which makes him seek a furtherance of his knowledge, which is then dispelled by the holy man who 'names' him. The master, who is extremely skillful in astronomical divinations, is unwilling to let his student go, and chases after him in person. No wonder, that in later folklore his master was considered to have been no other than the devil.

I recall reading about a three-way definition system of the supernatural. Things could either be miraculous, magical or wondrous, and as the middle ages progressed, the wondrous increasingly became redefined as either miraculous or magical; miracles being of God, magic being of the devil, and wonders being independent of both parties, usually third party creatures or nature. The question is whether to place the astronomiam in the category of wonders or of magic. I imagine that it is rather a 'wonder' than magic, as it would be strange to see a saint running around with a devilish magician.

In fact, the word that is used at some point, for the action of astronomia, is skipa, which is sometimes used in relation to interpreting dreams. One then imagines that reading the stars is a skill sort of like reading true meaning from dreams.


The master observers how well he has taught his apprentice. I don't remember who, perhaps it was Gracian, who wrote that one should never impart all of one's knowledge upon anyone, lest one lose one's place as master to the other. We can also observe the names the master uses for Sæmundur, first there is Kollr, which means something like a 'hornless male/head', and thus a pet-name for a boy-child. Then there is fóstri, 'foster-son', meistari, 'master,' and finally lærisveinn, 'apprentice.' In other words, the master clearly had a close relationship with his apprentice, adopting him and teaching him so well.

But what, dear reader, what is the significance of the shoes in this little episode? Why fill his shoes of water and blood?


P.S. In front of the university of Iceland there is supposedly a sculpture of Sæmundur fróði beating a seal in the head with a psalter, as told in a famous folk-myth.