Carry On Icelandic: Culture [selections] (2004)
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Kirkjusmiðurinn á Reyni - The Church Builder at Reyn
Kirkjusmiðurinn á Reyni
Einu sinni bjó maður nokkur á Reyni í Mýrdal; átti hann að byggja þar kirkju, en varð naumt fyrir með timburaðdrætti til kirkjunnar; var komið að slætti, en engir smiðir fengnir svo hann tók að ugga að sér að kirkjunni yrði komið upp fyrir veturinn. Einn dag var hann að reika út um tún í þungu skapi. Þá kom maður til hans og bauð honum að smíða fyrir hann kirkjuna. Skyldi bóndi segja honum nafn hans áður en smíðinni væri lokið, en að öðrum kosti skyldi bóndi láta af hendi við hann einkason sinn á sjötta ári. Þessu keyptu þeir; tók aðkomumaður til verka; skipti hann sér af engu nema smíðum sínum og var fáorður mjög enda vannst smíðin undarlega fljótt og sá bóndi að henni mundi lokið nálægt sláttulokum. Tók bóndi þá að ógleðjast mjög, en gat eigi að gjört.
Um haustið þegar kirkjan var nærri fullsmíðuð ráfaði bóndi út fyrir tún; lagðist hann þar fyrir utan í hól nokkrum. Heyrði hann þá kveðið í hólnum sem móðir kvæði við barn sitt, og var það þetta:
"Senn kemur hann Finnur faðir þinn frá Reyn
með þinn litla leiksvein."
Var þetta kveðið upp aftur og aftur. Bóndi hresstist nú og gekk heim og til kirkju. Var smiðurinn þá búinn að telgja hina seinustu fjöl yfir altarinu og ætlaði að festa hana. Bóndi mælti: "Senn ertu þá búinn, Finnur minn." Við þessi orð varð smiðnum svo bilt við að hann felldi fjölina niður og hvarf; hefur hann ekki sést síðan.
(Úr íslenskum þjóðsögum)
The Church Builder at Reyn
There once lived a certain man at Reyn in Mýrdalur. He was to build a church there but did not have much time to get timber to the church, haymaking had started and no craftsmen were available, and he began to have fears about whether the church would in fact be raised before winter. One day he was strolling out in the home-fields in a bad temper. Then a man came to him and offered to build the church for him. In return, the farmer would have to say the craftsman's name to him before the building was finished. Otherwise, the farmer would have to hand him his only son, in his sixth year. They agreed on these terms and the visitor began to work: he did not work on anything but his building work, spoke very little, and so the craftsman worked incredibly quickly. The farmer saw that the church would be finished close to the end of haymaking. The farmer then became very worried but could not do anything.
In autumn, when the church was nearly completely built, the farmer wandered beyond the field and lay down before a small hill. From the hillock, he heard a poem which a mother was singing to her child, and it went this way:
"Soon he will come, Finnur your father, from Reyn
with your little playmate."
The poem was recited again and again. The farmer now recovered himself and walked home and to the church. The craftsman had then finished carving the last plank over the altar and was about to fasten it. The farmer said: "Soon you'll be finished, my Finnur." With these words, the craftsman was so startled that he threw the plank down and disappeared. He has not been seen since.
(From the Icelandic folk tales)
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