H. A. Guerber, "Skrymsli and the Peasant's Child"

　The author Helene Adeline Guerber (? ~ d. 1929) adapted this short story from the Faroese "Loki's Ballad (Lokka táttur)". Although there is a similarly titled Faroese ballad called "Skrímsla", that is a story of an altogether diffrerent plot. A amall element (that the bet being a wagered talf/tafl (chess) match) seems to have been borrowed from the latter ballad.
    The word "skrymsli (Faroese: skrímsli)" means a monster, and is used interchangeably with giants and trolls in the ballad.
  The short story seems to be anthologized in H. A. Guerber's Myths of the Norsemen(pp 219-221)[buy→Amazon] or a more dated publication entitled Norsemen (Myths and Legends).

I already touched on the derivation of Guerber's short story, but the question was posed in a posting ""Does anyone know the source for H.A.Guerber's story "Skrymsliand the Peasant's Child"?""(2000.4.20) and a subsequent replier pointed to Faroese origin.
　The solving the riddle came in a different series of postings by Poul Martin Jensen (aka Morten Axboe) , one of which was an attempted English translation of Loka Thaattur, which is of course the very source of the "Skrymsli" tale, and the revelation in the posting "Skrujmsli Rujma"(1997.11.27) that there is a set of so-called "forbidden ballads"

1) Skrymsli Ryma → Skrímsla

2) Lokka Thaattur→Lokka táttur）

3) Odin ur Asgørdum → Óðin í Ásgørðum .

"Loki's Trick"

This short story is included in a storybook for younger readers called Tell Me a Story, (story by Amy Friedman / illustrated by Jillian Gilliland. Universal Press Indicated).
　This tale is practically identical to H. A. Guerber's "Skrymsli and the Peasant's Child" and is thus another adaptation of the "Loki's Tale" ballad. The peasant's adversary here is a giant from beyond Asgard (but not referred as a "skrymsli"). And like Guerber's adaptation, they face off in a match of chess. One minor difference I found was that the Loki hides the child inside a haddock in this version.
　The site also has an uploaded image of Ms. Gilliland's artwork depicting the chess match.

  The "Ballad and Folk Poetry (Kvad og folkediktning)" page here is a repository of ballad texts. The bulk of the collection is naturally from Norway, but the collection extends to works from Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and the Faroese. I first located the texts of the "Skrujmsli Rujma (the ballad of skrimsli the monster)", the "Lokka Táttur" ballad, and "Óðin í Ásgørðum" (Odin in Asgard). (in Faroese), although I have learned they were originally comtributed by Anker Eli Petersen who runs the TJATSI site.

　Stephan Claasen runs a site with a secition on Faroese ballads, including The Sjúrðar ballad group Sjúrðar is pronounced approximately "Shurwruor" and is the Faroese name-variant of Sigurd Fafnir-bane. The ballad group is a three part series that sings of Regin the Smith, Brunhild, and Hogni, respectively.
    Discography (CD/audiocasette tapes) page fine list of musical recordings available for purchase.

Finnur Hansen's ambitious project to introduce everything from the traditional to modern repertoire of music from the islands. He has begun an English Page but it has not been updated in sync yet, so if you go to the Faroese main page, look at the left navbar, and click "Kvæði og vísur"(*both kvæði and vísur are words that mean "ballad"). You will find here texts of the "Brúsajøkul" (a ballad about a bearded monster) and others.

There is a Faroese section Oluva's Ballad (Óluvu kvæði) seems to be about Pippin's wife. There is a whole body of Faroese ballad concerned with the Charlemagne cycle, ()

Danish site of songs and ballads.

The treasure-trove of Norse lore, Northvegr has an online English e-text of The Tale of Thrond of Gate Commonly Called Færeyinga Saga, tr. F. York Powell (London, David Nutt, publisher; 1896).
  There is also a newer translation in print:
    Thrand of Gotu: Two Icelandic Sagas from the Flat Island Book, tr. George Johnston
    (The Porcupine's Quill. 1994. ISBN 0889841802 paperback $14.95) [Buy→Amazon]

　A folktale about the title character's dealings with the Hulda folk (akin to troll- or monster-kind).. Excerpted from an out-of-print and difficult to get book: John F. West tr. / Barður Jákupsson illus. Faroese folk-tales & legends (Shetland Publishing, 1980 ISBN ????????). [Try to Purchase→not databased at Amazon ]。

Site for a language(translation) service. Has map of the Faroe Islands and some audio clips on some words in the language. There is a page describing a ballad collection CD issued by TUTL(⇒ see below), entitled Flúgvandi biðil and framtak has an mp3 sample clip of the title track.

On the left navbar try the

Orðalist (wordlist), under which you find: Fólknøvn (male/female given names of the Faroe Islanders) , Jarðfrøiorð (geological terms, Faroese-Danish), Teldorð (telecommunications glossary Far/Eng/Dan）.

Has a Wordlist English (Modern)-Faeroese and Wordlist Faeroese (Modern)-English numbering a few hundred entries.

Brief wordlist of the days of the week and months of the year. Also has the text of the Faroese anthem with accompanied English translation.

Looks to be a sample of few hundred from a total of 47,000 .

Teldorð（computer terminology） and resource pages.

Still new. Info on the chain dance, maps, scenic photos.

Faroese Post Office (Postverk Føroya)

    Here is a list of philatelic material that might be pertinent. If you click on the direct links below, it may revert back to the default Faroese language but English pages are available on all of these:

•Vóluspá (The Prophecy of the Seeress) stamp sheet (2003)

As you can well read from the "myths about light and darkness" page yourselves, there are 24 individual stamps on the year 2001 issue sheet, each depicting a myth from the Scandinavian region. Of these, the Faroese ballad themed ones are as follows:

• "Høgne's ballad"—Høgne (Högni) is the culprit who slays Sjúrðar the dragon-killer. But his own sister Guðrun, wedded to the slain man, takes vengece upon Høgne. To defeat her doughty brother, she sends upon him Tidrik Tattneson (aka Thidrek, or Dietrich of Bern). Note that in the Faroese version, Tidrik transforms into a dragon and breathes deadly venom (rather than breathe fire as in Middle High German versions).
• Hørpu ríma — An evil sister drowns her good sister [in order to steal the groom according to some telling]. But the bone is found by a minstrels who fashion a harp from it. When happenstance brings them to the evil sister's wedding, the harp, when plucked, appears to sing in a human-voice, and names the murderer.
• "Gram and Grane"—The Faroese version differs slightly from the icleandic Volsunga saga as to its accounts on how Sjúrðar gained the mighty gray horse Grane and the heirloom sword Gram.
• Nornagest— This is a ballad on the same story line as the namesake tale (þáttur) in Icelandic.

Arts and Philately （English/Danish） w1.1429.telia.com/~u142900356/

　The site is for some armchair globe-trotting through stamp material. A section is on

• Scandinavia on Stamps.

(stamptravel-scandinavia.school.dk/frame_ScandinaviaIntro.htm)

　Under the Faroe Islands sub-section they have a page on artist Bárdur Jákupsson who created many of the stamp artwork, and reference to the Völuspá stamp. There is a hotlink to the Brunhild's ballad page at its sister site as well. 　

Literature on Stamps (Danish/English) literature.school.dk

　Sister site to the above; covers Faroese ballads.

Faroephilately (English / German / Faroese / Danish) www.faroephilately.fo

　Uploads a book by Don Brandt, with a survey of Faroese history, illustrated with stamps.

Guardian International Currency—Faroese Krona

　This is a foreign exchange (currency) site but it uploads the Faroe Islands' 100 Kronur note. And on this denomination you see the portrait of V. U. Hammershaimb.

Geography · Cartography

faroeislands.dk map faroeislands.dk

The faroeislands.dk map here is the most detailed of the ones I found on the web so far.

⇒Multimap www.multimap.com

Tórshavn Kommuna www.torshavn.fo

Here you find kort av Tórshavn (map of Torshavn and vicinity). (There's a secion kortal which seems to be a CAD software demo. If you go to the bottom right of screen, you can switch language to English.)

PSP-Infor Færøerne www.psp-info.dk/faroe/

A site about the Faroe Islands in Danish. [ Dyr - Fugle -Fisk] (animals - birds - fish) photo galleries are nice.

Dagwood's map of Norway members.tdn.com/dagwood/NorMap1.html

This is actually a detailed map of Norway for Americans who want to trace their norwegian ancestry. May be useful since some of the events of the Færeyinga saga take place in Norway.

Music · CDs

* As a starting point, try the aforementioned Stephan Claasen's site and his Discography (CD/audiocasette tapes) page.

Tutl (music label based in the Faroe Islands) www.tutl.com

    The record label site has sample MP3s and direct sales pages.

* For a listing of the songtracks included, see the CD song title list of this album.	Flúgvandi biðil(The flying suitor) is a collection of 35 recordings of 20 distinct Faroese ballads, some contemporary, some vintage. The archival footages are sung by reedy-voiced men that take some getting used to. The renditions by modern artists are more like conventional European folk music. There is a sample audio clip at the TUTL site is of the 1st song, Vevpíkan [The Weaver Girl]. At the Framtak site (⇒ see above), they have a sample of the title track. Many thanks to Anker Eli Petersen who made a wonderful gift of this CD to me. [Buy→Amazon search for "flugvandi bidil"] (ASIN#B00004TTCH, Release Date: May 23, 2000, Label: The Orchard) or (ASIN#B00003ZAI4, Release Date: November 16, 1999 Label: The Orchard)
* See ⇒ back of CD jacket for a listing of included song titles.	Also they released in July 2003 the Traditional Music In the Faroe Islands 1950-1999 which is a 2 CD set for about $24-27. Produced in collaboration with Frémeaux & Associés of France.     CD 1 is music in the Faroese language, CD2 is music in Danish. CD1 includes Regin smiður (21 of 131 verses), Runsivals stríðið [Battle of Roncevalle] (9 of 143 verses), "Harpu Ríma [The harp, or two sisters] (All 39 verses), Ragnar lykkja [Ragnar Loop], etc.     I have for the time being reproduced the Back of the CD (in Faroese and French) which gives a full list of the ballads included. The song titles and notes are also given in English inside the enclosed booklet and I will get to this later. [Buy→Amazon] (ASIN#B00009B1W9 Original Release Date: 2003/07/29 )

Also at WWW.TUTL.COM, you can purchase Týr's How Far to Asgaard and other CDs direct from their site.

Týr A hard rock band.

　Their 2002 CD How Far to Asgaard is on Norse themes, and although most of the album is performed in English, the song Ormurin langi is sung in Faroese (lyrics are taken from text by Jens Christian Djurhuus (1773 -1853)). "Ormurin langi" means "Long Serpent" and is the name of Ólaf Tryggvasson's dragon ship. There is also an easter egg recording of the Nornagests ríma as well, and you hear it 10 minutes or so after the end of the last song (track #8). (Thanks to Anker Eli @TJATSI who gave me this CD also and the information on the secret song). Ballad-singing is usually a capella, but in Týr's rendition, you learn that the singers cover for it by using feet-stamping to accompany the song, which gives a nice rowdy drinking-song-like touch.

H. C. W. Tórgarð (a music publisher in the Faroe Islands) ???

This seems to be a publisher/store in Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands. H.C. W. Tórgarð, it seems, is the father of Axel Tórgarð who translated J.R.R. Tolkien's first tale into Faroese under the title Hobbin.
And I may be wrong but they may be the publishers of the 5-casette recording of the Sjúrður kvæði I see a couple of different address information:

Address:	Niels Finsens gøta 9 FO-100 Tørshavn	Tel.: (+298) 314504 Fax: (+298) 318943
Address:	Sverrisgøta 5 110 Tørshavn	Tlf.: (+298) 314502 Fax: (+298) 318943

Jón Júlíus Filippusson's site Norrøne tekster og kvad (www.heimskringla.no)

This site (Norewegian with English navigation option) has a MP3 audio clips of Faroese These appear to be from the album/tape title Kvaddans från Färöarna from 1977/78 [Danish ballads are marked with DgF numbers, Faroese with CCF numbers] Kong Hanses bryllup ("King Hans' Wedding" DgF166), Kong Sverker den unge ("Young King Sverker" DgF136), Regin smiður ("Regin the smith", CCF1, 2 renditions), Sigmunds kvæði (("Ballad of Sigmund" tr. Powell CCF22), Sinklars visa, Til havnar vit fara

Bibliography

The University of the Faroe Islands' Faroese Ballads and the Faroese Ballad Dance. A Biography (sic.) (.pdf · view as HTML) is a very comprehensive list on the topic.

FAEREYINGA SAGA & JÓMSVÍKINGA SAGA

• Adelstam, Magnus (övers.) Jomswikinga-sagan, eller historia om kämparne från Jomsborg.

  (Stockholm, Elméns och Granbergs tryckeri, 1815)
  (204p.)

• Young, G.V.C. and Cynthia R. Clewer. tr. The Faroese Saga freely translated with maps and genealogical tables

  (Belfast: Century Services Ltd.; 1973)
  (ASIN: 0903152053 )
  * amazon

• Grieg, R., overs. Sigmund Brestessøns Saga

  (Kristiania[Oslo]: Riksmaalsvernet 1924) (Used: NOK 150.00)

• Havsteen-Mikkelsen, Sven, overs. & Ole Jacobsen Færinge Saga.

  (Forum, 1981)
  (143 pp. used DKK70-80 [US$120-130])

• Johnston, George, Thrand of Gotu : two Icelandic sagas from the Flat Island book

  (Erin, Ont. : Porcupine's Quill, 1994. ASIN: 0889841802).
  (184 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. )
  amazon ($14.95)

• Metcalfe, Fredrick The Faroese Saga. the Authentic History, Told in the Faereyinga Saga, of the Faroese Pople Between a. D. 825 and a. D. 1035. With Textual Excerpts. a 2-Part Article

  (Extracted from Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1869. ).
  * This is an antiquarian piece of item, listed for $50+ at Addall.com.

  BALLADS

  Dahl, Árni, , Vinmenn (Tórshavn: Bókadeild Føroya Lærarafelags, 2001.) (ISBN: 99918-1-256-3 illustr. by Edward Fuglø., 68 p.) Includes 5 ballads inspired by the Færeyinga saga, namely Brestis kvæði, Sigmundur og Tórir, Bjarnabani, Sigmunds kvæði yngra, and Leivs kvæði. [Buy → Bókamiðsølan] (kr. 150).

• Thuren, Hjalmar, (1873-1912) , Dans og kvaddigtning paa Færøerne

  (Copenhagen: A. F. Høst 1901.)
  (32, 16 p. : music)
  

  Music.

• Thuren, Hjalmar , Folkesangen paa Færøerne

  (Copenhagen: A. F. Høst 1908.)
  (5 p.l., [3]-337 p.)
  · dance "Dansen paa Færøerne": p. 1-68.
  · ballads "Færøske kvadmelodier": p. [83]-140.
  · old Danish folk-ballads "Danmarks gamle folkeviser [melodisamling]": p. 267-170. "Yngre danske og norske sange, færøsk salmesang [melodisamling]": p. 283-291.
  · "Der volksgesang auf den Färöern" (summary in German): p. [303]-328.
  

• Wylie , Jonathan and David Margolin. The Ring Of Dancers: Images Of Faroese Culture (Foreword by Einar Haugen)

  (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981.)
  ( 182 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.; index, bibliography:p. 169-176.)
  

  SHORT STORIES

• Bronner, Hedin, tr. ed., Faroese Short Stories

  (New York: Twayne Publishers / American-Scandinavian Foundation 1972).
  (267pp; Authors include M. A, Winter, Sverri Patursson, Hans Dalsgaard, William Heinesen, Hethin Bru, Martin Joensen, Valdemar Poulsen, Karsten Hoydal, Jens Pauli Heinesen; )
  * Probably modern literature.

• West, John F., Faroese Folk-Tales & Legends

  (Shetland, Great Britian: Shetland Pub Co. , 1980.)
  (173 Pgs. Illus. by Bardur Jakupsson)
  * Huldafolk and trolls.

  DICTIONARIES

• Munksgaard's Faroese/English-English/Faroese Dictionary

  (New York: Hippocrene Books. April 1990).
  * amazon ($110 - out of print ASIN: 0870527681).

• Skarði, Jóhannes av, Ensk-føroysk orðabók

  (Tórshavn : Føroya frøðskaparfelag, 1984)
  (xiv, 357 p. ; 22 cm)
  

• Young, G.V.C. and Cynthia R. Clewer. ed Føroysk-ensk orðabók = Faroese-English dictionary : with Faroese folk-lore and proverbs and a section by Professor W.B. Lockwood on Faroese pronunciation

  (Peel, Isle of Man : Mansk-Svenska Pub. Co. ; Tórshavn, Føroyar : Distributed by Føroya Skulabokagrunnar, / Nordic Books 1985.)
  (684 p. ; 23 cm. Bibliography: p. 30 ASIN: 0907715222)
  * out-of-print dictionary; $48.50 at amazon

  TRAVELOGUES

• Svabo, Jens Christian, Indberetninger fra en Reise i Færøe 1781 og 1782

  (Copenhagen: N. Djurhuus. Reitzel, 1959, reprint 1976.)
  (497 p., Illustrated, used DKK90[US$150])

Et Cetera

Herøy (Norway) pageant http://www.heroyspelet.no/default.asp?target=mainframe

In this city/island at the southern end of Møre og Romsdal County, they hold an annual pageant, and they have reenacted a play "The King's Ring" (text: Rolf Losnegåard, music: Svein Møller, director: Gerald Pettersen). Olav Haraldsson is on Herøy when he hears from a clairvoyant that his tax collector in the Faroe Islands have killed by the islanders. The King decides to appoint his love-rival as the replacement.