Natural History

 Whales in the Sagas

Icelandic literature documents the large role whales played in the lives of the early settlers. Around 17 of the Icelandic sagas describe the relationship between men and whales during the early years. The Saga of Grettir for example describes a lethal feud over whale meat. In the harsh days of early settlement, the meat provided by a stranded whale could mean the difference between life and death for a starving community. The Icelandic word "hvalreki" meaning whale stranding has therefore also come to mean "jackpot" or "good fortune." 

The Code Jónsbók

An Icelandic code known as Jónsbók made it clear that laws were needed to settle issues about whales. Jónsbók declares that if a harpooned whale comes ashore on a farmers land, the meat should be divided between the farmer, the harpooner, and the poor. 

The Speculum Regale

The Speculum Regale (King's Mirror) was a Norwegian treatise written around the year 1250 that included a description of the whales found in Icelandic waters.  The accuracy of certain descriptions makes the book an important landmark in the study of whales. A whale called the 'Grampus' is clearly a reference to Orcas: 'They are also ravenous for other whales...they gather in flocks and attack large whales, and when a large one is caught alone they worry and bite it till it succumbs.' Like many works from this era, it is also filled with folklore that was common in medieval Scandinavia. A 'fish-diver' was seen as a protector of fishermen that 'knows how to spare both ships and men.' Other whales like the 'Horse Whale' and the 'Redcomb' were 'very voracious and malicious and never grow tired of slaying men.' Unfortunately the pictures drawn for this manuscript have faded with time.

On Icelands Diverse Nature

Around the year 1640 Jón Guðmundsson the Learned wrote a book On Iceland's Diverse Nature, dedicating a large section to Icelandic whales. From this work we have many fascinating pictures of the creatures believed to inhabit the waters. Many of the pictures are easily identified, like the Narwhal who has a pointed tusk and swims in the northern seas. Others, like the "Redcomb", are anyone's guess.. .