Featuring 18 tracks of Icelandic traditional songs and hymns. It comes in a beautifully designed 3 fold digipak with a 36 page illustrated booklet containing notes about the songs and full lyrics in both Icelandic and English.
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This is an excerpt from the epic poem, “Hrafnahrekkur”, by Guðbrandur Einarsson, born 1722 and otherwise known as Galdra-Brandur. I found these stanzas in the book 'Fróðlegt ljóðasafn' published in Akureyri in 1856. They descibe the battle between a hunter and a fox. The tune is from Þingeyjar county.
lyrics
English lyrics follow the Icelandic ones
Bar svo til í byggðum
bogamaður eitt sinn var
sauði´ að svipta styggðum,
sífellt veiddi tóurnar.
Ábataðist örvatýr við þetta,
þó nokkur yrði stundum stans
á störfum hans
að svíkja pútur pretta.
Fræknum fleinaþolli
förlast veiðiskapurinn tók,
því einn íbygginn skolli
armæðu stóra honum jók.
Dratthali með drjúgu lymsku bragði
aldrei snerti agnbitann,
en ávallt hann
á þúsund leiðir lagði.
Geymir góins dýnu
grét af slíku vandræði,
agni sviptur sínu
og sjálfri gróðavoninni.
Döfnuðu frost, en drýgðust snjóar harðir.
Tók að gjörast tóa svöng,
því tíð var löng
og vaktaðar voru hjarðir.
Nú sem neyðin knúði,
nærfærnin svo aukast vann.
Fimleik tóa trúði
og tyllti nögl við agnbitann.
Boginn hleypur brátt sem auga renni,
en fótur á lyddu fastur sat,
hún fékk nú mat,
brá í brúnir henni.
Meiðir stáls að morgni
mælt er klæðist aflúinn.
Vakti hann vaninn forni
veiðiskap að stunda sinn.
Sér hann þá hvar sauðbíturinn slægi
blýfastur í boganum lá,
svo bærði´ ei á.
Hann drap við dauðu hræi.
Kátur kesjulundur
kenndi með henni ekkert líf,
bogann benti´ í sundur
og belgnum fleygði Þórs á víf.
Í þessum svifum tóa tölti á fætur.
Haukastjórann hann þá rak
í hennar bak,
það myndaði með þeim þrætur.
Þókti raun ill rebba,
hún reif og skemmdi fróman mann
á munn, hönd, höku´ og nebba,
og hvar sem náði beit hún hann.
Seggurinn þegar sársaukann réð finna,
orkan hverfur tjörgutýr,
en tóa snýr
burt til byggða sinna.
English
Once upon time, in those regions,
it so happened that a hunter,
releasing the sheep from threats,
was constantly hunting the foxes,
by which he gained some profit.
Albeit he, occasionally, took a break
from his occupation
of outwitting those mischievous beasts.
The valiant man, however, in the course of time
began to fail somewhat in his hunting skills,
as there was one ingenious fox
who greatly increased his vexation.
With a very cunning plot, the fox
never touched the bait,
even though the hunter was always
laying the bait on a thousand trails.
The man
bewailed his trouble,
as he was deprived of his meat,
as well as his hope of profit.
Freezing increased, and hard snowstorms.
The fox was beginning to hunger,
as the winter-season grew long,
and the flocks of sheep were well guarded.
Now, as bare necessity impelled the fox,
his audacity increased.
Having faith in his agility,
he touched the bait with his claw.
The trap's claws snapped shut in the blink of an eye,
and the wretch's foot was fastened.
Having now got his food,
the fox's surprise was great.
In the morning the man,
having rested well, dressed himself,
and was suddenly reminded of his old routine.
He went out to attend to his hunting,
whereupon seeing that the clever sheep-eater
was caught as fast in the trap as possible,
and that he did not move at all,
he gave the dead prey a kick.
The joyful man
found no spark of life in the fox
and, opening the trap's jaws,
he took the body, throwing it on the ground,
and instantly the fox leaped to his feet.
He then struck
the fox's back with his hand,
which started a fight between them.
The fox, finding this a bad lot,
now scratched and injured the pious man
on his lips, hand, chin and nose,
and wherever he could bite him.
As the man felt the excruciating pain,
his energy drained away,
whereas the fox returns
back to his territory.
credits
from FUNI,
released June 1, 2004
Bára Grímsdóttir - vocal
Chris Foster - guitar
John Kirkpatrick - Button Accordion
FUNI, an old Icelandic word meaning flame or fire, are Bára Grímsdóttir & Chris Foster. Since 2001, they have been breathing
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