Tales Of Saemund The Wise

1. The Black School

In the old days, somewhere out in the world there was a school that »The Black School«. There you learned magic arts and other old wisdom. The school was set up in such a way that it was in a very held in a solid earth house with no windows, and For this reason, the deepest darkness reigned within. There was no teacher there, and you learned everything from books that were written in fiery red letters which could be read in the dark. Never those who were studying there were allowed to go outside or see the light of day while they were there; but they had to stay in school for three or seven winters to to have learned her art. A grey and shaggy hand appeared through the wall every day and gave the students their food. But the person who owned the school retained ownership those of the students who left school each year, who went out last. Now since they all knew that the devil was a schoolmaster here, everyone wanted, as far as it was in his power, avoid being the last to leave school.

Once there were three Icelanders in the Black School: Saemund the Wise, Kalb Arneson and Halfdan Eldjernsson or Einarsson, who later Pastor to Fell in Sletteli. They were to run the school at the same time time to leave, and Saemund offered to go out last, which meant the others were of course very much in agreement. Saemund now threw himself a large coat, but left the sleeves hanging loose and buttoned it You had to climb a flight of stairs to leave the school When Saemund had climbed the stairs, the Devil his cloak and said: "You are mine." Saemund threw the cloak away, and the devil kept only this one in his hand. The iron door but crashed on its hinges and struck Saemund so hard on his feet, that his heels were wounded. Then he cried out: "The door slammed hot on our heels!' and later it became a proverb. So Saemund the Wise escaped from the school with his companions.

Others say that when Saemund the Wise climbed the stairs went up and came to the door of the Black School, the sun and cast his shadow on the wall. When the devil When Saemund tried to grab him, he said: “I am not the last one!” Don’t you see the one coming behind me?’ The devil grabbed the shadow, which he thought was a human; but Saemund reached out, while the door slammed on his heels. From that day on but Saemund was always without a shadow; because the devil did not want give up.


2. How Saemund escaped from the Black School

It happened during Saemund’s migration abroad, when he was Black School that he could reflect on what he encountered. Nature, his family and his origins; he also had his Forgot his name and was called Buft at school. One night, As Saemund slept on his bed, he dreamed that Boge Einarsson came to him and said: »You behave badly, Saemund; you are moved to this school, you forgot your God, yourself and forget your baptismal name, and when you think of your eternal salvation of your soul, then it is best for you to turn back." »I will probably not be able to do that,« Saemund replied. »It It was unmanly of you," said Boge, "to go to school, from which you can't escape if you want to leave!' 'I have in this In this respect, do not be afraid," said Saemund, "for you have wisdom for us all, Boge.« »Then you should follow my advice,« said Boge. »If you want to go away, let the coat hang loosely over your shoulders, for then you will get out. Here you must fear the master, who is running the school, because he will soon miss you. But if you escaped, take off the shoe from your right foot, fill it with blood and wear it on the head the first day. But if the When evening has come, the master will go out and look in the stars read; for he is shone upon the course of the heavenly bodies, and he will seek your star; then he will believe you dead and by the sword killed; and it will seem to him as if a bloody ring was around your Star. During the day he will not try to spy on your path, I will take care of that. The next day, before you before you start your hike, wash your shoe with water and salt; the master, when he sees your star, will conclude that you are in the drowned in the sea; then it will seem to him as if a sea were flowing around your star. Before you begin your journey on the third day, you will you can bleed yourself or someone else, at the Place where back and side meet and the blood in your shoe; then take soil and mix it with the Blood and speak a good word over it, so that the earth is consecrated, and then wear the shoe on your head for the entire third day. If but the Master examines your star, he will create a globe around it and he will then conclude that you are dead and buried and this will seem like a great event to him. But then he will discover that you are still alive. Then he will be happy about marvel at your wisdom and think that he himself taught it to you, and he will wish you all the best, and you will be this difficulty may have been avoided.«

In this way, Saemund left the Black School and came back to his home country.


3. How Saemund got the pastorate in Odde

When Saemund, Kalb and Halfdan came out of the Black School, The parish in Odde had become vacant, and they all asked the King (of Denmark) to give it to them. The King knew very well with whom he was dealing, and he therefore said that the one from whoever came first would get the pastorate. Saemund went and called the devil and said to him: »Swim now with me to Iceland, and if you bring me to land without my coattails get wet, then you shall have me!« The devil was agreed, took the form of a seal and swam away, with Saemund on his back. On the way, however, Saemund read continuously in the hymn book. Soon they were near Iceland. Then Saemund the seal with the hymn book on the head, so that he sank, he but he himself dived under and swam to land.

In this way, the devil was cheated out of his reward, while Saemund got the pastorate in Odde.


4. How Saemund brought in his hay in dry weather

Saemund once had a lot of dry hay in the meadow, and it Rain threatened. He therefore asked all his people to make an effort Bring the hay together before the rain started. An old woman in Odde, called Thorhildur; the priest and asked them to hobble out to the home field and to rake up what would otherwise be lost from the hay. She promised to try it, took a rake in his hand and tied the hood, the she used to carry, onto the handle, where she hobbled out. Before She went, she said to Pastor Saemund, that he himself in the Heuhof should be present to receive the hay, because the servants Wouldn't take a long time to tie it and go home The priest promised to follow her advice, which would probably Being the best, he said.

But the old woman had hardly come out onto the home field when she end of the rake under each haystack and said: »Up to the Hay farm at Saemund!« These were magic words, because every haystack that the Old woman with these words lifted up the rake handle, immediately flew to the Hayyard. Then Saemund said to the devil and his little devils that it would now probably be best to put the hay in Diemen quickly. It did not take long until they had dried all the hay on the hay yard Later, Saemund said to the old woman: »You can do more than your Our Father, Thorhildurchen!«

But she replied: »Unfortunately, there is not much left of it remained, because most of what I was able to do in my youth, I now forget it.«


5. How Saemund took the devil into his service

Once, Pastor Saemund asked the devil how small he could make himself The devil replied that he was as small as a mosquito could make a drill and drilled a hole in a beam, where he ordered the devil to crawl into it. The Devil did not need much time to fly in; but he was hardly happily inside when Saemund put a plug in the hole, and how Now the devil also moaned and screamed and begged, Saemund took Not the plug out of the hole before the devil promised him Always had to do what he would ever ask for.

This was the reason why Saemund could always make the devil to carry out whatever it might be.


6. How Saemund embarrassed the devil when he was in one Had transformed fly

The devil always looked at the wise men because it annoyed him, that in everything they had to do with each other, always the shorter one Therefore, he tried to get close to the priest in every way take revenge, although he did not want to succeed.

Once he turned into a very small fly and hidden under the cream on the milk in the pastor Eßnapf to go to this Way to get into it and kill him. He picked up the food bowl and immediately spotted the fly; he unwrapped Therefore, first the cream from the milk around it, pulled the bubble from a newborn calf over it and then placed the package on the Altar. The devil now had to put up with sitting in it, while the priest was saying mass. When it was over, Saemund opened the package and let the devil escape.

However, it is assured that the devil is for the worst clamp he had ever been in, that he had to lie on the altar, while Father Saemund celebrated the mass.


7. The Devil's Flute

Saemund the Wise had a flute that had the property that, when you blew on it, one or more little devils came to the Flute players came and asked what they should do.

Once Saemund had the flute in his bed under his pillow where he used to hide them at night. In the evening he commanded the maid to make his bed as usual, but warned her if she If she found something unusual in the bed, she should touch it, leave it where it lies.

The maid started to make the bed, but hardly discovered the flute, when curiosity began to tickle her. She immediately took them into the Hand, looked at it from all sides, and finally she blew Then a little devil came to her and asked her: »What should I do?« The girl was frightened, but didn't let it show.

It happened that on that very day ten of Pastor Saemund’s Sheep had been slaughtered and all the skins were left outside Then the maid ordered the little devil to go out and remove all the hair to count the skins, and if it had finished with that before She would have made the bed. immediately went out and began to count eagerly, and the maid hurried to make the bed. When she had finished, the devil still had to count a pelt, and it came to the reward.

Saemund later asked the maid if she had found anything in the bed Then she told him everything as it was, but Saemund liked her Presence of mind.


8. The devil as stable boy

The wise was once missing a stable servant, and he therefore won The devil and put it on the stable. The devil fulfilled its duties on time until the spring. On the first Easter holiday, however, when Sira Saemund stood on the pulpit, the devil wore all the crap on a bunch of the church door together so that the pastor does not end after the service ended the church. When he saw how things were arranged, he saw the devil before him and let him, whether he wanted to or not, bring all the rubbish from the church door back to its place. And so The priest insisted that he carry out the piece of work so that he even let him lick up the remains with his tongue. Then the devil licked so strong that a depression appeared in the stone in front of the church door. This stone still lies in Odde, although only the fourth Part of it is left. It now lies in front of the courtyard gate, and even today During the day the depression in the stone can be seen.


9. How Saemund the Wise stopped his stable boy from swearing

Once Saemund the Wise had a stable boy who was badly swearing, and the priest often reprimanded him for it. He told the Stable boy, that the devil and his devils are from the curses and evil words of men. »I would truly never again "I would never say a bad word," said the stable boy, "if I knew that the devil has to go hungry because of it."

»I will soon find out whether you are serious or not.« replied Saemund.

He then placed a little devil in the stable. The stable boy The guest did not like it; because the little devil did everything to tease him and to annoy, and the stable boy had a hard time getting rid of the However, he managed to do so for a while and he saw soon that the little devil was getting thinner every day; he was happy delicious when he realized that and never swore again.

When he came into the stable one morning, he found everything cut and small beaten and all the cows, of which there were a large number, with tied together by their tails. Then the stable boy turned to the little devil who lay so miserable and miserable in his state and showered it with the most terrible insults and the most horrible Cursing with his anger. To his great sorrow and anger he had to then watch as the little one came back to life and suddenly became so round It was so bad that it wouldn't have taken much for him to become quite fat. Then the stable boy calmed down again and stopped cursing. He now saw that Pastor Saemund had spoken the truth, stopped cursing and has not spoken a bad word since then. The little devil that should live from his bad sayings, is already long dead and lost.

And it would probably be best for you and me if we did the same did like the stable boy.


10. The Devil and the Narrow-Minded Boy

Once upon a time there was a boy who was considered incapable of doing anything learn, brought to Sira Saemund so that he could teach him religion But the boy was very limited and it was extremely difficult for him difficult to understand anything; he himself was very sad about it, and Many times he wished he had the ability to understand. Then one day he dreamed At night, a man came to him and asked him if he wished that he gave him the ability to understand. The boy felt as if he was saying yes The dream man demanded that the boy be in the next spring for the cross mass, and the boy agreed. Then the dream man disappeared.

After that night, the boy found learning so easy that the The priest was quite surprised about it; but at the same time the boy was a became completely different than he had been before; for now he was sad and melancholy. The priest noticed this and began to to ask about the reason for this change. For a long time the boy wanted nothing about it, but finally he told the priest how everything had happened. The priest felt a little strange, and he said that it was hardly a person he had dreamed at that time, but rather the devil who brought him into his net; nevertheless, the priest asked him to have good To be courageous and to act to the best of one’s knowledge. The winter passed, and the time of the Cross Mass was approaching.

On the evening before the Cross Mass, Saemund ordered the boy to follow him to follow the church. When they got there, the priest to the altar, dressed him in vestments, gave him the monstrance and the cup in his hand and commanded him to turn around. He commanded him, to stand there without moving and to anyone who comes to him to offer bread and wine, and if the person approaching him does not he was not allowed to speak; and if Pastor Saemund even if he came to him himself, he should not speak to him when he had bread and did not drink wine. Then Saemund went away, but the boy did as the priest had instructed him.

After he had stood at the altar for a while, the same man came to him, whom he had seen in a dream before. Now, he said, he had come, to fetch him, and ordered him to immediately take off his vestments and put away the thing he had in his hand. The boy replied nothing, but gave him only bread and wine. The other said that he had not come to take communion with him, and urged him to come now; but the boy was not misled, and the other went away empty-handed After that, the boy felt as if many of his Friends, one after the other, came to him and asked him for help in evil and good to leave the place where he was standing. But he only handed them Bread and wine, but none of them wanted to eat it. Then it was as if Pastor Saemund approached him and asked grimly what he was doing there to do by ordering him to immediately take off the clothes that To put down things he was holding and come out. The boy did not answer him either, but only gave him bread and Wine. Then Pastor Saemund made a mocking face and said, that he had not come to receive favors from his hand, and then he disappeared too. It seemed to the boy as if all kinds of ghosts and monsters, even devils, came in; it was as if The whole Church was shaking and trembling, and he believed that every sink into the earth or collapse at any moment. Then he was frightened so much so that he almost lost the holy instruments from his hands to seek his salvation in flight, but then he heard that the bells were ringed. Miracles that he believed he had seen before his eyes; Pastor But Saemund entered the church, went to the altar and tasted of bread and wine. He then said to the boy that every danger Nobody would be gone; was very happy about his release and thanked the priest for being so good he could. From that time on he was very fond of Saemund, and tells that he kept his frame until his death and became an excellent man.


11. The desired eye view

Saemund the Wise tells us that every day there is a wishful moment but it would not last longer than a second, and that It is therefore hardly possible for a human to intercept it. Other on the other hand, say that the wishful moment only occurs on Saturdays.

Once Saemund was sitting in the bathhouse while his maids Were busy. the moment of wishing has come; now wish for what you would most like would like to have.«

Then one of the maids trilled and said:

»Of all that exists in the world
I wish for something beautiful?
Most of all, Saemund
Gifted with seven sons!«

"That you die when you are borne by the last one; he was angry with the maid because of the wish. This maid was called Gudrun, and She became Pastor Saemund's second wife. They had seven sons with each other as she had wished, but the woman died in Puber bed after the last.

Saemund picked up the clothes that Gudrun had worn as a maid and she often kept her in mind to dampen her pride because she was Very highly over the honor she had acquired. Among other things, as an expression of her arrogance, she tells that when she A poor man came to her and asked for a labetrunk, so he replied:

»Best, see, the stream flows close,
Drink like the bishop’s horse there too!«


12. Saemund the wise on the deathbed

Saemund had a poor man’s little girl as a foster daughter Suppose. that he will always have her near him and never separate from her When he was dying, he left her at the foot of his bed. bed; because he considered her best suited to witness to be his death. would be his deathbed; and at the same time the girl could note that he was in fear and doubt whether he would return to the bliss of heaven, or whether he would go to another Place should.

In the evening before he died, he asked his foster daughter to him at night watch and watch carefully that she did not fall asleep; for his Thoughts told him that he should die that night; if that but if that were the case, then signs would appear, which in the other world would become of him; and therefore he asked them to observe everything carefully, to tell his relatives and friends with complete certainty which of the two places would be his fate. When he saw the said, he was silent and began to fall asleep, while the girl faithfully watched over him.

During the night she saw that the attic room in which she was filled with devils. It seemed to her as if she had seen Saemund with their promises to lure to something evil, from his But from his words and expressions she concluded that he was not willing to do anything wanted to be. When the devils could not achieve anything in this way they tried to persuade Saemund to do evil by threatening him. But he resisted them as bravely as he had previously resisted their had resisted temptations. Then the little devils disappeared; But they had hardly left when the room was filled with voracious mosquitoes that attacked Saemund. But he had lost so much strength that that he could not defend himself against the mosquitoes or drive them away. But while the swarm of mosquitoes was biting him badly, she saw that a gleam of light floated up from his eyes, and then she knew that it was his soul was rising to the realms of the blessed.

But then the whole swarm of mosquitoes had disappeared and Saemund the Wise men passed away.


Footnotes:

[11] Saemund the Wise, the collector of the songs of the Elder Edda,
was one of the most learned men of his time.