795,
missionaries
had gone from Ireland to Iceland.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
Independently of historical documents, and authorities, which seem to establish this matter, it is difficult even to suppose, while so many small islands in the northern ocean were peopled, long before they had been dis- covered by the Romans, that Iceland should have remained uninhabited.
It is stated, that its climate was formerly much more temperate, than it has become,inthecourseofages; and,thatitssoilwasthenmuchbetterand more fruitful, than at present.
Besides, the advantage of a passage to it had not been impeded by ice,'* as in the still more northern regions of Lapland andGreenland.
Wefindsomeancientaccountstoassureus,thatIceland
was inhabited so early as the fifth century. 's There can hardly be any doubt, moreover,thatthefactwasknowntoourIrishancestors. '^ Thatmanshould contrive to live, in these desolate regions of the North, is not so very mar- vellous ; the Esquimaux have solved a still more dismal problem, and they have long existed contentedly where the bear and the seal can find a liveli- hood. But,theIcelandersaremuchmoreadvancedinsocialcomforts,and thoroughly civilized ; they have stereotyped the true and pure Norse tongue, in their beautiful poetry ; while, they have admirable musicians, as well as poets, historians, and scholars, to warm their deep enthusiam and love for " a land that is dark and covered with the mist of death. " ^^ From what we learn regarding St. Ailbe's'^ intention to proceed thither, for the purpose of leading a life, unknown to the world, it may perhaps be thought, that it was then destitute of inhabitants. This, however, is only conjectural ; for, not- withstanding its containing some inhabitants, St. Ailbe might have found places enough in the island, where he could have remained quite sequestered from them. '9 Icelandic history fully reveals to us how adventurous were
' He is said to have been originally Ari Scotland and Ireland. " The Norwegians
Tslandiae,"
or Are Frodi, who came to Iceland, in 1075.
This book was continued after his death.
It is remarkable, as being the earliest his-
torical composition, written in the old inhabited until A. D. 874, when it was oc-
Danish or northern tongue, and which still cupied by the Norwegians. See
'*
"
" **
Hystoria
remains the living language of Iceland. See Islandise.
Bosworth's Scandanavian Literature. "
'^ See Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , sect.
*'
An deus immensi maris, ac tua nautae Numina sola colant, tibi serviat ultima
Thule," &c.
of Northern Antiquaries to its British and
American Members," a very interesting ex-
position of the oldest Icelandic and Norwe- gianAccountsofIreland. Seepp. ito17.
^^ See Job x. , 21.
'^ See his Life at the 12th of September, *' See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His-
'
This work was edited and published, in
Icelandic, with a Latin translation, indices
iv. , n. 32, p. 225.
^s See **
Playfair's
and
9 "De Constitutione Mundi Regionum. " " See "Icelands Landnamabok," Prolo-
notes, by Johannes
Finnaeus.
Geography,"
vol.
iii. ,
gus, p. I.
" Thus Virgil writes regarding it :
—
p. 144.
*^ Besides a Danish map of Ireland, con-
taining the names of towns there, as written
in the Norse the reader will find in tongue,
—Georgicon, lib. i. , 11. 29, 30.
" See J. J. A. Worsaae's " Account of
the Danes and Norwegians in England,
in Scotland, sect, v. , p. 220.
^3 The Icelandic historian Arngrym Jonas,
and other writers, assert, this island was not
the
**
Report addressed by the Irish Society
February 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 341
Irish navigators in times remote. Besides various interesting accounts, re- garding the settlement of Iceland, its revolutions, and the origin of Chris-
tianity there, in the Landnamabok, the Irish student of past epochs will be pleased to find, that frequent intercourse, by navigation, took place between IrelandandIceland,inearlytimes. Notthatalone,butnativehistoriansstate, the latter island to have been colonized by various Irishmen*® of historic re- nown, and who are also named, in connexion with occurrences that signalized thetimesofsuchadventurers. Thesehaveevenlefttheirnames,mingledwith local topography. 2^ Before Iceland had been inhabited by the Norwegians, men were there whom the Norwegians call Papas,** and who professed the Christianreligion. Thesewerethought,tohavecomebyseafromtheWest;*3 for, they left behind Irish books, bells and crooked staffs. ** Besides these, were found several other things, which seemed to indicate, that the colonists had been Westmen. *^ Those articles were found in Papeya, towards the East, and in Papyli. *^ On this statement we may observe, that the Irish, who were settled there, at the time when the Norwegians took possession of
the island, did not, in all probability, leave it voluntarily, but were expelled by those same Pagan Norwegians ; for, otherwise, they would have taken along with them their books and other objects. Even, the historian, Arngrim Jonas, supplies us with a proof, that Iceland was peopled, prior to the arrival of the Norwegians ; for, he acknowledges the well-known fact, that these colonists—although they met with no traces of habitation—yet, found in Iceland sacred utensils, which had been left by Irish Christians, whom, he says,theancientIcelanderscalledPapaorPapas. These,strangelyenough, he thought to have been fishermen. *7 Among the first colonists of Iceland, it would thus seem, there were some of Irish birth. The word Run, whence is derived the northern Runes, denotes, it is stated, something occult or mysterious, because for a considerable time, letters were regarded as con-
of Ireland," vol. iv. , n. 31, p. 225,
iii. , chap, xx. ,
sect.
'S See " Celto- Johnstone's Antiquitates
Scandic£e," p. 14.
=^ See Dr. Uno Von Troil's " Letters on
Iceland," letter iv.
^7 The writer must have intended the
account of the Irish Papas. Yet, if those Norwegians were the first inhabitants of the
island, Dr. Lanigan asks "what could they have known of said Papas? Had he told us that they discovered the name Papa or Papas, by means of some inscriptions found there, or had he made mention of the Irish books left by the Papas in Iceland, he would have been more consistent with himself, His saying that they were probably fisher-
men is a evasion poor
tory
""See the "Icelands Landnamabok," hoc est, liber originum Islandiae, part i. , cap. xiv. , XV. , xvi.
=' A river in Iceland was called
when he
Iraa, the River of the Irish, part i. , cap. xvi. ,
Norwegian
874,
says,
ibid.
" Ara Multiseius writes, that when the
Norwegians first emigrated to this island, there were then Christians there, whom the
Norwegians call Papas, and they afterwards quitted that country, because they did not like to live with Heathens, and left behind them Irish books, bells, and staffs. Hence, it was easy to perceive that they were Irish-
*'"
men. See Schedae de Islandia, cap. ii.
''3 Such accounts are contained in the
should
book, called
Islands Land-nama-boc. "
"
; for,
so,
why
or
colonists of
the old Icelanders were able to give some
inhabited country ? Unless he supposed ** "As to the crooked staffs, they were that said Papas perished there ; but then
Prologus, p. 2.
of that kind, which the ancient Irish had a particular veneration for, viz. , those, which
he tells us that the Norwegians found no traces of any habitation whatsoever. Plow could this have been, if the Papas had, on landing there, remained for some time in
had belonged to holy bishops, abbots, &c.
Such was the famous staff of St. Patrick,
that of St. Mura and many others which the island, as they surely must have intended were considered as most valuable relics, so
that it was usual, e—ven until a late period, *'
to do . ? Otherwise why bring on shore arti- cles necessary for the celebration of Divine
to swear by them. " Dr. Lanigan's Eccle- siastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap. XX. , sect, iv. , n. 32, p. 226.
Service ? "
—"
Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
if
they have left those sacred utensils in an un-
land," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , sect, iv. , n. 32, pp. 225, 226.
342 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 5.
veying some riagical and unkno^vn knowledge, before the Icelanders learned their iise. ^^ According to the foregoing accounts, those Irishmen, who had
livedinIceland,werecalledPapaorPapas,bytheNorwegians. Thetitleac- cordswithone,foundinouroldcalendars. ^9 Thosestrangersarestatedto have been ecclesiastics,3° while the distinctive name was probably that used by themselves. The districts or places in Iceland, bearing the names Papeya and Papyli, afford a strong proof of this supposition ; for, it is suffi- ciently clear, that they were so called, from having been inhabited by Irish Papas,3^ before the arrival of the Norwegians.
The ancient Irish geographer, Dicuill, who wrote his work,32 a. d. 825,33 isparticularlyexplicitwithregardtoThyle. ThisHandbookofGeography34 was based on a survey of the empire, made probably by the first Theodosius, who flourished four centuries previous to the writer's time. Much of his workhadbeenborrowedfromPliny,Solinus,andotherwriters; but,Dicuil has inserted some things, which are derived from his own personal know- ledge. These latter accounts render his book peculiarly interesting to us. They fully prove, that Irish monks had settled in Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, before the time of the Norseman immigration ; Dicuil relates, how he had lived in several of the northern islands. 35 He says, they were always desolate, from the beginning of the world ; and, because of the northern pirates, the hermits left them, while, in his time, they were filled with count- less sheep and wild birds. He gives a very vivid description of how the midsummer sun sets, and of its rise, within a very brief interval. Dicuill treats concerning the length there of the summer days. He states, that during the solstice, the sun towards evening seems to hide for a short time behind a small tomb, so that no darkness reigns, even for the shortest time.
He denies that Thyle was surrounded with ice, and, he observes, that the frozenseawasoneday'ssail,fromit,andmoretotheNorth. Aboutthirty years prior to the time of writing his work, Dicuill had got an account of Thyle, or of Iceland, from some ecclesiastics, who had returned from it ; after having spent there, from the ist of February to the ist of August. s^ The author of this work has been classed, among the writers of the seventh century ;37 but, he lived in reality, at the time of the Northmannic, or as they are commonly called, Danish piracies. On account of these,38 he says, several small islands, about our island of Ireland, have not at present as much
'8
See Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemi-
34 Another edition, published in 181 1, was edited by Letronne. Gust. Parthey got out an edition, in 1870, at Berlin. This latter has it's text, based on the collation of a Dresden MS. , written about the year 1000. A complete index adds greatly to its value.
See "The Academy," vol. i. , No. 9, June
ilth, 1870.
3S That he was an Irishman appears from
*'
There are some islands that are small, and some very small, scat- teredaboutourislandofIreland. " Heis said to have written another treatise, De decern Questionibus artis Grammatics. SeeHarrisWare,vol. ii. , "WritersofIre-
land," book i. , chap, v. , p. 53.
36 gee Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesi-
arum Antiquitates," cap, xvii,, p. 451.
37 See ibid. , cap. xvi,, p. 381.
38 See Ware, "De Hibemia et Antiqui-
tatibus ejus," cap. xxiv. , pp. lOi, 102.
carum Scriptores Veteres," tomus i. , p. xxvi.
'^ See a quotation, from the Calendar of Cashel, at the loth of June, in Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," v. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S. Kierani, cap. iii. , p. 472.
3° Instances occur, in our history, of not only bishops but abbots being called Papa.
his own statement :
3' This might seem to have been a name invented by the old Norwegians for them, because they were in communion with the Pope.
^ It is intituled, "De Mensura Provin- ciarum Orbis Terrae. "
33 Mr. who has Walckenaer,
published it, at Paris, a. d. 1807, and together with
"
Recherches Geographiques et Phisiques," at Paris, A. D. 1814, found this date. to his copy.
February 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 343
asananchoretinthrm. 39 Thushemustbeassignedtoafterthelatepartof
the eighth, and beginning of the ninth century, when said piracies had began off the Irish coasts. This was somewhat later than 790,^° and we learn, at least, that before a. d.
795, missionaries had gone from Ireland to Iceland. It seems, that the clergymen, who used to be sent on that mission, were occasionally relieved by others from Ireland, after a certain period of service. ** Nor have we any reason for supposing, that the ecclesiastics, who returned towards the close of the eighth century, had been the first, who visited the
Arctic Island, for missionary purposes.
The Icelanders come of a stock, as freedom-loving, as it is ancient and
sturdy. The received account is, that Iceland was not inhabited, and this is verygenerallysupposed,before874. '^' Then,thetyrannyofHaroldHarfagre,
King of Denmark and Norway, caused the greater part of the Norwegian nobilitytowithdrawfromhispower. ThesechiefsestablishedinIcelandan
independentsettlement. Theoriginalpeoplingoftheirlonelyisolatedhome was in itself an act of sublime devotion to liberty. Harold the Long-Haired had sworn an oath to his mistress, never to cut his yellow locks, till all Norway acknowledged him as king. With fierce and resistless hand, he finally subdued all the independent Jarls and Sea-Kings. Defeated, but
"
scorning to submit, they launched their open boats, and crossed the gannets' bath" to this newly-discovered island, whither even Haarfager was not bold enough to follow them. Gardar the Blue-Eyed and Floki the
"
Fearless spread their square sails and pushed of
green
from Norway over the
foam," not greatly caring whether they made Iceland, or the other world, so long as they served no master, and revelled in the freedom of the seas. -^s Carrying with them a hatred of arbitrary rule, and the love of political in- dependence, a republican form of government was established. 44 There the proud Vikings founded, on the edge of the Arctic Circle, their republic, with its Althing, held yearly at Thingvalla. This is said to have been one of the oldest and freest representative parliaments in history. There they wor- shipped Odin in peace and freedom, till Christianity supplanted their antique superstitions. Yet, the jealously of the Norwegian kings sought every op- portunity to subjugate them. History and science were held in high re- pute, among the Icelanders. To obtain greater knowledge, enterprising travellers often visited more distant countries, and faithfully reported their observations, after returning, on the state of government, laws, customs and literature, to their fellow-islanders, chiefs and people. ^s Many of the
39 See ibid.
4° Dr. O'Donovan states, that the first
recorded attack of the Danes on Ireland,
when they burned Reachrainn, breaking and
plundering its shrines, took place A. D. 795. See " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
PP- 396, 397, and nn. (h, i), ibid.
^ See Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemi-
carum Scriptores Veteres," tomus i. , p. xxvii.
43 On the 1st of August, 1874, Iceland celebrated her thousandth anniversary as a
: its Scenes and Sagas," the reader will find a very interesting List island to witness the scene. Foremost of Icelandic Published Sagas, including, among those who hastened to the festivities, Histories of ancient Heroes, Myth and His-
4' See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , sect. iv. , n. 33, p. 228.
Lanigan's
" Ecclesiastical His-
figures no less a personage than the King of Denmark, accompanied by Prince Walde- mar. King Christian IX. , moreover, took
something magnificent with him, in the way of a birth-day present j a gift, no doubt. easy to bear, but precious beyond gold and silver. His majesty carried in his pocket the Charter of a Free Constitution, and this was solemnly presented, to the island, upon the 29th of July, in that year.
44 See "Lectures on the Philosophy of Modern History, delivered in the University of Dublin," by George Miller, D. D. , M. R. I. A. , vol. i. , lect. iv. , p. 192.
<s In Appendix D to Sabine Baring-
"
nation. Shiploads of distinguished people Govdd's from many countries visited the remote
Iceland
344 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS [February 5.
old Norse poets were natives of Iceland. *^ Thus, when ignorance and ob- scurity pervaded the rest of Europe, this island was enabled to produce a considerable number of bards and historians. '*^ Iceland received from Ire- land, however, its earliest knowledge of letters and religion. The first churches there were erected by Irish monks. Letters, still called Ira litur, i. e. y letters of the Irish,48 were also brought thither, from our island. 49
A stem and strange land it is, indeed, which thus became the earliest
homeofEuropeanfreedom. Thepeoplehavethereputeofbeinghospit- able to strangers, although enjoying few luxuries of life. 5° Simple to stoicism in their necessities ; so poor that the bishop and the chief justice, in that island, shoe their own horses ; so primitive, that money is a thing seldom or never seen or employed ; serious, sober, moral, affectionate and gentle, the Icelandersareapeopletowonderat,butnottocontemn. Theyareahardy race of men, plodding, but persevering, in their purposes and actions. The passionofanIcelanderforhishomesurpassesthatofanyraceknown. Inthe opinion of the vast majority of the population, there never was, and never will be, a country so noble and so beautiful as Iceland. The women seldom travel abroad ; the well-to-do-men, when they go away to Copenhagen, to get their degrees—for they are devoted to learning—always yearn to return.
In the brief summer, while the wild swans breed in the lakes, and the scant
grass is carefully harvested, as if it were so much gold, the country has, no doubt, its charms ; but, they love it in the winter, too, when for months and months the soil is frozen so hard, that the dead cannot be buried, but lie, placid and changeless among the living, having deaf ears alone for those readings of the Sagas and of the Edda, which in life they so much admired The eternal rumbling of those smothered fires, glowing beneath their soil, and the whistling of the Arctic wind, roll unheeded in the frosty air.
CHAPTER II.
ST. ERNULPH, AN IRISH CHRISTIAN, ASSOCIATED WITH ST. BUO, AND HELGO BIOLA, WHILE PLANTING THE FAITH IN ICELAND—A CHURCH THERE ERECTED TO ST. COLUMB, AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF A PAGAN TEMPLE—PERIOD WHEN ST. BUO FLOURISHED—SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OF ICELAND, AND CONDITION OF ITS IN- HABITANTS—PREFECTURE OF THE ARCTIC MISSIONS—CONCLUSION.
It has been very incorrectly stated, that the first discovery of Iceland, as authenticated by history, is due to the adventurous spirit of certain Nor- wegian and Swedish pirates, about the year 860. ' Whether the island was
tory, or Myth and Fable, Histories relating to Iceland, the Faroes, Orkney and Green- land, Histories of Icelandic Bishops, toge- ther with Histories relating to Norway,
Denmark, &c. , as also. Foreign Romances translated into Icelandic, pp. 439 to 444.
^' See Thomas Carlyle's "Hero Wor- ship," lect. i.
^7 See Dr. Uno Von Troil's "Letters on Iceland," pp. 85, 86.
n. (1), p. 252.
so Madame Ida Pfeiffer, however, ques-
lions the native generosity of the Icelanders, from her own personal experience ; for, she
alleges, that a keen appreciation of personal gain underlies the Icelanders' services ren-
dered to strangers. See "Journey to Ice- land : and Travels in Sweden and Nor-
** See Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemi- notices contained in the "
carum Scriptores," tomus i. , p. xxvi.
*9 See "Lectures on the Philosophy of Modem History, delivered in the Univer-
sityof Dublin," by George Miller, D. D. , M. R. I. A. , vol. iii,, lect. xxvi. , p. 204 and
of Iceland," by Henry Holland, M. D. , p. 5, prefixed to Sir George Stewart Mackenzie's
way. "
Chapter ii. —* See some
interesting Preliminary Dissertation on the History and Literature
"
the Summer of the Year md. cccx. "
Travels in the Island of Iceland, during
February 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 345
then inhabited, or not, is questionable ; yet, we deem it probable, some Irish colonists, or descendants of Irish settlers, were then and there found. The
sequel of our narrative, in giving the few brief notices, we can glean, regard- ing St. Buo and his companions, would appear to establish such a conclu- sion.
Colgan treats about Ernulph, or Erlulph, at the 2nd,* and about Buo, at the5th3ofFebruary. * WhyBuoshouldbemarkedatthe5thofFebruary,or
styled a saint, appears on no other authority, save from that of Camerarius,s foundedonaScotchmartyrology,andfromthatofDempster. ^ Theselast named Scottish writers wish to make him out a native of Albanian Scotia. But Colgan claims him as having been born in Ireland, and the presumption seems to rule in favour of his opinion. For, as we have already shown, Irish missionaries, at an early period, were accustomed to visit Iceland. Brief notices of Saints Ernulph and Buo are chiefly taken from the work of Arngrim Jonas. This writer makes Ornulphus or Ernulphus an Irishman. Colgan and others have Buo as a native of the same country, on the same authority. 7 By this writer, it is stated, that in the province of Kialam, in Iceland, during the ninth century, lived a certain Helgo, or Helge, surnamed Biola,whowasdescendedfromtheNorwegianbarons. ^ Heappearstohave been born a Christian, or, at least, he had little sympathy for the pagan rites, whichprevailedaroundhim. 9 ThisHelgoreceivedanIrishChristianexile, called Ornulphus, with his family,^® and not only gave them hospitality, but permitted his guest to erect an edifice dedicated to St. Columb," in a village called Esiuberg. In the same province, there was also a holy man, and, it may be interpreted, he was a countryman of Ornulph or Ernulf. He went by the name of Buo. While yet a young man, he became, it is said, a dis- tinguished missionary, and he flourished in the ninth century. Dempster states, that following the example of many other Scottish saints, he left for the North to promote the greater glory of God, and that he was borne to
' The Bollandists, in their great collec-
tion, omit Ernulph, and they observe, like- wise, that some more certain information, relative to him, was requisite, than what had been supplied, by Dempster and Col- gan. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Februarii ii. Prsetermissi et in alios dies rejecti, p. 267.
3 Speaking of Buo, whom also the Bol-
landists omit, they state, there is as little
clear or authentic known concerning him,
as there is about Ernulph. What we find,
regarding the missionary career of this pious
man, is grounded on the statement of a
heterodox Icelandic writer, Arngrim. See Flatness, or "filius Ketelis Simi," is to be z^/fl? . , Februarii V. Praetermissi et in alios found, in the "Islands Landnamabok," dies rejecti, p. 593. part i. , cap. xi. , pp. 22, 23.
< See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- 5 a Northman, Helge, the Meager, was nise," ii. Februarii. De B. Erlulpho, sive brought up in Ireland. See " Report ad- Emulpho, Tylce Insulse, sive Islandiae Apos- dressed by the Royal Society of Northern toli, pp. 241, 242. Also, V. Februarii. De Antiquaries to its British and American S. Buone, Thylae Insula? , seu Islandiae
Apostolo, pp. 256, 257.
5 At the 5 th day of February, St. Buo is
noted, by Camerarius, among the Scottish
"
Members," p. 5. He might have been identical with the noble here mentioned.
saints, while Arngrin Jonas, and the
vigatio Anglicana," p. 304, are quoted as
authorities for his statements. See "De donia, whose Life will be found at the 9th Statu Hominis, veteris simul ac novae Ec- of June,
clesiae, et Infidelium Conversione," lib, i. ,
Na-
pars ii. , cap. iii. , sect. 2, p. 143. ^ '*
See Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco- torum," tomus i. , lib. ii. , num. 168, p. 94. Dempster states, his feast-day is uncertain,
7 Yet, Arngrim's words, also of the same
province, may be conjectured as referring not to Ireland, but to the Icelandic province
of Kialam, about which he had previously spoken. Yet, the stress intimated by, alsoy leads us to suppose, that the author's mean-
ing was, to . point out Buo, as a countryman
and companion of Ernulph, whose name and
country immediately precede,
^ An account of him, as son of Ketills
"It seems doubtful, from the word sim- ply used, whether by this was meant his natural, or his religious, family,
" Most likely, the great Apostle of Cale-
346 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 5.
Iceland, where he instructed the people, having been distinguished for his sanctity and miracles. " His career is usually associated with that of the
previous Emulph, regarded as a saint, and with that of Helgo, or Helgius, sumamed Biola, who appears to have come from the Hebrides. Colgan placed the Acts of St. Ernulph, at the 2nd of February, not that he knew, on what day Emulph died, or whether his name was in any calendar, or not ; but, because a St. Emulph, martyr. Bishop of Verdun, whom he thought a native of Ireland, is marked in a German calendar, at that same day. Ac- cordingly, on account of the similarity of the name, he has Ernulph, as well asErlulph,atthe2ndofFebmary. '3 WithregardtoErnulph,wereweto judgefromthename,itmightseem,thathewasnotanIrishman; yet,he is expressly so called. His real name was, perhaps, Emuf or Emubh,^* which, conformably to a northern termination, was changed into Ernulph in the same manner as Mailduf, or Maildubh,^5 was changed into Maildulph. ^^ Little is known with certainty, regarding St. Buo, only that he aided to es- tablish the Gospel, in Iceland, and probably about the time when the Irish- man Ernulph was there. As a champion of civilization and humanity, St. Buo helped to end the sacrifice of human victims in that country, and he consigned, to the flames, the images of false gods, heretofore held in adora- tion, by the people.
was inhabited so early as the fifth century. 's There can hardly be any doubt, moreover,thatthefactwasknowntoourIrishancestors. '^ Thatmanshould contrive to live, in these desolate regions of the North, is not so very mar- vellous ; the Esquimaux have solved a still more dismal problem, and they have long existed contentedly where the bear and the seal can find a liveli- hood. But,theIcelandersaremuchmoreadvancedinsocialcomforts,and thoroughly civilized ; they have stereotyped the true and pure Norse tongue, in their beautiful poetry ; while, they have admirable musicians, as well as poets, historians, and scholars, to warm their deep enthusiam and love for " a land that is dark and covered with the mist of death. " ^^ From what we learn regarding St. Ailbe's'^ intention to proceed thither, for the purpose of leading a life, unknown to the world, it may perhaps be thought, that it was then destitute of inhabitants. This, however, is only conjectural ; for, not- withstanding its containing some inhabitants, St. Ailbe might have found places enough in the island, where he could have remained quite sequestered from them. '9 Icelandic history fully reveals to us how adventurous were
' He is said to have been originally Ari Scotland and Ireland. " The Norwegians
Tslandiae,"
or Are Frodi, who came to Iceland, in 1075.
This book was continued after his death.
It is remarkable, as being the earliest his-
torical composition, written in the old inhabited until A. D. 874, when it was oc-
Danish or northern tongue, and which still cupied by the Norwegians. See
'*
"
" **
Hystoria
remains the living language of Iceland. See Islandise.
Bosworth's Scandanavian Literature. "
'^ See Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , sect.
*'
An deus immensi maris, ac tua nautae Numina sola colant, tibi serviat ultima
Thule," &c.
of Northern Antiquaries to its British and
American Members," a very interesting ex-
position of the oldest Icelandic and Norwe- gianAccountsofIreland. Seepp. ito17.
^^ See Job x. , 21.
'^ See his Life at the 12th of September, *' See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His-
'
This work was edited and published, in
Icelandic, with a Latin translation, indices
iv. , n. 32, p. 225.
^s See **
Playfair's
and
9 "De Constitutione Mundi Regionum. " " See "Icelands Landnamabok," Prolo-
notes, by Johannes
Finnaeus.
Geography,"
vol.
iii. ,
gus, p. I.
" Thus Virgil writes regarding it :
—
p. 144.
*^ Besides a Danish map of Ireland, con-
taining the names of towns there, as written
in the Norse the reader will find in tongue,
—Georgicon, lib. i. , 11. 29, 30.
" See J. J. A. Worsaae's " Account of
the Danes and Norwegians in England,
in Scotland, sect, v. , p. 220.
^3 The Icelandic historian Arngrym Jonas,
and other writers, assert, this island was not
the
**
Report addressed by the Irish Society
February 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 341
Irish navigators in times remote. Besides various interesting accounts, re- garding the settlement of Iceland, its revolutions, and the origin of Chris-
tianity there, in the Landnamabok, the Irish student of past epochs will be pleased to find, that frequent intercourse, by navigation, took place between IrelandandIceland,inearlytimes. Notthatalone,butnativehistoriansstate, the latter island to have been colonized by various Irishmen*® of historic re- nown, and who are also named, in connexion with occurrences that signalized thetimesofsuchadventurers. Thesehaveevenlefttheirnames,mingledwith local topography. 2^ Before Iceland had been inhabited by the Norwegians, men were there whom the Norwegians call Papas,** and who professed the Christianreligion. Thesewerethought,tohavecomebyseafromtheWest;*3 for, they left behind Irish books, bells and crooked staffs. ** Besides these, were found several other things, which seemed to indicate, that the colonists had been Westmen. *^ Those articles were found in Papeya, towards the East, and in Papyli. *^ On this statement we may observe, that the Irish, who were settled there, at the time when the Norwegians took possession of
the island, did not, in all probability, leave it voluntarily, but were expelled by those same Pagan Norwegians ; for, otherwise, they would have taken along with them their books and other objects. Even, the historian, Arngrim Jonas, supplies us with a proof, that Iceland was peopled, prior to the arrival of the Norwegians ; for, he acknowledges the well-known fact, that these colonists—although they met with no traces of habitation—yet, found in Iceland sacred utensils, which had been left by Irish Christians, whom, he says,theancientIcelanderscalledPapaorPapas. These,strangelyenough, he thought to have been fishermen. *7 Among the first colonists of Iceland, it would thus seem, there were some of Irish birth. The word Run, whence is derived the northern Runes, denotes, it is stated, something occult or mysterious, because for a considerable time, letters were regarded as con-
of Ireland," vol. iv. , n. 31, p. 225,
iii. , chap, xx. ,
sect.
'S See " Celto- Johnstone's Antiquitates
Scandic£e," p. 14.
=^ See Dr. Uno Von Troil's " Letters on
Iceland," letter iv.
^7 The writer must have intended the
account of the Irish Papas. Yet, if those Norwegians were the first inhabitants of the
island, Dr. Lanigan asks "what could they have known of said Papas? Had he told us that they discovered the name Papa or Papas, by means of some inscriptions found there, or had he made mention of the Irish books left by the Papas in Iceland, he would have been more consistent with himself, His saying that they were probably fisher-
men is a evasion poor
tory
""See the "Icelands Landnamabok," hoc est, liber originum Islandiae, part i. , cap. xiv. , XV. , xvi.
=' A river in Iceland was called
when he
Iraa, the River of the Irish, part i. , cap. xvi. ,
Norwegian
874,
says,
ibid.
" Ara Multiseius writes, that when the
Norwegians first emigrated to this island, there were then Christians there, whom the
Norwegians call Papas, and they afterwards quitted that country, because they did not like to live with Heathens, and left behind them Irish books, bells, and staffs. Hence, it was easy to perceive that they were Irish-
*'"
men. See Schedae de Islandia, cap. ii.
''3 Such accounts are contained in the
should
book, called
Islands Land-nama-boc. "
"
; for,
so,
why
or
colonists of
the old Icelanders were able to give some
inhabited country ? Unless he supposed ** "As to the crooked staffs, they were that said Papas perished there ; but then
Prologus, p. 2.
of that kind, which the ancient Irish had a particular veneration for, viz. , those, which
he tells us that the Norwegians found no traces of any habitation whatsoever. Plow could this have been, if the Papas had, on landing there, remained for some time in
had belonged to holy bishops, abbots, &c.
Such was the famous staff of St. Patrick,
that of St. Mura and many others which the island, as they surely must have intended were considered as most valuable relics, so
that it was usual, e—ven until a late period, *'
to do . ? Otherwise why bring on shore arti- cles necessary for the celebration of Divine
to swear by them. " Dr. Lanigan's Eccle- siastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap. XX. , sect, iv. , n. 32, p. 226.
Service ? "
—"
Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
if
they have left those sacred utensils in an un-
land," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , sect, iv. , n. 32, pp. 225, 226.
342 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 5.
veying some riagical and unkno^vn knowledge, before the Icelanders learned their iise. ^^ According to the foregoing accounts, those Irishmen, who had
livedinIceland,werecalledPapaorPapas,bytheNorwegians. Thetitleac- cordswithone,foundinouroldcalendars. ^9 Thosestrangersarestatedto have been ecclesiastics,3° while the distinctive name was probably that used by themselves. The districts or places in Iceland, bearing the names Papeya and Papyli, afford a strong proof of this supposition ; for, it is suffi- ciently clear, that they were so called, from having been inhabited by Irish Papas,3^ before the arrival of the Norwegians.
The ancient Irish geographer, Dicuill, who wrote his work,32 a. d. 825,33 isparticularlyexplicitwithregardtoThyle. ThisHandbookofGeography34 was based on a survey of the empire, made probably by the first Theodosius, who flourished four centuries previous to the writer's time. Much of his workhadbeenborrowedfromPliny,Solinus,andotherwriters; but,Dicuil has inserted some things, which are derived from his own personal know- ledge. These latter accounts render his book peculiarly interesting to us. They fully prove, that Irish monks had settled in Iceland, and the Faroe Islands, before the time of the Norseman immigration ; Dicuil relates, how he had lived in several of the northern islands. 35 He says, they were always desolate, from the beginning of the world ; and, because of the northern pirates, the hermits left them, while, in his time, they were filled with count- less sheep and wild birds. He gives a very vivid description of how the midsummer sun sets, and of its rise, within a very brief interval. Dicuill treats concerning the length there of the summer days. He states, that during the solstice, the sun towards evening seems to hide for a short time behind a small tomb, so that no darkness reigns, even for the shortest time.
He denies that Thyle was surrounded with ice, and, he observes, that the frozenseawasoneday'ssail,fromit,andmoretotheNorth. Aboutthirty years prior to the time of writing his work, Dicuill had got an account of Thyle, or of Iceland, from some ecclesiastics, who had returned from it ; after having spent there, from the ist of February to the ist of August. s^ The author of this work has been classed, among the writers of the seventh century ;37 but, he lived in reality, at the time of the Northmannic, or as they are commonly called, Danish piracies. On account of these,38 he says, several small islands, about our island of Ireland, have not at present as much
'8
See Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemi-
34 Another edition, published in 181 1, was edited by Letronne. Gust. Parthey got out an edition, in 1870, at Berlin. This latter has it's text, based on the collation of a Dresden MS. , written about the year 1000. A complete index adds greatly to its value.
See "The Academy," vol. i. , No. 9, June
ilth, 1870.
3S That he was an Irishman appears from
*'
There are some islands that are small, and some very small, scat- teredaboutourislandofIreland. " Heis said to have written another treatise, De decern Questionibus artis Grammatics. SeeHarrisWare,vol. ii. , "WritersofIre-
land," book i. , chap, v. , p. 53.
36 gee Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesi-
arum Antiquitates," cap, xvii,, p. 451.
37 See ibid. , cap. xvi,, p. 381.
38 See Ware, "De Hibemia et Antiqui-
tatibus ejus," cap. xxiv. , pp. lOi, 102.
carum Scriptores Veteres," tomus i. , p. xxvi.
'^ See a quotation, from the Calendar of Cashel, at the loth of June, in Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," v. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S. Kierani, cap. iii. , p. 472.
3° Instances occur, in our history, of not only bishops but abbots being called Papa.
his own statement :
3' This might seem to have been a name invented by the old Norwegians for them, because they were in communion with the Pope.
^ It is intituled, "De Mensura Provin- ciarum Orbis Terrae. "
33 Mr. who has Walckenaer,
published it, at Paris, a. d. 1807, and together with
"
Recherches Geographiques et Phisiques," at Paris, A. D. 1814, found this date. to his copy.
February 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 343
asananchoretinthrm. 39 Thushemustbeassignedtoafterthelatepartof
the eighth, and beginning of the ninth century, when said piracies had began off the Irish coasts. This was somewhat later than 790,^° and we learn, at least, that before a. d.
795, missionaries had gone from Ireland to Iceland. It seems, that the clergymen, who used to be sent on that mission, were occasionally relieved by others from Ireland, after a certain period of service. ** Nor have we any reason for supposing, that the ecclesiastics, who returned towards the close of the eighth century, had been the first, who visited the
Arctic Island, for missionary purposes.
The Icelanders come of a stock, as freedom-loving, as it is ancient and
sturdy. The received account is, that Iceland was not inhabited, and this is verygenerallysupposed,before874. '^' Then,thetyrannyofHaroldHarfagre,
King of Denmark and Norway, caused the greater part of the Norwegian nobilitytowithdrawfromhispower. ThesechiefsestablishedinIcelandan
independentsettlement. Theoriginalpeoplingoftheirlonelyisolatedhome was in itself an act of sublime devotion to liberty. Harold the Long-Haired had sworn an oath to his mistress, never to cut his yellow locks, till all Norway acknowledged him as king. With fierce and resistless hand, he finally subdued all the independent Jarls and Sea-Kings. Defeated, but
"
scorning to submit, they launched their open boats, and crossed the gannets' bath" to this newly-discovered island, whither even Haarfager was not bold enough to follow them. Gardar the Blue-Eyed and Floki the
"
Fearless spread their square sails and pushed of
green
from Norway over the
foam," not greatly caring whether they made Iceland, or the other world, so long as they served no master, and revelled in the freedom of the seas. -^s Carrying with them a hatred of arbitrary rule, and the love of political in- dependence, a republican form of government was established. 44 There the proud Vikings founded, on the edge of the Arctic Circle, their republic, with its Althing, held yearly at Thingvalla. This is said to have been one of the oldest and freest representative parliaments in history. There they wor- shipped Odin in peace and freedom, till Christianity supplanted their antique superstitions. Yet, the jealously of the Norwegian kings sought every op- portunity to subjugate them. History and science were held in high re- pute, among the Icelanders. To obtain greater knowledge, enterprising travellers often visited more distant countries, and faithfully reported their observations, after returning, on the state of government, laws, customs and literature, to their fellow-islanders, chiefs and people. ^s Many of the
39 See ibid.
4° Dr. O'Donovan states, that the first
recorded attack of the Danes on Ireland,
when they burned Reachrainn, breaking and
plundering its shrines, took place A. D. 795. See " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
PP- 396, 397, and nn. (h, i), ibid.
^ See Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemi-
carum Scriptores Veteres," tomus i. , p. xxvii.
43 On the 1st of August, 1874, Iceland celebrated her thousandth anniversary as a
: its Scenes and Sagas," the reader will find a very interesting List island to witness the scene. Foremost of Icelandic Published Sagas, including, among those who hastened to the festivities, Histories of ancient Heroes, Myth and His-
4' See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xx. , sect. iv. , n. 33, p. 228.
Lanigan's
" Ecclesiastical His-
figures no less a personage than the King of Denmark, accompanied by Prince Walde- mar. King Christian IX. , moreover, took
something magnificent with him, in the way of a birth-day present j a gift, no doubt. easy to bear, but precious beyond gold and silver. His majesty carried in his pocket the Charter of a Free Constitution, and this was solemnly presented, to the island, upon the 29th of July, in that year.
44 See "Lectures on the Philosophy of Modern History, delivered in the University of Dublin," by George Miller, D. D. , M. R. I. A. , vol. i. , lect. iv. , p. 192.
<s In Appendix D to Sabine Baring-
"
nation. Shiploads of distinguished people Govdd's from many countries visited the remote
Iceland
344 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS [February 5.
old Norse poets were natives of Iceland. *^ Thus, when ignorance and ob- scurity pervaded the rest of Europe, this island was enabled to produce a considerable number of bards and historians. '*^ Iceland received from Ire- land, however, its earliest knowledge of letters and religion. The first churches there were erected by Irish monks. Letters, still called Ira litur, i. e. y letters of the Irish,48 were also brought thither, from our island. 49
A stem and strange land it is, indeed, which thus became the earliest
homeofEuropeanfreedom. Thepeoplehavethereputeofbeinghospit- able to strangers, although enjoying few luxuries of life. 5° Simple to stoicism in their necessities ; so poor that the bishop and the chief justice, in that island, shoe their own horses ; so primitive, that money is a thing seldom or never seen or employed ; serious, sober, moral, affectionate and gentle, the Icelandersareapeopletowonderat,butnottocontemn. Theyareahardy race of men, plodding, but persevering, in their purposes and actions. The passionofanIcelanderforhishomesurpassesthatofanyraceknown. Inthe opinion of the vast majority of the population, there never was, and never will be, a country so noble and so beautiful as Iceland. The women seldom travel abroad ; the well-to-do-men, when they go away to Copenhagen, to get their degrees—for they are devoted to learning—always yearn to return.
In the brief summer, while the wild swans breed in the lakes, and the scant
grass is carefully harvested, as if it were so much gold, the country has, no doubt, its charms ; but, they love it in the winter, too, when for months and months the soil is frozen so hard, that the dead cannot be buried, but lie, placid and changeless among the living, having deaf ears alone for those readings of the Sagas and of the Edda, which in life they so much admired The eternal rumbling of those smothered fires, glowing beneath their soil, and the whistling of the Arctic wind, roll unheeded in the frosty air.
CHAPTER II.
ST. ERNULPH, AN IRISH CHRISTIAN, ASSOCIATED WITH ST. BUO, AND HELGO BIOLA, WHILE PLANTING THE FAITH IN ICELAND—A CHURCH THERE ERECTED TO ST. COLUMB, AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF A PAGAN TEMPLE—PERIOD WHEN ST. BUO FLOURISHED—SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OF ICELAND, AND CONDITION OF ITS IN- HABITANTS—PREFECTURE OF THE ARCTIC MISSIONS—CONCLUSION.
It has been very incorrectly stated, that the first discovery of Iceland, as authenticated by history, is due to the adventurous spirit of certain Nor- wegian and Swedish pirates, about the year 860. ' Whether the island was
tory, or Myth and Fable, Histories relating to Iceland, the Faroes, Orkney and Green- land, Histories of Icelandic Bishops, toge- ther with Histories relating to Norway,
Denmark, &c. , as also. Foreign Romances translated into Icelandic, pp. 439 to 444.
^' See Thomas Carlyle's "Hero Wor- ship," lect. i.
^7 See Dr. Uno Von Troil's "Letters on Iceland," pp. 85, 86.
n. (1), p. 252.
so Madame Ida Pfeiffer, however, ques-
lions the native generosity of the Icelanders, from her own personal experience ; for, she
alleges, that a keen appreciation of personal gain underlies the Icelanders' services ren-
dered to strangers. See "Journey to Ice- land : and Travels in Sweden and Nor-
** See Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemi- notices contained in the "
carum Scriptores," tomus i. , p. xxvi.
*9 See "Lectures on the Philosophy of Modem History, delivered in the Univer-
sityof Dublin," by George Miller, D. D. , M. R. I. A. , vol. iii,, lect. xxvi. , p. 204 and
of Iceland," by Henry Holland, M. D. , p. 5, prefixed to Sir George Stewart Mackenzie's
way. "
Chapter ii. —* See some
interesting Preliminary Dissertation on the History and Literature
"
the Summer of the Year md. cccx. "
Travels in the Island of Iceland, during
February 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 345
then inhabited, or not, is questionable ; yet, we deem it probable, some Irish colonists, or descendants of Irish settlers, were then and there found. The
sequel of our narrative, in giving the few brief notices, we can glean, regard- ing St. Buo and his companions, would appear to establish such a conclu- sion.
Colgan treats about Ernulph, or Erlulph, at the 2nd,* and about Buo, at the5th3ofFebruary. * WhyBuoshouldbemarkedatthe5thofFebruary,or
styled a saint, appears on no other authority, save from that of Camerarius,s foundedonaScotchmartyrology,andfromthatofDempster. ^ Theselast named Scottish writers wish to make him out a native of Albanian Scotia. But Colgan claims him as having been born in Ireland, and the presumption seems to rule in favour of his opinion. For, as we have already shown, Irish missionaries, at an early period, were accustomed to visit Iceland. Brief notices of Saints Ernulph and Buo are chiefly taken from the work of Arngrim Jonas. This writer makes Ornulphus or Ernulphus an Irishman. Colgan and others have Buo as a native of the same country, on the same authority. 7 By this writer, it is stated, that in the province of Kialam, in Iceland, during the ninth century, lived a certain Helgo, or Helge, surnamed Biola,whowasdescendedfromtheNorwegianbarons. ^ Heappearstohave been born a Christian, or, at least, he had little sympathy for the pagan rites, whichprevailedaroundhim. 9 ThisHelgoreceivedanIrishChristianexile, called Ornulphus, with his family,^® and not only gave them hospitality, but permitted his guest to erect an edifice dedicated to St. Columb," in a village called Esiuberg. In the same province, there was also a holy man, and, it may be interpreted, he was a countryman of Ornulph or Ernulf. He went by the name of Buo. While yet a young man, he became, it is said, a dis- tinguished missionary, and he flourished in the ninth century. Dempster states, that following the example of many other Scottish saints, he left for the North to promote the greater glory of God, and that he was borne to
' The Bollandists, in their great collec-
tion, omit Ernulph, and they observe, like- wise, that some more certain information, relative to him, was requisite, than what had been supplied, by Dempster and Col- gan. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Februarii ii. Prsetermissi et in alios dies rejecti, p. 267.
3 Speaking of Buo, whom also the Bol-
landists omit, they state, there is as little
clear or authentic known concerning him,
as there is about Ernulph. What we find,
regarding the missionary career of this pious
man, is grounded on the statement of a
heterodox Icelandic writer, Arngrim. See Flatness, or "filius Ketelis Simi," is to be z^/fl? . , Februarii V. Praetermissi et in alios found, in the "Islands Landnamabok," dies rejecti, p. 593. part i. , cap. xi. , pp. 22, 23.
< See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- 5 a Northman, Helge, the Meager, was nise," ii. Februarii. De B. Erlulpho, sive brought up in Ireland. See " Report ad- Emulpho, Tylce Insulse, sive Islandiae Apos- dressed by the Royal Society of Northern toli, pp. 241, 242. Also, V. Februarii. De Antiquaries to its British and American S. Buone, Thylae Insula? , seu Islandiae
Apostolo, pp. 256, 257.
5 At the 5 th day of February, St. Buo is
noted, by Camerarius, among the Scottish
"
Members," p. 5. He might have been identical with the noble here mentioned.
saints, while Arngrin Jonas, and the
vigatio Anglicana," p. 304, are quoted as
authorities for his statements. See "De donia, whose Life will be found at the 9th Statu Hominis, veteris simul ac novae Ec- of June,
clesiae, et Infidelium Conversione," lib, i. ,
Na-
pars ii. , cap. iii. , sect. 2, p. 143. ^ '*
See Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco- torum," tomus i. , lib. ii. , num. 168, p. 94. Dempster states, his feast-day is uncertain,
7 Yet, Arngrim's words, also of the same
province, may be conjectured as referring not to Ireland, but to the Icelandic province
of Kialam, about which he had previously spoken. Yet, the stress intimated by, alsoy leads us to suppose, that the author's mean-
ing was, to . point out Buo, as a countryman
and companion of Ernulph, whose name and
country immediately precede,
^ An account of him, as son of Ketills
"It seems doubtful, from the word sim- ply used, whether by this was meant his natural, or his religious, family,
" Most likely, the great Apostle of Cale-
346 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 5.
Iceland, where he instructed the people, having been distinguished for his sanctity and miracles. " His career is usually associated with that of the
previous Emulph, regarded as a saint, and with that of Helgo, or Helgius, sumamed Biola, who appears to have come from the Hebrides. Colgan placed the Acts of St. Ernulph, at the 2nd of February, not that he knew, on what day Emulph died, or whether his name was in any calendar, or not ; but, because a St. Emulph, martyr. Bishop of Verdun, whom he thought a native of Ireland, is marked in a German calendar, at that same day. Ac- cordingly, on account of the similarity of the name, he has Ernulph, as well asErlulph,atthe2ndofFebmary. '3 WithregardtoErnulph,wereweto judgefromthename,itmightseem,thathewasnotanIrishman; yet,he is expressly so called. His real name was, perhaps, Emuf or Emubh,^* which, conformably to a northern termination, was changed into Ernulph in the same manner as Mailduf, or Maildubh,^5 was changed into Maildulph. ^^ Little is known with certainty, regarding St. Buo, only that he aided to es- tablish the Gospel, in Iceland, and probably about the time when the Irish- man Ernulph was there. As a champion of civilization and humanity, St. Buo helped to end the sacrifice of human victims in that country, and he consigned, to the flames, the images of false gods, heretofore held in adora- tion, by the people.
