Elduvík
Encyclopedia
Elduvík is a small village in the Faroe Islands
. Elduvík is located in the Funningsfjørður
-inlet on Eysturoy
's northeast side. The village which has a population of 23 is split into two parts by a small river. The church in Elduvík dates from 1952. Visible from Elduvík is the nearby island of Kalsoy
.
Anfinnur was a farmer in Elduvík and the legend concerns his encounter with a beast called Marmennil.
According to the legend, Marmennil has the appearance of a small human with long fingers, and lives at the bottom of the sea. He would tease fishermen by eating their bait, then attaching their hooks to the sea bed so that they would break their fishing lines. One day, however, Marmennil was fixing Anfinnur's hook to the bottom when the hook became fixed in his hand, and he was pulled up into Anfinnur's boat. The fishermen in the boat made the sign of the cross
, and then brought Marmennil home with them.
He proved to be very useful on their fishing trips, so they always took him with them, remembering always to make the sign of the cross on him when he was taken onboard. As soon as there were fish under the boat, Marmennil would start to laugh and play, and the fishermen could then make their catch.
Anfinnur kept Marmennil for a long time, but one day the sea was so rough that they forgot to make the sign of the cross. Because of this, when they were afloat, Marmennil sneaked overboard into the sea and was never seen again.
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
. Elduvík is located in the Funningsfjørður
Funningsfjørður
Funningsfjørður is a village located at the end of a fjord of the same name . It was founded in 1812, with Elduvikar as its municipality.There was a whaling station in Funningsfjørður from 1902 to 1913....
-inlet on Eysturoy
Eysturoy
Eysturoy means East island and is the second-largest of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, both in size and population. It is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely rugged, with some 66 separate mountain peaks, including Slættaratindur, the...
's northeast side. The village which has a population of 23 is split into two parts by a small river. The church in Elduvík dates from 1952. Visible from Elduvík is the nearby island of Kalsoy
Kalsoy
Kalsoy is an island located in the north-east of the Faroe Islands between Eysturoy and Kunoy.- Geography :The western coast has dramatically steep cliffs for the full length of the island, whereas idyllic valleys on the eastern slopes protect the four tiny settlements, Húsar, Mikladalur,...
.
- Location: 62°16′57"N 6°54′35"W
- Postal code (Zip): FO 478
- Municipality: Elduvíkar
The legend of Marmennil
According to the legend, Marmennil has the appearance of a small human with long fingers, and lives at the bottom of the sea. He would tease fishermen by eating their bait, then attaching their hooks to the sea bed so that they would break their fishing lines. One day, however, Marmennil was fixing Anfinnur's hook to the bottom when the hook became fixed in his hand, and he was pulled up into Anfinnur's boat. The fishermen in the boat made the sign of the cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
, and then brought Marmennil home with them.
He proved to be very useful on their fishing trips, so they always took him with them, remembering always to make the sign of the cross on him when he was taken onboard. As soon as there were fish under the boat, Marmennil would start to laugh and play, and the fishermen could then make their catch.
Anfinnur kept Marmennil for a long time, but one day the sea was so rough that they forgot to make the sign of the cross. Because of this, when they were afloat, Marmennil sneaked overboard into the sea and was never seen again.
External links
- Faroeislands.dk: Elduvík Images and description of all cities on the Faroe Islands.