Lítla Dímun
Encyclopedia
Lítla Dímun is a small island between the islands of Suðuroy
and Stóra Dímun
in the Faroe Islands
. It is the smallest of the main 18 islands, being less than 100 hectares (247.1 acre) in area, and is the only uninhabited one. The island can be seen from the villages Hvalba
and Sandvík
.
(Saga of the Faroese). The saga also features the island as the site of a battle between Brestur, father of Sigmundur and Gøtuskeggjar. The battle resulted in the death of Sigmund's father and his men and the deportation of Sigmund to Norway, where he befriended Olaf Trygvasson.
They caught two sheep and a sick bird, and were able to survive for seventeen days before being discovered and rescued by a fishing boat. One of the shipwrecked sailors settled in the Faroes.
, but until the mid-nineteenth century it was occupied by feral
sheep, probably derived from the earliest sheep brought to Northern Europe in the Neolithic
Period. The last of these very small, black, short-wooled sheep were shot in the 1860s. They were similar in appearance and origin to the surviving Soay sheep
, from the island of Soay
in the St Kilda archipelago
off the west coast of Scotland. Soay is an island of very similar size and topography to Lítla Dímun, and has similarly difficult access.
The modern Faroes sheep of the island are gathered each autumn. People sail to the island in a fishing boat, towing several rowing skiff
s. About 40 people then form a chain across the island, driving the 200 or so sheep into a pen on the north side of the island. The sheep are then caught, restrained by tying their feet together, put in nets five at a time and lowered by ropes to the skiffs. Each skiff then takes its load of 15 sheep to the fishing boat, which returns to the island of Suðuroy
. The sheep are unloaded on the wharf in the village of Hvalba
, where they are placed in rows and distributed to their owners. A few sheep escape the gathering, and from time to time these are shot.
Suðuroy
Suðuroy is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 km². In 2010 there were 4763 inhabitants, but there has been a gradual decline in the population numbers ever since the 1950s....
and Stóra Dímun
Stóra Dímun
Stóra Dímun is an island in the southern Faroe Islands, sometimes only referred to as Dímun. The island is accessible from sea only during periods of clear and calm weather, but regular helicopter service is available twice a week through the whole year....
in the Faroe Islands
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...
. It is the smallest of the main 18 islands, being less than 100 hectares (247.1 acre) in area, and is the only uninhabited one. The island can be seen from the villages Hvalba
Hvalba
Hvalba is a village and a municipality, which consists of Hvalba, Nes-Hvalba and Sandvík. The total population of Hvalba Municipality was 723 as of 1 January 2010; the population of Hvalba and Nes was 626 and the population of Sandvík was 97. Hvalba is one of the larger villages in the Faroe...
and Sandvík
Sandvík
Sandvík is the northernmost village of the island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the northern side of a shallow fjord. The small village was earlier known as Hvalvík until 1913...
.
Description
The southern third of the island is sheer cliff, with the rest rising to the mountain of Slættirnir, which reaches 414 metres (1,358.3 ft). The island is only inhabited by feral sheep and seabirds. Getting ashore is difficult, and can be performed only in perfect weather. The cliffs can be climbed with the aid of ropes placed by the owners of the sheep.Etymology
The name means "Little Dímun", in contrast to Stóra Dímun, "Great Dímun". According to the Faroese placename expert Jakobsen, "Dímun" may represent a pre-Norse, Celtic placename element, with di representing "two".History
The island has never been inhabited by humans, but sheep were kept there from ancient times, being mentioned in the 13th century work Færeyinga SagaFæreyinga Saga
The Færeyinga Saga , the Norse saga of Faroemen, is the story of how the Faroes were converted to Christianity and became a part of the Kingdom of Norway.-Summary:It was written in Iceland shortly after 1200...
(Saga of the Faroese). The saga also features the island as the site of a battle between Brestur, father of Sigmundur and Gøtuskeggjar. The battle resulted in the death of Sigmund's father and his men and the deportation of Sigmund to Norway, where he befriended Olaf Trygvasson.
Shipwreck
In 1918 The Danish schooner Caspe, carrying a cargo of salt, was driven onto Lítla Dímun by a gale. The six crew were able to reach a narrow ledge just above the surf, but they had no stores, and the captain was severely injured. Eventually they managed to move from the ledge, and found a cabin half-way up the island which had matches, fuel and a lamp.They caught two sheep and a sick bird, and were able to survive for seventeen days before being discovered and rescued by a fishing boat. One of the shipwrecked sailors settled in the Faroes.
Sheep
The sheep now living on the island are Faroes sheepFaroes (sheep)
The Faroes is a breed of domestic sheep native to the Faroe Islands. One of the Northern European short-tailed sheep, it is a small, very hardy breed. Faroes ewes weigh around at maturity, and rams are . Rams are horned and ewes are usually polled, and the breed occurs naturally in many different...
, but until the mid-nineteenth century it was occupied by feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
sheep, probably derived from the earliest sheep brought to Northern Europe in the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
Period. The last of these very small, black, short-wooled sheep were shot in the 1860s. They were similar in appearance and origin to the surviving Soay sheep
Soay sheep
The Soay sheep is a primitive breed of domestic sheep descended from a population of feral sheep on the island of Soay in the St. Kilda Archipelago, about from the Western Isles of Scotland...
, from the island of Soay
Soay, St Kilda
Soay is an uninhabited islet in the St Kilda archipelago, Scotland. The island is part of the St Kilda World Heritage Site and home to a primitive breed of sheep...
in the St Kilda archipelago
St Kilda, Scotland
St Kilda is an isolated archipelago west-northwest of North Uist in the North Atlantic Ocean. It contains the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The largest island is Hirta, whose sea cliffs are the highest in the United Kingdom and three other islands , were also used for...
off the west coast of Scotland. Soay is an island of very similar size and topography to Lítla Dímun, and has similarly difficult access.
The modern Faroes sheep of the island are gathered each autumn. People sail to the island in a fishing boat, towing several rowing skiff
Skiff
The term skiff is used for a number of essentially unrelated styles of small boat. The word is related to ship and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of...
s. About 40 people then form a chain across the island, driving the 200 or so sheep into a pen on the north side of the island. The sheep are then caught, restrained by tying their feet together, put in nets five at a time and lowered by ropes to the skiffs. Each skiff then takes its load of 15 sheep to the fishing boat, which returns to the island of Suðuroy
Suðuroy
Suðuroy is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 km². In 2010 there were 4763 inhabitants, but there has been a gradual decline in the population numbers ever since the 1950s....
. The sheep are unloaded on the wharf in the village of Hvalba
Hvalba
Hvalba is a village and a municipality, which consists of Hvalba, Nes-Hvalba and Sandvík. The total population of Hvalba Municipality was 723 as of 1 January 2010; the population of Hvalba and Nes was 626 and the population of Sandvík was 97. Hvalba is one of the larger villages in the Faroe...
, where they are placed in rows and distributed to their owners. A few sheep escape the gathering, and from time to time these are shot.
External links
- Lítla Dímun: Rein friðsæl náttúra (in Faroese)
- Website of Lítla Dímun (aerial photos)