Wednesday, August 26, 2009

God of Eloquence

God of Eloquence

Runes are graven on the sun and on the tongue of Bragi.
He utters shining words forged in the smithy of his silver throat.

He is patron of the skalds who tell the sagas in royal courts,
preserved in Iceland by chieftains of the Viking realm,
inspires poetry in men and offers drink from Bragi’s Cup
that all the earth might be awash in tales of gods, and
and how the world began.

Oaths are sworn on Bragarfull to bear the sacred truth.
Before a king can be the king, he drinks the mead of poetry
from the Promise Cup and is endowed with eloquence
to speak with words that bend the will of those who can not understand.

With his wife and with his words, Bragi stays forever young,
for thought does not degrade, nor wisdom falter
when eternity wears away.

Let us drink a toast with Bragi’s mead, to be endowed with fluency of speech
and skill with words that clothe our images of thought
in inspiration and emotion, that men may hear, and laugh, and weep,
moved by a longing for truth in the everlasting soul.



D. Gary Christian
Santa Clara, Utah
May 24, 2007

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Eiríkur Ingimundur Guðmundsson


Eirikur Ingimundur Gudmundsson born 13 February 1875 at Eydi, Seltjarnarnesthing, Gullbringu. His parents are Gudmundur Egilsson, born 15 March 1851 at Eydi, Seltjarnarnesthing, Gullbringu; and Gudridur Gudmundsdottir, born 15 February 1835 at Thorustadir, Mosfell i Grimsnesi, Arnes. At the age of six he emigrated from Iceland to Utah with his parents in 1881.
Eirikur married Emma Jane Boyle, born 19 July 1878 at Santaquin, Utah. They were married 4 February 1925 in Santaquin, Utah. Emma Jane died 4 May 1951. Eirikur died 28 October 1956 in Salt Lake City and is buried in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery. He went by Erik Ingimar Egilson in Utah. He is number 72 in Icelanders of Utah.