Section 1
Once upon a time, there existed a brave and lively boy whose family had given up hope of ever scaring him enough to make him obedient to their desires. In an attempt to instill discipline, they brought him to the local priest for upbringing. However, despite the priest's efforts, the boy remained undaunted and never displayed any stubbornness or bad temper towards him.
During a winter season, three lifeless bodies were brought for burial, due to the late hour in the afternoon, they were temporarily placed inside the church until the following day when the priest could perform the burial. In those times, it was customary to bury individuals without coffins, instead wrapping them solely in burial garments. Following tradition, the priest instructed that the three bodies be placed at separate locations, spaced out across the central area of the church. When darkness fell, the priest requested the boy, "Go inside the church and retrieve the book that I left on the altar."
Without hesitation, the boy eagerly rushed into the dimly lit church. However, while making his way towards the altar, he accidentally tripped over an object lying on the floor and ended up falling face-first. Showing no signs of fear or distress, the boy promptly stood up and, feeling his way around in the darkness, realized that he had stumbled upon one of the lifeless bodies. without hesitation, he lifted the corpse into his arms and carefully moved it to the side-benches, clearing his path. In a similar fashion, the boy accidentally stumbled over the remaining two bodies and handled them in the same manner, placing them aside. After successfully retrieving the book from the altar, he exited the church, closed the door, and handed the volume to the priest. Curious, the priest inquired whether the boy had come across anything unusual inside the church.
The boy responded, "I don't recall anything like that."
The priest inquired again, "Were there not three corpses lying in your path?"
The boy replied, "Oh yes, there were. But what of it?"
The priest asked, "Didn't they obstruct your way?"
The boy calmly answered, "Yes, they did lie in my way, but they did not impede me."
The priest further inquired, "How did you manage to reach the altar then?"
The boy responded, "I simply placed the deceased individuals on the side-benches, where they now rest peacefully enough."
The priest shook his head in disapproval but remained silent for the rest of the night.
The following morning, he addressed the boy, saying, "You must depart from me. I cannot tolerate the presence of someone so shameless as to disturb the peaceful rest of the deceased."
Unfazed by the priest's decision, the boy bid farewell to the priest and his family, he then wandered aimlessly for a while, without a place to call home.
At one point, the boy stumbled upon a cottage where he spent the night, the inhabitants of the cottage informed him that the Bishop of Skálholt had recently passed away. The following day, he made his way to Skálholt and, upon arriving in the evening, requested a place to spend the night.
The people kindly offered him a place to stay, saying, "You are welcome to stay, but you will need to take care of yourself."
Curiously, the boy asked, "Why do I need to take such great care of myself?"
They explained to him that after the bishop's death, it was believed that a ghost or spirit haunted the house, making it uninhabitable after nightfall. due to this belief, everyone was required to vacate the premises before twilight.
The boy responded confidently, "Very well, that will be just fine for me."
As twilight approached, the people bid farewell to the boy, not expecting to see him alive again.
Once everyone had departed, the boy lit a candle and proceeded to inspect every room in the house. eventually, he arrived at the kitchen, where he discovered a significant amount of smoked mutton hanging from the rafters. Since he hadn't had meat in a while and had a hearty appetite, the boy decided to cut off a portion of the dried mutton using his knife. He then placed a pot on the still-burning fire and cooked the meat.
