Description of Iceland, 1920

I have often wondered how Mark Watson managed to gather all the sources about Icelandic dogs for his book. How did he find the books he references? Did he travel between countries and libraries? Who translated? That would have taken him many years, but it doesn’t entirely align with everything else the man accomplished and stood for. Finally, I found an explanation in the book Lýsing Íslands - Description of Iceland -by Þorvaldur Thoroddsen, Volume Four, First Issue, printed in 1920.

This book was one of the last I planned to include in my research, and I was fortunate to find it in an antiquarian bookstore, as this volume is not available in digital format.

Lýsing Íslands is a comprehensive work in four volumes by Þorvaldur Thoroddsen. The first volume was published in 1881, and the final volume in 1920. This work was the result of many years of research by Þorvaldur, often conducted under challenging conditions.

Þorvaldur Thoroddsen (1855–1921) was an Icelandic geologist and geographer, regarded as one of Iceland's most prominent scientists of his time. He traveled extensively across the country to collect data. Lýsing Íslands has retained its value and is still considered an essential source on Icelandic nature, geology, and geography.

The fourth volume delves deeply into agriculture in Iceland, with the first issue covering livestock, gardening, and crop cultivation.

Þorvaldur dedicates several pages to dogs, including a detailed account of their history in Iceland. He mentions the settlement period, the famine of 990, and Arnór Kerlingarnef's proposal, Sámur, Gunnar's dog from Hlíðarendi, as well as references to dogs in Sturlunga saga and other sagas. He also discusses the export of Icelandic dogs during the Middle Ages and their popularity among English women.

I find the following critique by Þorvaldur of the false stories that emerged in the 15th century regarding the export of Icelandic dogs to England particularly remarkable: 

"From this trade in dogs arose the false story that first appears with Martin Behaim in 1492, who writes about Icelanders: 'They are accustomed to selling their dogs at a high price, but they give their children to merchants for nothing, so the others may have food.' This has been repeated countless times by foreign geographical authors. Olaus Magnus writes in 1555 that Iceland has white dogs, furry and with hair like wool, which noblewomen and priests keep for their amusement. Blefken claims these dogs are earless and tailless. This is, however, undoubtedly nonsense. There is little reason to doubt that the small, white Icelandic furry dogs once existed, but they seem to have disappeared long ago; the breed may have died out in one of the canine epidemics."

Regarding the typical Icelandic dogs, Þorvaldur writes:
"They belong to the dog breed referred to as 'Spitz' dogs, similar to those found in northern Norway and Lapland, as they originally come from there. They are rather small, agile, and intelligent, with short but sharp snouts, erect, pointed ears, and a curled, furry tail. They come in various colors but are most often reddish-brown, and quite a few are also spotted."

Þorvaldur harshly criticizes Icelanders for their poor treatment of dogs. He argues that the qualities of the Icelandic dog breed are not given the respect they deserve, as dogs are allowed to breed randomly, and many endure suffering from hunger and cold. He believes this treatment stems "mostly from the carelessness and neglect of people. Dogs have been despised and considered worthless. However, a good and well-trained dog is one of the greatest assets to a farmer and can be a true treasure on a rural homestead."

Þorvaldur highlights the strengths of the Icelandic dog, which could be further enhanced through breeding, selective improvement, and proper upbringing. He describes them as excellent herding and sheepdogs, which can also serve as effective guard dogs, hunting dogs, and travel companions, for example, for managing horses and navigating paths in poor visibility. The keen sense of smell of these dogs has often proved useful for locating livestock buried in snow.

On the relationship between humans and dogs, Þorvaldur writes:
"Nowhere in Iceland have there been special houses, kennels, or shelters for dogs, as is customary in other countries. It has been common to send dogs outside in the evening, in weather that was 'fit for a dog,' as the saying goes, and then lock them out. They would have to fend for themselves outdoors, no matter the weather, curling up in window wells, haylofts, or other small shelters. On the other hand, in some places, there has been excessive pampering of them, or through thoughtlessness, they have been kept in too close contact with children and adults, slept in living rooms, licked utensils, and so on. As is well known, dogs acquire tapeworms from eating offal from sheep, and the eggs of these tapeworms can then enter human food, causing echinococcosis, which has been so widespread in Iceland and caused so much harm."

Þorvaldur then delves deeper into echinococcosis, the dog tax, and diseases in dogs.

Þorvaldur's descriptions in this book are an invaluable resource on dogs and dog ownership during this period, and it is fortunate that this information has been preserved in such detail. For Mark Watson, this book likely served as the foundation for his research and writings.

Image: Bruno Schweizer