An unfortunate gift from a Finn

There are bad days for shepherds when the dog plague arrives.

It is said to be an unfortunate gift from the Finns. Once, a ship arrived at Eyrarbakki, and aboard it was a man from Finnmark. He fell out with one of the locals during trading and sought revenge. The following summer, he returned with a bottle and asked to buy cow's milk and women's milk. However, the captain advised the locals against it, suggesting instead that they give him milk from a female dog and a cat, which they did.

The Finn took the bottle and brought it to his mother, who was highly skilled in witchcraft. She placed the bottle between two pots and began chanting spells until the end of the winter month Góa. At that point, the bottle both barked and meowed.

The old woman was so frightened that she ran out and killed herself. The Finn then took the bottle to Iceland that summer and poured out its contents, releasing what was inside. This gave rise to a great affliction among dogs and cats (the "dog plague," "dog pestilence," and "cat pestilence") which has recurred periodically in Iceland ever since.

This story is a folktale and can be found in the book Íslenzkir þjóðhættir by Jónas Jónasson from Hrafnagil, page 180.