Surt

‘Surt is coming, Surt is coming’. Thorleif was half asleep. The calls were alarming to him. He stood up fast and got into his cloths. Outside in the distance there was a man shouting and running towards his house. Thorleif hurried to meet him. The stranger was covered with black ashes and smelled of sulfur. The stranger breathed deep before he said more calmly: Surt is coming. Thorleif tried to calm him down and get some sense out of him. Please, he said quietly, calm down and tell me, but do not scare the colony.

Thorleif had moved to a fisher house by the coast. He had grown tired of the daily problems in the colony. Now he wanted some peace and rest away from people. He found the view of the sea and the shore most relaxing. Sitting there and watching, made him calm and made him thinking about more important things than what went on in the colony. He thought a lot about being expelled from both Norway and Iceland. It was not fair and it was a harsh judgment for him to take twice. However, after all these years, he had become used to solitude existence and put the bitterness behind. He was always thinking of how things could be done better though. Still he thought he was right about his political, ethical and religious views. What he did not understand, was all the political games he got into. There were new forces pressing people like him out of their countries. Now they were a whole colony here at Greenland.

The stranger had a manic look in his eyes. Surt is coming, he uttered. Yes of cause, Thorleif said relaxing, please tell me who you are and where you come from. The stranger, breath deep, pointed in eastwards direction, and uttered, my name is Oluf and I come from Iceland. With staring eyes he said, it is burning, the sea is boiling, - and Surt is coming. He caught his breath and continued; the island exploded in fire. There is sulfur, flying burning stones, glowing ash, toxic air, and all is dead. Surt is coming. People from the colony had heard the shouting and were getting close. They started questioning aloud. Thorleif thought it was best not to raise any panic. He invited the priests George, Hans and Peter, a fisher Yngve and a farmer Dan to his house. They usually formed a board for the colony.

Thorleif did not know what to think. This stranger seemed to be out of his mind. He had seen that before, but somehow Oluf did not appear mad either. Apparently he had sailed a long way and was exhausted. That was quite normal for a seaman, but he was soaked with black stinking ash. It seemed to be stuck to his skin and hair. Thorleif was thinking before asking: Can you show me? The stranger’s eyes looked even more scared. I need to see it to believe you, he added. The stranger hesitated, you do not understand, Surt is coming, - we must leave, - find shelter.

Stop there, Hans interrupted. You come to our colony and scare the people with stories. Several people have heard about Surt and will panic. You will not be allowed to continue this. Either you help us finding out what all this is about, or we have to send you back to where you came from. May I introduce Hans, Thorleif said diplomatically. He is our Asir priest, originally from Norway, and… Thorleif saw Hans’s eyes and hesitated. He wanted to leave the country to find a better life. You see, we are settlers, Dan the farmer added, which mean we want to settle, - not escape. Dan was thinking of his family and how much they had struggled to get this far. Even though the land was mostly barren, they had decided to stay years ago and had put hard work in making a home here. Peter, the Christian priest said; this is heathen superstition you are spreading. The others knew what was coming and rather tired of it. These gods do not exist. There is certainly no Surt, only one God. Hans interrupted: Yes, the superior demigod, he said with an uninterested look in his eyes.

Let's stop there, Thorleif, demanded. You surely see where this is going. We are already having a growing panic outside and quarrel inside. What you have started here, Oluf, must be cleared out, or else you will have to leave. He waited a little before continuing. When you have eaten and rested, you will come with us to show us what happened at Iceland. The stranger complied, sat down at Thorleif’s table and had some breakfast. That made him more secure and relaxed. Thorleif asked; do you think you can tell me what happen, without emotions and religion? The stranger looked at him and nodded. So, what happened? The men were curios and paid attention to what he had to say.

My name is Oluf. I worked as a fisher at the southwest of Iceland. Life has been fortunate to me, - until now, he added. I remember there was a smell of sulfur growing the previous weeks. No one bothered much about that, except for some anxious mothers. One day, the ground started to shake. No one was prepared for that. I didn’t really notice what other people did, except for panicking. Once the shaking stopped, I hurried down to the shore where the fishing boats are. I had a bad feeling about it all, and I must admit I am not the bravest person at Iceland. Anyway, just as sudden, the shaking started again. This time I jumped into a boat and started to row as fast as I could. Sitting backwards, I saw the island decreasing in the distance. The weather was good, so I raised the sail. I was sailing westwards. I was hoping that the island stopped shaking, so I could return safely. How wrong I was. Surt came.

No, hold it Peter interrupted. You promised to tell your story without religious interpretations. So please continue telling exactly what you saw. Oluf continued: It was the most dreadful sight I have ever seen. Oluf stopped to see if the men were accepting his interpretation. He continued: The mountain exploded. It was even more terrible than all this religious prophesies. He stopped again to check. Believe me, I am no fanatic, but what I saw was like the descriptions of Ragnarock, Doomsday or whatever. It was horrible. There was a burning mountain, there were falling stars, there was a huge black shadows spreading all over. People were running, screaming and falling. There was no mercy at all. Everything burned to ashes. A awful heat-wave blew my sailboat fast from the island. That saved me. I was merely caught up with the black shadow that fell on me. Look at me. I could not have done this myself.

Thorleif tried to stay calm, but he was touched by the stranger’s tale. He did not know what to believe. Looking at Oluf, all covered with some sticky black ash, he knew he had to find out about this. Leaving him now would not help anyone. Oluf had shared his mind with the board. Outside people were gathering and wondering. They saw that Oluf was not treated as a madman. They must have been thinking; is there really something to it? Yngve picked a piece of ash from Oluf. He could have been put in oil as punishment, he whispered to Thorleif. Thorleif did not pay attention to that comment. Peter had become stiff and silent during the tale. He stared at the stranger. He was thinking; this not Ragnarock, this is Armageddon.

Oluf was sobbing, sitting in a corner of the room. The men had heard his tale and where discussing it by the table. There were disagreements, but now that Peter had come to join Thorleif’s trust in Oluf’s story, the issue was settled. Oluf was not mad, just traumatized. They had to find out about this for the sake of the colony. After everyone had had their saying, Thorleif asked Oluf to join the table again. Don’t be scared, he said. You will be taken care off. However, we have to verify your story and that can only be done by going there. Oluf was scared, but listened. We will travel in a boat together. We will not seek any danger, just observe. Then we will sail back. Thorleif waited before he said; come with us or else we have to expel you from this colony. Oluf trusted Thorleif and could see their side of the problem. Somewhat hesitating, he finally said; I will go with you.