Paradise Reclaimed by Halldor Laxness

Life in Iceland had not yet grown so romantic that country folk would go for Sunday outings on horseback in summer, on the lines of the forest-trips in Denmark; that came later. In those days it was still considered wicked out in the country to do anything simply because it was enjoyable. More than a century previously the Danish king had abolished by decree all forms of entertainment in Iceland. Dancing was the devil's work, and had not been performed in Iceland for many generations. It was not considered seemly for young unmarried people to tramp on one another's toes except at most, perhaps, in order to have illegitimate children. All life had to serve some useful purpose and the glory of God. But the year had its festivities, all the same.

One of the main festivities was when the lambs were weaned and separated from the ewes; this took place around midsummer, when the sun shone all night long. Man and sheep took part in a night-and-day marathon agreeable to God, and the air vibrated with shrill bleating; for sheep lament in the major. The dogs had their tongues lolling out all day long, and many of them lost their bark. When the lambs had been separated from the ewes for a few days they were finally driven far up into the mountains. It was a wonderful excursion for everyone except the lambs themselves.