Eitt sindur um setningar

Abstract

Information from books mentionned in the Bibliography as well as my own notes, which I owe to old people from some villages (see footnote on page 63), provide the material for this paper. The pattern of life and work in the old Faroese peasant community had been pnctically unchanged for centuries when, in the middle of the 19th century, changes set in, especially after 1870 when the Faroese had begun fishery from decked vessels.

In older days the work was organized in such a way that male and female servants were ordered to perform a certain amount of work a day. They were as well ordered to perform a certain amount of work for a winter evening. These works were known under the names of »dagssetningur« and »kvøldsetningur« respectively (what has been set up for a cfay's work, and what has been set up for an evening's work).

This paper gives an account of »setningar« with regard to carding, spinning, knitting, weaving, cultivating, turfscutting, bird*plucking, haycutting, cornscutting, »at ripa« (pressing the straws of the barley through the teeth of a special comb in order to wrench off the ears), »at lata av sorni« (preparing the corn for milling), »at raka neytshúð« (removing the hairs fram the cow's hide), »at raka seyðaskinn« (removing the hairs from the sheep's skin), slaughtering, and kneading tallow. Finally
»setningar« for children are mentionned, and it is pointed out that whenever possible it has been decided by »setningar« how much work was to be done a day. As to outdoor work the working conditions were very unlike over the islands so that the »setningar« could not be identical, which leads to »setningar« attached to localities. An example is to be found in the paper.