Description
“… after they befriended each other on St. Olaf’s Day (July 29th), my grandmother and the girl from Sandoy never met again on this earth; but they did send each other little gifts. Just before one of the first Christmases after they had met, a large pod of pilot whales was herded into Funningsfjørður, and people came from Sandoy for a share of the whale meat and blubber. Grandmother’s friend sent her a gift with one of the whalers—orchil that she herself had prepared. The day before Christmas Eve, Grandmother used it to dye, and it was so potent that the first time she dyed, it yielded a vibrant violet; the second time, cherry red; and the third time, the usual orchil color.”
Excerpt from the story “My Grandmother Was in Tórshavn One St. Olaf’s Day” in Tales of the Old Days by Hans M. Debes.
