TC Lethbridge | The Sons of TC-Lethbridge | Tekh's Anthological Review

News From Tili

Self-published, 1939

During the Christmas period 1939, Lethbridge self-published a book entitled News From Tili. The short volume contained field notes from his excursion to Iceland which he undertaken the previous summer with his good friend C.F. Tebbutt. The pair had journeyed north with the objective of visiting sites mentioned in the Sagas and to study the birdlife and the inhabitants of the island. The short tome contains observations made during fieldtrips around the island and demonstrates his interested in the Icelandic boat building culture.

On a previous visit in 1923, Lethbridge had been particularly impressed with the ingenuity of the inhabitants of Seydisfjord who he had witnessed walking around on stilts made from Bath Oliver biscuit tins. Whilst at the harbours of Reykjavik, Keflavik and Grindavik, he witnessed fine flotillas of open fishing boats, which he described as being worthy of attention. With great raking stem posts and crews of ten or eleven men, he likened them to the one in which Thoro - he of the Viking Sagas, was lost whilst out fishing and from which his ghost crew returned to Frodiswater. The ghost story was familiar to Lethbridge, for he likened it to the invisible men of Skellig Michael that had plagued the lighthouse keepers back in 1929. At the Icelandic ports, he saw evidence of Celtic influence all around him and poured scorn on the history books that suggested the Icelandic race was of pure Norwegian extraction. To prove his conjecture, he went looking for evidence of the Papar, the Irish saints who, according to the Landnamabrok, had lived in Iceland before the arrival of the Vikings.

His notes document time spent on the island and the hospitality enjoyed at farms of the local squiresons of provosts. Their first host was a Norseman through and through, but the second resembled a Kerry man that Lethbridge had encountered on his Irish adventure with W.S. Bristowe in 1929. On meeting their guests, their host was convinced that they had been sent by God to prove that the Papar had carved out the neighbouring caves. Lethbridge believed that his host may have been perfectly correct in his assumption, but voiced no strong feelings on the matter. The caves in question however were quite remarkable and resembled the Hebridean mound known locally as a Sithean or fairy hill. He believed that the Papar, or possibly the Irish and Scottish Thralls, might well have bought the culture over to Iceland with them, for the mounds were indeed similar to earth-houses found in their homelands. Their host was enthralled by his visitors' knowledge and interest, but Lethbridge informed him that nothing could be proven unless a full excavation was carried out on the mounds.

That evening, the two friends stayed overnight in the local vicarage, but the stopover was marred by Tebbutt's reaction to a local delicacy he had eaten which contained last year's suet, blood and oatmeal. Lethbridge declared that such Icelandic dishes didn't always sit too well with the British palate, further remarking that, "Last years fish is all very well but last year's blood is a bit thick." After Tebbutt had recovered from his bout of sickness they retired to their beds. It had been arranged that Lethbridge was to sleep in the library and was shown to his room by the provst who pointed out a book on a shelf written by Bishop Gore. It was a book that his host considered to be the finest written in the English Language. When Lethbridge happened to remark that he not only knew Gore, but had also been confirmed by him, his host appeared humbled, as if his guest, had, through his association, somehow acquired the mantle of his champion. Lethbridge later remarked that the reverence of the moment was marred by an unpleasant snort of amusement from his friend and the entry of the lady of the house, who proceeded to distribute chamber pots to them without a hint of embarrassment.

During their visit they encountered the excavations in Thjorsadale that were being conducted by a joint Icelandic, Scandinavian and Finnish party. Lethbridge witnessed the ancient farms that had been covered by ash from Heckla being beautifully excavated. He considered it most instructive to have witnessed the humble ruins of these old halls and noted that the small and inconvenient nature of the dwellings of the exiled Norsemen was in distinct contrast to the images conjured up in the Sagas. However he compared this tumbling down imagery of palaces to the slumping of the Irish Saga-stock when the hill of Uiseneach was excavated and the pictured luxury was reduced to pits full of animal bones and a single Roman brooch.

The short volume contains twelve pages of text and a number of photographs and illustrations associated with the Icelandic fieldtrip:

Illustration: Old Icelanders as seen by their contemporaries
Photo: Gryta
Photo: Old Icelander with Hair Ropes
Photo: Gunnar's View from Li∂erendi
Diagram: Aegissi∂u-hellan. Caves suggesting a chapel with the hermit's room

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