The events of Selkollu þáttr take place in the Westfjords, beginning when a man and woman are taking a baby girl to be baptised. On the way, they indulge in an " illmannliga dvöl" (" immoral rest" ) beside a large stone, fittingly called Miklisteinn ('large stone') and " víkja annan veg til saurlífis" (" turn onto the alternative road of fornication" ) . Once they have finished having sex, they return to the child, who they had set down, and find that it is now " blátt, dautt ok ferligt" (" black, dead, and hideous" ) . The couple decide to leave the child behind and walk away, but as they do so they hear a cry. They return to the child and find that it is alive, but it is now so " hræðilegt, at hvárki þora þau snerta né nær koma" (" terrifying that they dare neither touch it nor come near" ) . They go to the farm to fetch more people, but when they return to the stone, the child has vanished. It is then said that a certain woman is " nýkomin í bygðina, stundum með venuáliti, en stundum með selshöfði, gekk þessi fjándi einn veg djarft á dag sem nátt, því var þessi miðdegisdjöfull Selkolla nefndr í sveitinni" (" newly arrived in the district, sometimes with an ordinary face but sometimes with a seal's head. This devil walked about as boldly by day as by night, for which reason this midday-devil was called Selkolla in the district" ) . What follows is an account of the assaults of this being at a farm which is never localised in any more detail. First, in the guise of the farmer's wife, she tries to entice him into having sex. When he realises what is actually going on, he tries to turn for home, but Selkolla bars his way, such that he gets home to the farm " mæddr ogg máttfarin" (" tired and exhausted" ) , and lies in bed " fyrir þá sótt, er svikligr fjandans prettr hafði unnit hans náttúru. Má hann síðan enga hafa, því at sami óhreinn andi sækir hann dag ok nátt með ákaf" (" on account of that sickness, which the deceitful trick of the Devil had afflicted upon his virility. He could not have any thereafter, because the same unclean spirit seeks him day and night with enthusiasm" ) . No-one wants to be near the farmer to provide him with any solace, " nema einn dygðugr frendi hans, er liggr í hjá honum, þar til er Selkolla ræðr á þann of nátt, ok sprengir ór honum bæði aug" (" except for one diligent kinsman of his, who lies beside him until Selkolla overcomes him in the night and bursts out his eyes" ) . Guðmundr, who is wandering the Westfjords, is called in and asked to tackle the fiend. He decides to stay at the farm which Selkolla is afflicting, and once he has gone to bed for the night he sees that a woman " skýzt fram at óvöru" (" takes him by surprise" ) and tries to pull off his shoes, which his servants have forgotten to do. Guðmundur realises immediately who it is and drives Selkolla away with the words "far niðr, fjandi, ok gakk ei framarr!" ("go down, devil, and don't come back!"). The next day, Guðmundr and Selkolla meet again and he drives her down once more, this time by setting up seven crosses. So ends Guðmundr's dealings with Selkolla. She rears her head once more on board a ship which is one the way " yfir þann fjörð eðr flóa" (" over the flord, or bay" ) which separates the country's dioceses. But the crew have received the blessing of Guðmundr for the journey, and the blessing prevents Selkolla from harming them.
The events of Selkollu þáttr take place in the Westfjords, beginning when a man and woman are taking a baby girl to be baptised. On the way, they indulge in an " immoral rest" beside a large stone, fittingly called Miklisteinn ('large stone') and " turn onto the alternative road of fornication" . Once they have finished having sex, they return to the child, who they had set down, and find that it is now " black, dead, and hideous" . The couple decide to leave the child behind and walk away, but as they do so they hear a cry. They return to the child and find that it is alive, but it is now so " terrifying that they dare neither touch it nor come near" . They go to the farm to fetch more people, but when they return to the stone, the child has vanished. It is then said that a certain woman is " newly arrived in the district, sometimes with an ordinary face but sometimes with a seal's head. This devil walked about as boldly by day as by night, for which reason this midday-devil was called Selkolla in the district" . What follows is an account of the assaults of this being at a farm which is never localised in any more detail. First, in the guise of the farmer's wife, she tries to entice him into having sex. When he realises what is actually going on, he tries to turn for home, but Selkolla bars his way, such that he gets home to the farm " tired and exhausted" , and lies in bed " on account of that sickness, which the deceitful trick of the Devil had afflicted upon his virility. He could not have any thereafter, because the same unclean spirit seeks him day and night with enthusiasm" . No-one wants to be near the farmer to provide him with any solace, " except for one diligent kinsman of his, who lies beside him until Selkolla overcomes him in the night and bursts out his eyes" . Guðmundr, who is wandering the Westfjords, is called in and asked to tackle the fiend. He decides to stay at the farm which Selkolla is afflicting, and once he has gone to bed for the night he sees that a woman " takes him by surprise" and tries to pull off his shoes, which his servants have forgotten to do. Guðmundur realises immediately who it is and drives Selkolla away with the words "far niðr, fjandi, ok gakk ei framarr!" ("go down, devil, and don't come back!"). The next day, Guðmundr and Selkolla meet again and he drives her down once more, this time by setting up seven crosses. So ends Guðmundr's dealings with Selkolla. She rears her head once more on board a ship which is on the way " over the flord, or bay" which separates the country's dioceses. But the crew have received the blessing of Guðmundr for the journey, and the blessing prevents Selkolla from harming them.
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illmannliga dvöl" ("
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víkja annan veg til saurlífis" ("
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blátt, dautt ok ferligt" ("
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hræðilegt, at hvárki þora þau snerta né nær koma" ("
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nýkomin í bygðina, stundum með venuáliti, en stundum með selshöfði, gekk þessi fjándi einn veg djarft á dag sem nátt, því var þessi miðdegisdjöfull Selkolla nefndr í sveitinni" ("
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mæddr ogg máttfarin" ("
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fyrir þá sótt, er svikligr fjandans prettr hafði unnit hans náttúru. Má hann síðan enga hafa, því at sami óhreinn andi sækir hann dag ok nátt með ákaf" ("
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nema einn dygðugr frendi hans, er liggr í hjá honum, þar til er Selkolla ræðr á þann of nátt, ok sprengir ór honum bæði aug" ("
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skýzt fram at óvöru" ("
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one
on
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yfir þann fjörð eðr flóa" ("
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