Journey To The Center Of The Earth

After returning from his walk, Axel finds his uncle back at the house. Together with their host, they sit down to dinner, and Otto complains that there were no relevant books at the library. M. Fridrikson explains that they do have numerous and rare works but that they circulate freely among the population as almost everyone in Iceland can read. Otto then tries to find out more about the alchemist Saknussemm, and M. Fridrikson tells them that he was persecuted for heresy and all his work was burned. The professor manages to turn the conversation in such a way that the host suggests they explore Snäfell and even tells them that he knows of a suitable guide who will be in Reykjavik the following day.

In the morning, Otto and Axel meet the guide, Hans Bjelke, a large, strong, placid man. He is an “eider-duck hunter”: someone who collects the feathers of the female eider ducks during mating season.

Hans agrees to take the two scientists over land to a village at the foot of the volcano, which will take about a week. Otto and Axel re-pack their belongings so that both weapons and tools are easily accessible. Their instruments consist of a thermometer, a manometer, a chronometer, a night glass, a portable light, and two compasses. They are also bringing two rifles and two revolvers, assorted tools such as ropes, shovels, and hammers, and provisions. The group departs Reykjavik on June 16 at 6:00am. 

The initial journey is pleasant as the weather is neither hot nor rainy. Both Axel and Otto are excited to explore the unknown country on horseback. Axel, in particular, is feeling positive and looking forward to their adventure. He describes the landscape as a desert with few farmhouses and no roads. Eventually, they arrive at a fjord and have to wait for high tide to cross it by boat. This takes a few hours and delays the journey. 

Axel remarks that in June and July the sun never sets in Iceland and it is always light, but that it gets much cooler at night. He feels both cold and hungry. After the group crosses the fjord, they arrive at the village, where they plan to spend the night in a local peasant’s hut. The dwelling consists of a long, dark corridor with four rooms opening onto the passage: a kitchen, a weaving workshop, a bedroom for the entire family, and a guest room. The house has an earth floor, low ceilings, and windows made out of sheep bladders. The host family consists of a husband and wife and their 19 children. Their dinner is made up of lichen soup, dried fish in aged butter, skyr yogurt, and biscuits.

The group continues their journey the following day, encountering lepers, who are forbidden to marry and procreate by law as leprosy is a hereditary disease. In the following days, the group has to cross several rivers and smaller fjords. Eventually they reach Hans’s home village, where they are welcomed by the guide’s family, and the following day they arrive in Stapi, the village at the bottom of the volcano.

Stapi is a small village of about 30 houses. Hans takes the scientists to the rector’s house, where they are meant to spend the night. However, the priest is not very hospitable, unlike the peasants they have encountered until that point. Furthermore, he overcharges them for everything, even though his guest room is in terrible condition.

Hans begins preparations for their ascent the following day. Local men will carry the luggage to the crater and leave it there, while Hans will continue onward with Otto and Axel. At this moment, Axel again begins feeling uneasy and is fearful of a new eruption. However, after he confronts Otto with his objections, the Professor is able to calm him down by using science to demonstrate that there are no signs of an imminent eruption. The group departs from Stapi on June 22.

The group begins their ascent to the southern peak of Snäfell, called Scartaris by the locals. The path is very narrow and steep, and the trip takes the entire day. Axel observes and ponders the different rocks and soil layers they traverse.

At one point, a column of debris brought by the wind crashes on the side of the mountain. Only Hans’s guidance saves the travelers from death. They reach the summit at eleven o’clock that night.

The group spends the night at the summit and the following day begins the descent into the crater. They reach the bottom at midday, and the local men leave them there. At the bottom, Hans, Otto, and Axel find three chimneys and a pedestal-like rock. Otto immediately begins exploring and finds a runic inscription with the alchemist’s name. Reassured that they are in the right place, they wait for the following day so that they can trace the shadow cast by Scartaris. However, the weather for the next two days is overcast. Otto becomes progressively more frustrated, but, finally, on June 28, the weather improves, and they are able to observe that Scartaris’s shadow falls onto the middle chimney at midday.