The spirit guides help people in different ways. For Eiríkur the spirits took control and wanted him to be their medium. This was not what he had in mind for himself. He was a sailor, not a medium. Despite his rejection, the spirit guides stayed by his side and guided him in a life of helping others.
Who was Eiríkur?
Eiríkur Kristófersson (1892-1994) grew up on the farm Brekkuvellir in Barðaströnd with his parents and 16 siblings. His friends and acquaintances loved and highly respected him.
The fisherman
The first time Eiríkur went out to sea was in 1908, which was the beginning of a lifelong career out on the ocean. He spent most of his time working for the coast guard and making sure the British and others stayed within their fishing borders.
Eiríkur was an Icelandic hero during the famous Cod Wars and a healing medium in his retired life. He received several medals and recognitions for his work within the naval field, both domestically and abroad.
Throughout his working career, he saved and assisted 640 ships struggling out on the ocean. His bravery did not go unnoticed and in 1962 he received the Order of the Falcon. This meant that he had completed the five degrees or classes of merit for Iceland and humanity.
A year later, in 1963, the sovereign of the United Kingdom awarded him with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which is:
“a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service.” – Wikipedia
Song about the cod wars
Many popular songs were about the wars on the territorial waters, like this one by Haukur Morthens.
The spirit guide
From an early age, Eiríkur attended séances organized by the Icelandic Society for Psychical Research that Einar H Kvaran founded.
Eiríkur’s main spirit guide was the late Dr. Magnús Jóhannsson. Even in death, Magnús continued his calling as a doctor by using Eiríkur as his medium. Magnús also used Hafsteinn Björnsson as a medium to heal ailing people. Jóhannsson. Magnús wasn’t just any doctor. After his death, he continued his work by healing people through the medium Hafsteinn Björnsson.
During the séances, Magnús often reminded Eiríkur of the powerful energy he carried with him. Because of this, Eiríkur could reach him when he liked.
The works of a spirit guide
Spirit guides help people in different ways. One example is through physical touch.
When Eiríkur was a young man he fell into the ocean with no man able to rescue him. As he gasped for air each time his head broke the water surfaces he felt a hand grab his right shoulder. What happened next was a big blur. Suddenly he was back on the boat without a clue of how he got there. It stunned the crew on his boat to see him back safe onboard. They wanted to know how on earth he made it safely back. After all, they had seen him in the ocean far away from the boat. Then with no clear explanation, he began swimming as if a motor was attached to him. The sailors stood in disbelief as they watched this impossible event before their eyes.
In 1912, after the near-drowning incident, Eiríkur attended a séance where a spirit-being channeled through the medium and told Eiríkur that it knew who saved him from drowning. Eiríkur was eager to finally find out what happened, but the spirit-being explained he wasn’t ready to know yet. However, he shouldn’t think about it, because the time will come when he will find out the truth.
Þorleifur Þorleifsson
Decades passed without a word about what happened when he nearly drowned. Then in 1963, Eiríkur attended another séance and the late Dr. Þorleifur Þorleifsson (1801-1877) from Bjarnarhöfn came through the veil. It was time for Eiríkur to know the truth; Þorleifur had been the one who saved him from drowning.
Guided by a spirit guide
Another way spirit guides help people is through a still small voice.
On January 15th, 1942, Eiríkur and his crew were stationed out on Hornafjörður in southeast Iceland. It was one of the blackest and shortest days of the year. The weather was stormy and a blizzard from the northeast was making it impossible to see past your eyeballs. A distressing call came in to their station. A woman suffering from postpartum infection was dying, and they needed Dr. Knútur Kristinsson to come to Djúpivogur as soon as possible.
Photo: Dr. Knútur Kristinsson
The doctor consulted with the crew about taking him to Djúpivogur. Normally in weather like this, the answer was "absolutely not". However, as Eiríkur was about to tell the doctor they couldn't take him, something took control over him. To his surprise, instead of rejecting Dr. Knútur, he said,
"Well, I am ready to take this trip, if the crew will go free-willingly. I will not force my men to go."
The doctor consulted with the crew about taking him to Djúpivogur. Normally in weather like this, the answer was “absolutely not”. However, as Eiríkur was about to tell the doctor they couldn’t take him, something took control over him. To his surprise, instead of rejecting Dr. Knútur, he said,
“Well, I am ready to take this trip, if the crew will go free-willingly. I will not force my men to go.”
Photo: Vestrahorn, located on the southeast coast
Eiríkur then gathered the crew to tell them about the urgent message. He was about to ask his men if they would go with him when something took hold of him. Instead, he didn't ask them at all but explained that he didn't want to force them to go. Those who did not want to take the doctor to Djúpivogur should step forward.
There was dead silence, and the sailors looked at each other. Eiríkur waited a few minutes to see if anyone would step forward. When nobody did, he said,
“Well boys. Since no one stepped forward, refusing to go, I assume you are all going on your own free will and we leave in the name of God.”
Photo: Eystrahorn by Bernd Thaller
As soon as he said those words, he felt a spirit-being attach itself to his right side, on his bare skin. The spirit-being was so tight up against him it was like his Siamese twin.
They rushed out and sailed as fast as they could, never slowing down. Eiríkur didn't really know what he was doing; he sailed without ever pulling out a map or the logbook. He sailed out of the fjord and headed towards Stokksnes with his crew.
The men couldn't see past their eyeballs, but Eiríkur never wondered where they were. It was like someone whispered into his ear and he knew exactly where they were. In this manner, Eiríkur and his crew sailed towards Eystrahorn and Hvítingur.
Photo: Papey by Vilhjálmur Bjarnason
When they neared Papey island, there were skerries everywhere and hidden underwater rocks. Eiríkur looked for landmarks. He knew of a cliff west of Papey but the weather was still so bad that they couldn't see anything but the blackness and the blizzard.
Suddenly, Eiríkur saw the cliff light up. It was like floodlights shone right on them. He shouted out to the helmsman, Jón Jónsson, "See that cliff over there!?" The helmsman looked but couldn't see anything at all. He didn't know what Eiríkur was rambling on about; there was no cliff in sight. They were only 200-300 meters away from the lighthouse, but they still couldn't see any signs of it.
Photo: Google image of Papey. Sauðey is the skinn "long" islet on the left
West of Papey is a small island, skinny and long. Eiríkur and the crew called it Langey, but in reality, it is called Sauðey. It is a broken-off piece of Papey and a rocky divide. The water between Sauðey and Papey is so narrow that two boats can't fit simultaneously. Fortunately, it was deep enough to sail through on a clear day.
Eiríkur felt the spirit-being guiding him through the narrow path. As they sailed through, Eiríkur saw the same cliff walls lit up by floodlights. Sailing through the lit-up area shortened their path by about two nautical miles. However, it was a path no ship had sailed before.
When the spirit guide leaves
They spent the next six hours maneuvering through skerries and jagged underwater rocks. Finally, to their relief of having survived the ordeal, they sailed into Djúpivogur harbor.
Eiríkur hadn’t rested the entire trip yet was still feeling sharp and wide awake. As they reached the harbor, he felt the spirit-being leave his side. At that moment, he felt his energy depleted and suddenly became exhausted. In need of a good rest, Eiríkur sent some of his men with Dr. Knútur. He told them to knock on the first door they saw and ask about the woman in need of help.
The story goes that the doctor saved the woman’s life. No doubt she had died without help. However, Eiríkur received little gratitude for his bravery. People called him a reckless man who played with the lives of everyone onboard the boat. The trip became known as “Glæfrasiglingin mikla” or “The Great Reckless Sailing”.
It’s not always clear to others when spirit guides help people and instead their actions seem odd or irrational. Eiríkur spent his entire life helping people. He used his unwavering belief in the afterlife to connect with the departed. With spirit guides at his side, he saved and healed many souls.