Author: Greig Robertson - The Reykjavik Grapevine

#IcelandSmited: Aron Gunnarsson Undergoes Surgery As World Cup Approaches

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As Russia sits buried under unseasonably heavy snow, Iceland’s key players are battling injury, all as Argentina’s players resign the…

Meet The Smiters: Birkir “Horror Hooves” Bjarnason

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Much like Freyfaxi—the galloping stallion of Hrafnkels Saga—Birkir Bjarnason is a glorious creature to be admired—but not insulted by the…

#SmiteTheWorld: We Will Smite Them On The Beaches – Football News

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With gangs training for all-out brawls in the forests of Russia, the injury curses flying thick and fast, and clubs…

#SmiteTheWorld: News From Iceland’s Pre-Victorious World Cup Camp

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It’s all going off in the Iceland football camp as the World Cup inches ever closer. With blood splattered kits,…

Meet The Smiters: Jón Daði “The Scythe of Selfoss” Böðvarsson

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Jón Daði “The Scythe of Selfoss” Böðvarsson is so big that his hometown considers him a landmark as well as…

Meet The Smiters: Kári “The Disciple of Doom” Árnason

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Born in Gothenburg, Sweden and raised in Reykjavík, Kári “The Disciple of Doom” Árnason has been canonised on terraces in…

Smite The Kremlin: 20% Of All Icelanders Form A Russia-Sacking Football Horde

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With the doomsday clock ticking ever closer to footballing midnight, it’s now only three months until Iceland smites the world….

Meet the Smiters: Ragnar “Shaggy Breeches” Sigurðsson

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Ragnar Sigurðsson is a burly blockade at the rear-end of strákarnir okkar (“our boys”), and a fierce defender of national…

#SmiteTheWorld: Siberian Exile, Power Tattoos, And A Giant On The Bench

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As accursed frozen weather creeps over Russia with the deadly, intractable purpose of a slowly growing glacier, terrified locals are…

#SmiteTheWorld: Now That’s What I Call Smiting Edition

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As the old Icelandic proverbs go: “smite waits for no man” and “the smiting horde gathers no volcanic moss.” With…

Meet The Smiters: Hannes Þór “Wild Claws” Halldórsson

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Hannes Þór Halldórsson is more than just Iceland’s goalkeeper; he is the nation’s last line of defence and last bastion…

Clouds Vs. Zen: Escaping Reality In Search Of The Aurora

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It had been a long day when we boarded the minibus to venture out into the darkness of the Icelandic…

7000km Offside: Iraqi Asylum Seeker Referees Icelandic Football Matches

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Twana Khaled, a 28-year-old former Iraqi Premier League referee, is now stewarding matches in Iceland while his appeal to a…

Ask A Scientist: Why Do Icelanders Live So Long?

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In the present day, Iceland is hugely romanticised, whether for its stunning landscapes, its perceived gender equality, or its football…

Polish Film Days: Bíó Paradís Says Na Zdrowie!

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Bíó Paradís is now showing mainstream Polish titles to cater for Iceland’s growing population of Polish immigrants. The initiative, conceived…

May The Smite Be With You: Iceland’s Footballers Electrify The 2017-18 Season

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Iceland’s marauding horde of footballers paused in the tireless pursuit of their Inevitable World Cup Winning Destiny in recent weeks,…

Time Capsule: Austurvöllur Square

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Austurvöllur Square has been a public gathering space for Icelanders since the 1930s. Though the Square is now home to…

#MeToo: Culture Of Abuse Still Exists In Icelandic Politics

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“You shouldn’t get any superpowers just because you are a man,” says Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, as we sit in a…

Hour Of The Wolf: Policeman To Airline Steward And Back Again

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“Society is totally different at night,” says Birgir Örn Guðjónsson, who has been a police officer for over ten years….

Hip-Hop Christmas: The Second Coming Of Emmsjé Gauti

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Emmsjé Gauti’s alternative hip-hop Christmas concert, ‘JüleVenner,’ promises nothing less than the Second Coming of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus…

Sverrir Páll Guðnason To Replace Daniel Craig In ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Sequel

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Icelandic actor, Sverrir Páll Guðnason, who recently broke out in Hollywood alongside Shia LaBeouf in ‘Borg vs McEnroe,’ has been…

Game Of Thrones To Shoot In Iceland In February 2018

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Game of Thrones will return to film in the Land of Fire and Ice for the final time in February;…

Beyond Strength: Baldvin Z Brings Reynir The Strongman To The Big Screen

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Baldvin Z’s new documentary ‘Beyond Strength’ reveals the man behind the myth of Reynir Leósson, an Icelander so strong that…

Plenty Of Room On The Smitewagon: News From The Iceland Dressing Room

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As the Iceland’s national football teams continue to smite the entire world within an inch of its quivering life, we…

Smite The World: Iceland To Obliterate Argentina, Croatia And Nigeria

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Lionel Messi has already booked a full year’s worth of sessions with a top shrink after his side drew Iceland…