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Great Moments In Icelandic Cuisine: Bjúga
Tired of overpriced tattered hot dogs? Well, why not try out some long, thick bjúga? While Europe was getting all gourmet about putting thin sausages in a bun, Icelanders were already stuffing seasoned minced meat into a tube of animal guts twice…
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A Nordic Requiem For Junkies: Film Review
Iceland is no exception when it comes to the opioid crisis gripping the Nordic countries, and of course, the U.S., as we speak. When I was younger (I was born in 1980) we only had what we called ‘disco-drunks.’ Those were people…
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Making Of An Artist: Badass Women And Political Art With Brynhildur Karlsdóttir
Brynhildur Karlsdóttir has made some serious waves in the punk universe as the incredible singer of the punk band Hórmónar—’whores, hand, and hormones’—which you can read more about on page 28. We sat down with the charismatic musician to find out what…
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The War Of The Bureaucrats: Some Jokes Are All About Timing And The Right Audience
When Líf Magneudóttir, a Left Green city councilperson, stuck her tongue out during a city board meeting, she probably thought it was a harmless joke. An icebreaker in an electrified situation, overshadowed by serious matters connected to a previous court order against…
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Word Of The Issue: Skítseiði
Icelanders, like the rest of the world, have been following the news about former TV villain turned former White House staffer, Omarosa Manigault-Newman, and her new tell-all book about her time with the QAnon-superhero Donald Trump. Of course, Trump gracefully rejected Omarosa’s…
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Word of the Issue: Bongóblíða
One of the most-used words in Icelandic to describe really good weather is ‘Bongóblíða.’ The origin of the word is actually from the 1988 Icelandic Eurovision song ‘Sólarsamba’ (“Sunny Samba”) by Icelandic beloved musician Magnús Kjartansson. He wrote and sang the song…
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Grapevine Playlist: ASTVALDUR, Omotrack, Kristín Anna, Andi, Mosi & More
Like eight glorious sea eagles swooping majestically into your living room, we present to you the essential Icelandic tracks of the previous fortnight, including scorching electronica that will hurt and please your brain, a ghostly theremin anthem, and Kristín Anna setting shit…
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Making Of An Artist: Achromatopsia & The Man On The Moon With Árni Vilhjálmsson
Árni Vilhjálmsson is an established artist, musician and actor in Iceland. He was a member of the legendary electro party-band FM Belfast before he quit to focus on his solo career. Now he is preparing a new album under the name Árni…
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The Wonderful Icelandic Festival Frenzy: Think Fyre Was Disastrous?
Summer in Iceland is like a fixed roulette game that you always somehow lose. Icelanders, though, never get tired of planning outdoor festivals for the summer so they can get hammered in that sultry wind and rain. Some of these festivals have…
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Icelandic Food: Fish Balls In A Tin
Nobody goes through life without asking themselves some vital questions. Like, is there life after death? Is there life on other planets? What is the difference between RNA and DNA? And finally, are there any round fish in the ocean that we…
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Well, You Asked… A World Cup Advice Special
With the world’s attention focussed on Iceland like a more friendly version of the Eye of Sauron, we’ve been fielding a lot of questions from newly Iceland-curious football supporters. Here’s some Icelandic advice in the latest edition of Well, You Asked. Q:…
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Fifteen Minutes Of Horror: An Icelander’s Perspective On The World Cup
Icelanders are afraid of two things at some stage of their lives. First, it’s Grýla—the baby-eating mother of the Yule Lads, and owner the Christmas Cat (some weird-ass combination of a giant cat and a wolf), which will also eat you if…
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Siglunes Guesthouse: A Warm Sanctuary In A Cold Place
Between the snowy mountains in Siglufjörður, you can find a hot and passionate chef from the warm country of Morocco, Jaouad Hbib. He fills this former herring fishing town with an exotic aroma from the warm lands of North Africa, brightening the…
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Editorial: We Salute You, Foreign Workers Of Iceland
Let’s be honest about this; the unions in Iceland are broken. One of the biggest unions of them all, Efling, which has 28,000 workers, has rarely been on strike since it was formed. It isn’t because the workers of Iceland have such…
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36 Bankers, 96 Years In Jail
Local news outlet Fréttablaðið has calculated that in the past few years the Icelandic judiciary has sentenced 36 bankers to a total of 96 years in prison. All of the criminal cases are linked to the notorious crash of the Icelandic banking system in 2008. …
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Iceland Wants To Ban Circumcision Of Young Boys
MPs from five different political parties want Iceland to ban the circumcision of young boys in the country, RÚV reports. The spokesperson for the bill is Silja Dögg Gunnarsdóttir, a member of the Progressive Party, which is in the government coalition in…
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Músíktilraunir Winners Between Mountains Unveil Spectacular Debut Video
Between Mountains have unveiled a spectacular music video about a dystopian world where the colourful people have taken over the world of the grey suited people. The video was shot in the most rural part of Iceland, the Westfjords, using locals as…
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The Curious Case Of The Paralysed Lawyer
Almost six million ISK (€48,000) has been collected in a campaign to bring home an Icelandic woman who was paralysed in a dubious accident in Spain at the beginning of January. The woman, Sunna Elvira Þorkelsdóttir, works as a lawyer in Iceland,…
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Picture Of Ed Sheeran Published By Mistake With Icelandic Obituary
All Icelanders get their name printed at least once in Iceland—when they die. The oldest newspaper in Iceland, Morgunblaðið, has printed obituaries for decades, and it has become a well-known and respected tradition. But even old newspapers makes mistakes. Icelandic readers where…
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Grapevine Playlist: Hatari, Cyber, Daði Freyr, Alvia, RVKDTR, Sóley & More
The first Grapevine Playlist of 2018 rounds up a few releases that sneaked out over the holiday period, from weird industrial horror-rap to feel good new year anthems. MYRKFÆLNI #2 by MYRKFÆLNI Hatari x CYBER – Hlauptu A standout from the recently…
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Editorial: Utopia – Just Make It Come True
It’s fair to say that we need to make the world a better place. The #MeToo revolution is a response to the unmistakable knowledge that there is something rotten in our society, and there is no simple solution. We have an idiotic…
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Icelandic Facebook Groups: Pabbatips
Facebook can affect an individual in two ways: either you end up voting for Donald Trump, or you lose hope for humankind entirely because other people voted for Donald Trump and you just wish that the nuclear holocaust was around the corner…
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Editorial: Bangs & Flairs At Iceland Airwaves
Iceland Airwaves finished last weekend with a folksy bang and an artistic flair. Those who wanted to see the folk band Mumford & Sons had to dive into the first storm of the winter in Iceland, just to listen to those friendly…
