Author: - The Reykjavik Grapevine

Lemúrinn: That Time an Icelandic Linguist (Almost) Rescued a British Stockbroker Stuck on the Greenland Ice Cap

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The past was a simpler time, back when any young Briton could embark on daring expeditions to far-flung locales in…

The Man Who Didn’t Like Hangikjöt: W.H. Auden In Iceland

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In 1936, a thirty-year-old poet from Britain travelled around Iceland. His name was Wystan Hugh Auden—you probably know him as…

Fine dining in Iceland in 1809: “A Most Involuntary Intemperance”

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In the summer of 1809, a young British botanist, William Hooker, visited Iceland on the first botanical expedition of what…

In The Year 2000, Ants Will Have Conquered The World

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Icelanders in 1971 predict the futureIn 1971, the magazine Samvinnan gathered a panel of Icelanders to predict the state of…

The Sinister Christmas Clan Of Iceland

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In Iceland, there is no Santa Claus. Instead, there are thirteen “jólasveinar,” which can be translated to “Yule Lads.” They…

Was Literature’s First Man On The Moon An Icelandic Peasant?

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Kepler’s dream of IcelandMy name is Duracotus and my fatherland Iceland called Thule by the ancients. My mother, Fiolxhilde who…

“What A Hard Life Is That Of The Poor Icelanders!”

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One day in August 1888, the British steamer ‘Camoens’ docked in the town of Akureyri in Northern Iceland. The ‘Camoens’-for…

“They Are A Gruesome Lot”

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Monstrous cats in the Icelandic sagasIt is thought that the first cats touched Icelandic soil in the tenth century, accompanied…

Raccoons In Iceland: A Sad History

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As visitors to Iceland will no doubt soon realise, Iceland’s fauna is not particularly diverse. Several attempts have been made…

Danish Surveyors On A Road Trip Around Iceland

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In the years 1900-1910, several teams of surveyors from the Danish Geological Survey institute travelled around Iceland, taking photos and…

Lemúrinn: Thorarinn Gunnarsson: Iceland’s Forgotten Sci-Fi Superstar

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With powerful AI-controlled ships, the Starwolves have been defending the Republic against the numerically superior but technically inferior Union forces,…

Greater Beings In The Stars Will Be Frequent Guests

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At the start of each New Year we are tempted to make predictions. Lemúrinn will make no such forecast for…

Lemúrinn: The Dream Of Icelandic Muskoxen

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This photograph, taken in August 1929, shows a few muskox calves grazing in Reykjavík’s central Austurvöllur square, which was back…

Lemúrinn: The Graf Zeppelin Visits Reykjavík

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“On Thursday, July 17, at around 11:00 AM, the citizens of Reykjavík looked up at the sky in astonishment as…

Lemúrinn: The Presence Of A People

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In the last decade of the 19th century a young Englishman named Frederick W.W. Howell travelled extensively in Iceland, visiting…

Lemúrinn: Iceland’s Forgotten Zoo

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Exotic animals are a rare sight in Iceland. Once upon a time, however, Icelanders could visit lions, monkeys, polar bears,…

Celebrating One Thousand Years Of Alþingi In 1930

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In the summer of 1930, 28-year-old Swedish photographer and scholar Berit Wallenberg travelled to Iceland where she spent a couple…

Lemúrinn: The Icelandic Tourist Experience In 1925

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In July 1925, a German cruise ship called the SS München stopped in Reykjavík, its first stop on a month-long…