History & Language
The Reykjavík Grapevine takes on Iceland’s history, language and related topics
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Recap: The Tale of the Earl’s Poet Þorleifur
You know this is going to be a good story when the author begins by telling you that it ends with some rich dude who “drowns in a dark dungeon of wretched torments, in misery and subjection without end.” We’ve all been…
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Reykjavík Of Yore: A Spinning Political Monument
Perlan in Öskjuhlíð is some kind of Icelandic version of a Ferris wheel. The restaurant on top of the old tanks where Reykvíkingar used to store their hot water turns slowly, so guests can see the whole city from their seat if…
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Word Of The Issue: Farfuglaheimili
Iceland may be on everyone’s bucket list, but did you know that it’s also a firm favourite with migratory birds? Each year, thousands of species stop off en route to sunnier climes. Enter “farfuglaheimi,” directly translated as “home of migratory birds.” In…
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Word Of The Issue: Fórnarlamb
“Fórnarlamb” is the Icelandic word for “victim,” but it literally means “the sacrifice (fórn) lamb.” Especially when it comes to sexual assaults survivors, it is often deemed anachronistic and almost offensive in comparison to its English sister. “But if you look up…
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Saga Recap: The Saga of Bosi And Herrauður
One thing you should know about the Icelandic sagas is that some of them are not only sexually charged, they’re utterly fucking pornographic. And equally pun-ographic. There’s no other way to prepare you for what you’re about to read, so let’s just…
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Word Of The Issue: Brúðkaup
Words often give us insight on past traditions. “Brúðkaup,” for instance, the Icelandic word for “wedding,” refers to the old custom of purchasing (kaupa) a bride (brúð). “Is she worth five cows and a goat? I’ll take her. You, father of the…
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Reykjavík Of Yore: From Mundane To Watergate
Well, to be honest, the story of Háteigskirkja is painfully uninteresting. This is probably not the best way to start an article, but bear with me, because this article will unexpectedly end with Watergate (sorry to ruin the suspense). The church was…
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Saga Recap: The Saga Of Grettir The Strong
This is the saga of Grettir, the grandson of the “bravest and nimblest one-legged man to ever live in Iceland.” Don’t you wish your grandpa was that cool? Don’t be too jealous though because, honestly, things don’t really work out all that…
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Saga Recap: The Saga Of Crooked Refur
This saga starts with a lazy asshole named Refur, which is the Icelandic word for fox. So you probably already know where this is going. After his father dies, his shitty neighbor Þorbjörn starts letting his sheep graze all over Refur’s family…
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Word Of The Issue: Ljósmóðir
Literally translated as “mother of light,” “ljósmóðir” is the Icelandic word for “midwife,” and it’s considered by many to be the most beautiful word in the Icelandic language. Its soft sound does not do justice to the strength and determination of midwives,…
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Word of the Issue: Svikalogn
The word of the issue this issue is svikalogn, and like other useful aspects of Icelandic conversation, it’s about the weather. The word literally means “betraying calm,” and refers to a period of fair weather just before a storm rolls in. You…
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Word Of The Issue: Kuldaskræfa
The word of the issue this issue is kuldaskræfa. This literally means “cold coward,” and is used to refer to people who get cold easily or hate being cold. It’s a word that has no English equivalent, and also says a lot…
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Reykjavík of Yore: Ingólfstorg
Reykjavík is very much a car city and, when you look at old photographs of Iceland’s capital, you can see that it pretty much as has been for as long as there have been cars in Iceland. Here, we see what Ingólfstorg…
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Word of the Issue: :Þ
The word of the issue this issue is :Þ. Technically, no, this isn’t a word, but it is a neat emoticon that you can only make in Icelandic. And emoticons, like words, are imbued with meaning that can be at once static…
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Saga Recap: The Tale of Þorsteinn Housebaby
This story starts with a dude called Þorsteinn Housebig. He is so huge that he can barely fit through any door in Norway. Doorway, shnorway—he just shoves himself through anyway. His adventure begins when he manages to fit himself through a particularly…
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Reykjavík Of Yore: Squatting, And The Total Failure of Zoning
Ah, the wonderful year of 1919. The year after Great War ended. The Europeans were still dealing with its devastating consequences, not knowing that it was just a short break before the full-blown psychotic breakdown of Adolf Hitler. Communism was still brewing…
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RECAP: Saga Of Gísli Súrsson
There are more sex jokes in the sagas than you might guess, and neither jokes about butt-sex nor the literary masterpieces of the genre are exempt. The Saga of Gísli Súrsson begins with a good old-fashioned Norwegian family feud in which a…
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Reykjavík Of Yore: Sundhöllin
Although houses don’t change as the years pass by, society does. We at Grapevine found this absolutely amazing photo of Jón Ingi Guðmundsson, swimming teacher at Sundhöllin. With him are swimmers from the Icelandic sports club KR. Only three of the women…
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Word of the Issue: Glatað
The word of the issue this issue is glatað. This is a word you will hear quite often in the everyday speech of Icelanders. While it has the literal meaning of “lost” (e.g. “glatað vegabréf,” a lost passport), it is also used…
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Reykjavík of Yore: Laugardalshöllin
Laugardalshöllin was Iceland’s largest gymnasium for decades. The house was designed by Gísli Halldórsson and Skarphéðinn Jóhannesson, and its construction finished in the year 1965. It has significant meaning for Icelanders—not only as a sports arena, but also as the battleground for…
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RECAP: The Tale of Shady Halli
This Old Icelandic story begins and ends with dick jokes, which is totally my type of story. It’s classified as a tale rather than a saga because it is pretty short, but goddamn if it doesn’t deliver. (And no, that is not…
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Word Of The Issue: Legkaka
The word of the issue this issue is legkaka. Normally, this space is reserved for Icelandic words that have no direct English equivalent. In this case, there is an equivalent, as this is the Icelandic word for “placenta.” However, the direct translation…
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RECAP: Saga of Egill Skalla-Grímsson
This saga starts out with some big, hairy asshole named Kveld-Úlfur (“evening-wolf”), who may or may not be a werewolf. He is suspected of such based on his frequent bouts of rage in the evenings, but these could just as easily be…