this day in icelandic history — The Reykjavik Grapevine %

Witch Hunt: A Visit To The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft

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Witchcraft and wizardry haves been the subject of fascination for centuries—just look at the success of a certain magical franchise…

Ok, Bye Climate Summit Took Place at Harpa

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On Wednesday, May 18th, Harpa concert hall and conference center hosted Ok, Bye Climate Summit. The event took place within…

Treasure Ísland

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Jón Ársæll’s latest work documents a 60-year search for gold “This is not the film I set out to make,”…

Strangers In The North: ‘Visitations’ Wins The Visual Arts Prize

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Polar bear encounters in Iceland tend to take a predictable form: a bear, often weak and emaciated, is spotted by…

70 Years Of Erró, Now In Hafnarhúsið

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This Saturday a retrospective exhibition, which celebrates seventy years of Erró’s career, was opened at the Reykjavik Art Museum in…

New Frontiers of Technology: NFTs in Iceland

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Artists in Iceland are using NFTs to change the landscape around them – forever. On March 11th, 2021, an artist,…

Faroese Visit French Museum in Fáskrúðsfjörður

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A large group of about 300 Faroese sailors and their spouses have come to Iceland to visit Fáskrúðsfjörður, its rich…

Health Minister Says He Will Submit Drug Decriminalisation Bill This Autumn

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Following yesterday’s report that Minister of Health Willum Þór Þorsson had decided to not submit his ministry’s bill on decriminalising…

Öskudagur, a.k.a. Ash Wednesday 2022 Is Here

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Today Iceland celebrates Öskudagur or Ash Wednesday. This is a holiday that marks the first day of Lent, or 46…

Four Bodies Recovered From Plane Crash In Þingvallavatn

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All four bodies of the men who died in a plane crash in the lake Þingvallavatn have now been recovered…

An Icelandic Noise: Dance Music, Wild Sounds And Gentle Folk

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What does Iceland sound like? Perhaps it’s an odd question to ask about a big chunk of rock in the…

Catch Of The Day: Icelanders Have Fallen For Verbúðin Hook, Line And Sinker.

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In the post-terrestrial TV world, with myriad streaming options (does anyone else feel like they spend more time on the…

Hallgrímur Helgason: Torn Between Keith Haring and the Sagas

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Hallgrímur Helgason is in some ways a rebel when it comes to Icelandic fiction, and his weapons are pleasantly disarming;…

Addiction Centre Director Resigns Amidst Revelations From Former Sex Worker

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The now-former director of the National Center of Addiction Medicine (SÁÁ), Einar Hermannsson, resigned from his position last Monday, telling…

The Grapevine’s New Music Picks: Bríet, russian.girls and Kaśka Paluch

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This week: a new track and video out today from Bríet, russian.girls give out the dark and moody and Kaśka…

First MP Of Kurdish Background And Youngest MP Both Take Seats In Iceland’s Parliament

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Today was an historic first in the history of Iceland’s Parliament, for two reasons. Firstly, because Lenya Rún Taha Karim,…

Grapevine Picks: A Theremin Concert In Space, Our Dark Overlord Returns & Chinese Art

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It might be the week before Christmas, but there’s no let up in The Grapevine’s obsession with bringing our dear…

Immigrant Poets Rethinking The North

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Icelanders are famous for their writings, for their old Edda poems and tales of our Viking history. This small island…

Grapevine Picks: Book Fairs And Hugs!

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Glancing at the weather forecast, it seems that outside activities might prove a little challenging during the upcoming week. But…

The Book That Shaped The Icelandic Soul

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There are few books, if any, that have shaped the Icelandic soul as significantly as the Folklores and Adventures, or…

Björk’s Choral Concert Soars

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A musician announcing plans to “re-imagine” a well-loved body of work in the live arena can induce a shiver down…