Ripley Meets Ripley

The Icelandic child named after the Alien protagonist met Sigourney Weaver, and the results were adorable.

Readers may recall the story of Ripley, the Icelandic girl who was granted the legal authority to bear this name by the Naming Committee in 2011. Ripley was named after Sigourney Weaver’s character in the Alien franchise, in part because, as her father Ragnar Hansson told reporters, “She’s just such a great role model. She’s a strong female character, not some wuss.”

Fast forward to some five years later, and Ragnar now reports that Ripley the Younger has finally met her namesake.

Ragnar recounts that he was tipped off by a friend that Sigourney Weaver was in Iceland, spotted at a nearby hair dressers. Hurrying downtown, Ragnar saw her in front of the Mál og Menning book store on Laugarvegur, screwed up his courage, and approached her.

After showing Weaver photos of his daughter, and explaining the story behind her name, he asked her if she’d like to meet his daughter in person before Weaver left the country – and she accepted, making a date for the next afternoon.

Ripley the Younger was reportedly excited to meet Ripley the Elder, despite not fully grasping the implications of the encounter. Nonetheless, they went to meet Weaver, and she was there to greet her young Icelandic fan.
All photos by Melkorka Huldudóttir

The crowning touch to the meeting was a card Weaver had made for the young Ripley, entitled “From Ripley To Ripley”, inside which bore the following inscription:

“Dear Ripley.

I am delighted to meet you, named after a character I loved.

I wish you all the best and I know you will bring your best to whatever you do – as Ripley does! 🙂

Much love,
Your Alien godmother

Sigourney”