View Post → Live streaming last goodbyes Áki Guðni Karlsson · Posted on April 20, 2021April 21, 2021Webcasting from funerals in Iceland during the Covid-19 pandemic Just yesterday I heard a funeral announcement on the Icelandic state radio, RÚV, saying that a funeral will be held next Saturday here in the town of Hólmavík, where I’m working, and that the service will be live streamed on the Facebook-page of a close relative …
View Post → The longest road out is the shortest road home Eiríkur Valdimarsson · Posted on March 17, 2021March 23, 2021Icelandic folklore in America In the late 19th and early 20th century, a large number of Icelanders emigrated from Iceland to seek a better life, opportunities and survival in America. Life in Iceland at the time was harsh, and many people were forced to sell their livestock and leave the country for good. Although these …
View Post → Can we predict the weather this year based on Christmas? Eiríkur Valdimarsson · Posted on February 23, 2021February 23, 2021A folklorist’s weather forecast for 2021 Some people find it expedient to predict the future to know what will come to pass, in order to prepare for things to come. One of the things that are nice to know is the coming weather; if it will turn out to be good or bad, over the …
View Post → The Yule Cat Áki Guðni Karlsson · Posted on December 17, 2020December 17, 2020From murky beginnings to a dark and glorious future You all know the Yule catAnd that cat was huge indeed.…Everybody knew he hunted menBut didn’t care for mice.(translation by Hallbergur Hallmundsson) These lines are from the poem “Jólakötturinn” (“The Yule cat”) by the Icelandic poet Jóhannes úr Kötlum. It first appeared in his book Jólin …
View Post → Viral remedies Áki Guðni Karlsson · Posted on November 29, 2020January 11, 2021Folk medicine during the Spanish flu pandemic in Iceland in 1918 We decided long ago to launch the “Resources” section of this website on folk beliefs in Iceland with a short post on popular remedies during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 – simply because we felt it was both on-brand and relevant for our …
