Lögberg-Heimskringla - 17.03.1995, Síða 11

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 17. mars 1995 »11
An American Visits lceland,
Cont’d.
While we were in Iceland, a new
priest for the religion of the ancient
Norse deity, Odin, was installed. A
distinguished looking man, he held
his hand in a huge flaming chalice by
way of “trial by fire”. His followers
are centred in Reykjavík and are
small in number. The majori.ty of
Icelanders seem not to take them
seriously. As a Unitarian I was pre-
pared to welcome the return of the
old gods — after all we have our own
contingent of Unitarian Pagans — yet
as I learned about the religion of
Odin the more reservations I had. For
men there was an emphasis on death
in battle as a requirement for life after
death — Valhala, the Norse heaven.
(Women, no doubt, were excluded).
The code of revenge, the right of
fathers to expose their new-born, the
naive character of Thor, God of
Thunder and Lightning, and other
notions contributed to my reserva-
tions.
Against my inclinations, I had to
consider the possibility that Christian
ideals were an improvement over
those of the old Norse religion. I
sense that most Icelanders feel the
same way. They are not particularly
religious and churches are not well
attended; yet the precarious and con-
tradictory nature of fire under glaci-
ers, the polarities of beauty and dev-
astation, the powerful forces of sea,
earth, sky, and of volcanoes ever pre-
sent-reminders of human powerless-
ness. Adventure and misadveriture
are seen as unified. When disasters
occur they work together to reclaim
their lives.
Icelanders appear to tolerate if not
respect their state church, yet their
spiritual centre appears to be else-
where. What informs their lives are
spiritual principals rather than reli-
gious codes.
Removing your shoes before enter-
ing a house is customary although
not compulsory. There is always a
piece of furniture to sit on while
removing or putting on shoes. In
addition there is usually a “beauty
spot” similar to the Japanese
“Kakemono”. This area is dedicated
to the display of an art object, paint-
ing, or flower arrangement. It may
have a mirror, special lighting, or a
cabinet for the storage of materials
used for the arrangement of plant
material. Icelanders are virtually all
soaking. In the soaking area there
are four pools each with a different
temperature. Like the Japanese,
Icelanders believe that soaking pro-
motes relaxation and reduces stress.
Thermal pools no doubt help to keep
Icelanders even tempered. Katherine
Scherman writes, “almost never do
you see the inward frown of worry.
For outlanders from an unquiet
world Iceland seems to be the out-
post of an uncluttered world”.
For most Westerners the term
“illegitimate child” has negative con-
notations. It is a term that does not
translate well in Icelandic. “Love
child” is the best approximation. The
term has no negative connotations
and no social stigma.
Ron and Thora (Asgeirson) du Bois in Myvatn, lceland
visually literate. Original art work in
homes and public spaces is often
seen. Icelandic artists and craftsper-
sons are fully aware of and in' contact
with the international art world.
Thora has two cousins who are
brothers. Often they are at odds with
each other because their personalities
are uniquely different. Yet they
expressed a filial bond with hugs and
sometimes with a solid kiss. I was
told that it is not considered effemi-
nate for brothers or close friends to
hug or kiss. Ip public, a hug or
“brushing” of both cheeks is a com-
mon expression of greeting among
men.
Landscaping with r.ocks is exten-
sive — plants play no part in gardens
that often achieve the status of works
of art. Icelanders are similar to
Japanese in their appreciation of the
aesthetic qualities of rocks. Rocks are
objects that can be used for the orga-
nization of pure form — tensions
between void and solid, shape, size,
volume, texture, etc. Organization of
disparate parts to achieve visual unity
is always the challenge — as difficult
as that of composer in organizing
sound, time, rhythm and movement.
Grímur said that Iceland averages
one murder a year. Rape is not a
problem that Icelanders worry about.
Handguns are prohibited — ordinary
citizens are not allowed to own them.
The police have handguns for emer-
gency situations, but they do not
£1
Thora's Island Home
Adelightful story about a 12 year old
girl who comes from lceland to
live with an Aunt and Uncle on
Hecla Island.
Film laminated cover and quality
bond paper. Cover illustrations by Roman
Swiderek (1992), courtesy of Gull
Harbour Resort and Conference Centre.
112 pages.
♦ Available at all bookstores in Winnipeg
4 H.P. Tergesen & Sons, Box 1818, Gimli,
Man. ROC 1B0
+• Smithbooks, Lower Mainland, B.C.
4 Smithbooks, Park Royal Shopping Mall,
- h- Vancouver
♦ lane Ross Books, White Rock, B.C.
_____________________________________
SyiviaSigurdsori $13.95 plus $4 for G.S.T. & mailing
Thora's
Island Home
carry them in public. Capital punish-
ment does not exist. Grímur com-
mented, “We try to help them”. He
explained that prisoners get paid a
small amount for useful work. On
the 500 mile return trip from
Reykjavík to Vopnafjördur we saw
only one police car and no acci-
dents.
Outdoor Swimming
Part of an explanation for the
excellent health of Icelanders
is their addiction to swimming
and soaking in thermally heated out-
door swimming pools. We went
swimming several times at the largest
pool in Reykjavík. There ,is an atten-
dant in the shower area to make sure
you soap down correctly.
Once outside the pool complex
underground thermal action can be
seen churning the water. Small gey-
sers leap out of the stones. It is a
huge outdoor complex with areas for
water games, for swimming and for
Baldur
by Kevin Johnson
No alchemy was needed in your case
To valorize you from the gold you
were:
Your happiness, conflated with the
grace
Of kindest mercy,
was not transmutable,
And so all living things rejoiced in
you
And gave a pledge
to keep you out of harm,
For from your goodness
all their love ensued
So vital was the magic of your
charm.
But base and jealous Evil found
a way
To spurn this banquet of felicity,
Investing malice on the blackest day
To blot your beauty in apostasy.
Your death would bring all Evil
to an end,
But death would die
when you were born again.
ALBERT W. EYOLESON, LL.B.
Barrister and Solicitor
INKSTER, CHRISTIE, HUGHES, MAGKAY
7th Floor - 444 St. Marys Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3TI
Bus.: (204) 947-6801 Res.: (204) 888-2598 Fax: (204) 947-6800
The New Icelanders
A North American Community
rii,
Nf ii’ lcdandcrs
A Nou'i m Ami:ku an C
hY Paviu Amnason n Vin« i-.ni Aiina.non
Part history, part memory and
myth, this collection includes
archival photos, essays,
; selections from settlers’ diaries
and early newspaper reports
documenting the nistory of a
people who, in 1875, left their
island of glaciers and
volcanoes to establish The
Republic of New Iceland on
the Canadian prairie.
Edited by David & Vincent Arnason.
$17.95 CDN (+gst), $14.95 US (+$2.50 s&h) to:
TURNSTONE PRESS
607-100 Arthur Street
Winnipeg MB Canada R3B 1H3