Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.08.2011, Side 18

18
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12 — 2011
Awards | Falcons
You could say that the Order of the
Falcon is to Iceland what the Purple
Heart is to The United States. Well
you could say that—kind of—in the
sense that the President of Ice-
land doles out Order of the Falcon
awards and other things, while
the President of The United States
doles out Purple Hearts and other
things.
Only Falcon awards aren’t granted to
wounded soldiers; Iceland has never
had an army for that matter, unless you
count the lone solider Herdís Sigur-
grímsdóttir who was sent to Iraq (and
subsequently profiled on The Daily
Show). No, they are really nothing like
Purple Hearts. They are really more like
Presidential Medals of Freedom—but
who’s heard of those?
Falcon awards are granted to Ice-
landers and citizens of other countries
for the excellent work they do in the
interest of the nation. The Order of the
Falcon consists of five ranks, beginning
with the least prestigious and most
commonly awarded:
1. Knight’s Cross (“Riddarakrossinn”)
2. Grand Knight’s Cross (“Stórriddara-
kross”)
3. Grand Knight’s Cross with a Star (“Stór-
riddarakross með stjörnu”)
4. Grand Cross (“Stórkross”)
5. Collar with Grand Cross Breast Star
(“Keðja ásamt stórkrossstjörnu”) – Re-
served for Heads of State
MEET ICELAND’S PRESTIGIOUS
KNIGHTED CLASS
While the wounded vet carries their
Purple Heart with them so to speak,
there are actually loads—too many to
list—of knights in the Order of the Fal-
con running around in disguise of ordi-
narily talented Icelanders.
Though the awards can be worn
according to rank and file, their own-
ers probably have them stowed away
somewhere secure for the physical
award itself is incredibly divine. Sell-
ing the insignia is illegal—that ‘Grand
Knight’s Cross’ on sale for $16.50 on
eBay is most likely a fake—and when a
recipient dies, it must be returned to the
State.
SOME FAMOUS KNIGHTS
Ólafur Eggertsson, a farmer,
received the ‘Knight’s Cross’
in 2009 for his innovation in
farming. After Eyjafjallajökull
erupted in 2010, photos of his farm fea-
tured prominently in the international
media.
Ólafur Elíasson received the
‘Knight’s Cross’ in 2008 for
his work as an artist. He has
since then designed the fa-
çade of Harpa, Iceland’s new concert
hall and conference centre.
Iceland’s national handball
team received the ‘Knight’s
Cross’ in 2008 for winning
silver medals at the Olym-
pics. Icelanders take their handball very
seriously.
Baltasar Kormákur Baltas-
arsson received the
‘Knight’s Cross’ in 2007 for
his contribution to theatre
and film. He has directed films like ‘101
Reykjavík’ and ‘Jar City’.
Arnaldur Indriðason re-
ceived the ‘Knight’s Cross’
in 2004 for his work as an
author. He is a best-selling
crime fiction novelist (who incidentally
authored the book that ‘Jar City’ is
based on, ‘Mýrin’).
Ómar Ragnarsson received
the ‘Knight’s Cross’ in 1998
for his TV programmes on
Iceland’s nature.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir re-
ceived the ‘Collar with
Grand Cross Breast Star’ in
1980 for being President of
Iceland. She also received the ‘Grand
Cross’ in 1996 for her work on behalf of
the Icelandic nation.
Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir (Did-
dú) received the ‘Knight’s
Cross’ in 1995 for her skills
as an opera singer.
Friðrik Ólafsson received
the ‘Knight’s Cross’ in 1972
for being a chess master.
SOME LESS FAMOUS KNIGHTS
Dóra Guðbjört Jónsdóttir, a
goldsmith, received the
‘Knight’s Cross’ in 2011 for
her contribution to the gold
and silversmith industry.
Hildur Sæmundsóttir, a
midwife, received the
‘Knight’s Cross’ in 2009 for
her contribution to health care
and preventative measures.
Áslaug Sigríður Alfreðsdót-
tir, a hotel manager, re-
ceived the ‘Knight’s Cross’
in 2007 for her work in the
travel industry in the countryside.
Sigurður Sigurðarson, a vet,
received the ‘Knight’s Cross’
in 2006 for his work in vet-
erinary studies and disease
prevention.
Finnbogi Eyjólfsson, an em-
ployee at Hekla, received
the ‘Knight’s Cross’ in 2004
for his “innovative work in
Iceland’s automobile industry.” He
passed away last year at the age of 84.
Kaj Elkrog, Director of Cus-
toms in Denmark, received
the ‘Knight’s Cross’ in 2003.
SOME INFAMOUS KNIGHTS
Sigurður Einarsson re-
ceived the ‘Knight’s Cross’
in 2007 for his “leadership in
the outvasion of Iceland’s fi-
nancial system.” As former president of
Kaupþing when the bank crashed, Sig-
urður is now known as one of Iceland’s
‘banksters’.*
Björgólfur Guðmundsson
received the ‘Knight’s Cross’
in 2005 for his work as a
businessman. As the former
president of Landsbankinn when the
bank crashed, Björgólfur is also known
as one of Iceland’s ‘banksters’.*
Geir H. Haarde received the
‘Grand Cross’ in 2006 when
he was Prime Minister and
the ‘Grand Knight’s Cross
with a star’ in 2005 when he was Minis-
ter of Foreign Affairs. He is now on trial
for negligence for his role as Prime
Minister when Iceland’s banks crashed.
Davíð Oddsson received the
‘Grand Cross’ in 1991 when
he was Prime Minister. After
the economic collapse, he be-
came head of the Central Bank, and
then went on to become editor of the
newspaper Morgunblaðið. He must be
a man of many talents.
Carl XVI Gustav received
the ‘Collar with Grand Cross
breast star’ in 1975 as King
of Sweden. A book called,
‘Carl XVI Gustaf – Den motvillige
monarken’, published last year, reveals
his less than glamorous life as “a phi-
landerer who attended wild sex parties
abroad and in underworld Stockholm
clubs while the secret police kept
guard,” according the ‘The Indepen-
dent’.
*Last year there was some discussion about
confiscating Björgólfur and Sigurður’s awards,
but nothing came of it. Sigurður told tabloid
Séð og Heyrt that he would not be turning in
his award voluntarily in any case.
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE ORDER OF THE FALCON
Iceland has awards for ‘Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Excellence’, too
They're like Purple Hearts, but not really.
Please visit
www.fontana.is Hverabraut 1 | 840 Laugarvatn | fontana@fontana.is | Tel: (+354) 486 1400
FA
B
R
IK
A
N
Natural hot spriNg steambaths
soothiNg sauNa
relaxiNg geothermal baths
Selfoss
Reykjavík
Þingvellir
Laugarvatn
Fontana Geysir
Flúðir
SkálholtKerið
Hveragerði
Only an hour by car from Reykjavík and a short distance from
Thingvellir national park and world heritage site, nature has
created unique surroundings for a new bathing experience
– Laugarvatn FONTANA.
How To Be Conferred To
The Order Of The Falcon
• You must be an Icelander or a
citizen of another country—any-
body—who has done something
great in the interest of Iceland.
• You must be nominated—any-
body’s mother can do this by send-
ing mail to: Falcon Order Council,
c/o Office of the President of Ice-
land, Sóleyjargata 1, 150 Reykjavík,
ICELAND, or email president@pres-
ident.is.
• The Order of the Falcon Com-
mittee must select you from a batch
of 80 to 100 other nominations re-
ceived yearly.
• The President of Iceland ap-
proves the Committee’s selection
and hands out your award on either
January 1 or June 17.
ANNA ANDERSEN