Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.04.2016, Blaðsíða 53

Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.04.2016, Blaðsíða 53
the Edda is more like a sort of an- thology of several smaller collec- tions of poems centering on differ- ent themes and characters. They range from Peter Jackson-status apocalyptic fantasy to pagan dat- ing advice to dumbshit slapstick comedies to travel guides to sto- ries of violence against women to guessing games. For anyone look- ing for a killer costume idea for Drag-Súgur, there’s even a poem where Þórr and Loki have to dress in drag as bride and bridesmaid to recover Þórr’s stolen hammer from a giants’ wedding. Bring the whole family because there’s something for everyone. What the Vulva Says The most famous of them all is Völuspá, the Prophecy of the Seer- ess. In this one, an Icelandic for- tune-teller known as a völva (why yes it does sound like the English word vulva, making any Norse literature class a lot of fun) tells Óðinn some stuff. She tells how the world came from dwarves, then she lists dwarves’ names for several pages (many of the names were later used in ’The Hobbit’— including Gandalf). She’s just re- ally into dwarves right now. Then she tells him how his sis- sy, pretty-boy son Baldur is gonna get killed by mistletoe and then all the gods will get killed by gi- ants and a sea monster and a wolf in the apocalypse known as Rag- narök. There’s fire and blood and all kinds of dope shit just waiting to be turned into a narratively idi- otic blockbuster film whose only redeeming quality is amazing special effects. I’d totally pay one and a half Bryjólfurs to see that. Racism and Another Vulva While the first half revolves around the gods of Norse mythol- ogy, the poems in the second half of the Edda all tell the story of Sig- urður, Brynhildur, and Guðrún, which was turned into one of the weirdest and best sagas, Völsunga Saga, which I’ve already recapped. There are also a few poems consid- ered “eddic” by their meters and content even though they aren’t included in the main manuscript. The weirdest of these is the su- per white supremacist Rigsþula, where some guy travels around having threesomes with couples of various socioeconomic classes, whose women then beget the dif- ferent races. The poor farmers have black children with names like “slave” and “servant,” the middle-class people have ginger children with names like “smith” and “shepherd,” and of course the rich couple beget blonde children with names like “earl” and “noble- man.” Yep. I’ll just leave that there. On a happier note, there's also a poem called Hyndluljóð in which an- other, even sassier völva calls Frigg, queen mother of the gods, a goat-slut, and then sets her on fire. I always pre- fer a sassy völva, don’t you? SHARE: gpv.is/recap6 Although I’d like to think that ev- ery month in Iceland is National Poetry Month, the reality is that Iceland doesn’t have an official National Poetry Month. In lieu of this, we’re going to take a break from recapping the dusty, repeti- tive Sagas in honor of April be- ing National Poetry Month in the United States and Canada because why the hell not? This month, I’m going to recap the crown jewel of Icelandic literature and Norse my- thology known mysteriously as the Edda. I mean, if you can drink a dis- counted Guinness on St Patrick’s Day to celebrate Irish culture even though you live in Iceland, you can read at least one goddamn poem in all of April to celebrate poetry even though it’s National Poetry Month in another country. Or if not, you can just read this article about po- etry with unnecessary swearing. I know you love that shit. Dragons and Drag Queens The Edda is the name given to a collection of poems, most of which only exist in a single manu- script from around 1270. No one really knows where the name Edda comes from, but it was first used by that fat dude with the Far- rah Fawcett beard on the 1,000 krónur bill. He gave away argu- ably the most precious artifact in all Icelandic history to the smelly, witch-hating king of Denmark in 1643. It wouldn’t be returned for over three hundred years. That wasn’t very punk rock of him but it got the sellout’s dumb face on some money forever, so capitalism or whatever. Congratufuckingla- tions, Brynjólfur. You made it. Anyway, don’t let anyone sell you some dumb shit about the po- ems all being connected because 1. Read a fucking poem. It can be a medieval Icelandic one or one by Anne Carson or anything in between. 2. Read another one. 3. See how great they are? Shut up, I know. Morals of the story: RECAP: Episode 6 – The Eddic Poetry Special TV ON THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT WORDS: Grayson Del Faro PHOTO: Aldís Pálsdóttir When mothers expose their newborn children, leaving them where they will not be found, they turn into a ghost known as útbur- dur. When they are seen, their ap- pearance resembles that of a bird, such as a raven. They raise them- selves up on one knee and one hand and flutter about. Their co- lour depends on the colour of the rag in which they were wrapped. Those who see an útburdur should not hesitate to follow it, as it will eventually flee to its mother. They howl intensely during bad weath- er, but rarely speak. An exception to this is the tale of an útburdur visit- ing its mother in a sheepfold and reciting the following verse to her: My mother in the fold of sheep, Do not worry, do not weep, I shall lend you my blood-red rag For you to wear, for you to wear. Jón Árnason, Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og ævintýri III, bls.290 "Monster of the Month" is a spin off of 'The Museum of Hidden Beings', by artist Arngrímur Sigurðsson. He delved into Iceland´s mythological history, taking creature encounters from across the centuries and bringing them to life through painting in an act of creative cryptozoology. Find the book at book- stores, or order it online at arngrimur.com. Útburdur The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 4 — 2016 52 SHARE: gpv.is/recap6 TVEIR HRAFNAR listhús, Art Gallery Baldursgata 12 101 Reykjavík (at the corner of Baldursgata and Nönnugata, facing Þrír Frakkar Restaurant) Phone: +354 552 8822 +354 863 6860 +354 863 6885 art@tveirhrafnar.is www.tveirhrafnar.is Opening hours: Thu-Fri 12pm - 5pm, Sat 1pm - 4pm and by appointment +354 863 6860 TVEIR HRAFNAR listhús, Art Gallery offers a range of artwork by contemporary Icelandic artists represented by the gallery, se- lected works by acclaimed artists and past Icelandic masters. Represented artists: GUÐBJÖRG LIND JÓNSDÓTTIR HALLGRÍMUR HELGASON HÚBERT NÓI JÓHANNESSON JÓN ÓSKAR ÓLI G. JÓHANNSSON STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR Also works by: HADDA FJÓLA REYKDAL HULDA HÁKON NÍNA TRYGGVADÓTTIR KRISTJÁN DAVÍÐSSON – among others
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