Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.01.2017, Síða 62

Meeting Locals
By NANNA DÍS ÁRNADÓTTIR
Dear Nanna,
I’m traveling with my girlfriend over the
Christmas/New Year’s period, I read on the
Grapevine that mostly locals party at home
or throw house parties during the holidays
rather than go out. We aren’t interested
in just going out to bars and seeing other
tourists and really want the authentic
Icelandic party experience. How do we get
to know locals well enough to score invites
to more intimate parties?
Looking for Locals
Dear Looking for Locals,
“Authentic Icelandic experiences”? “In-
timate parties”? Icelanders aren’t props
for your good time, asshole. We have
lives that we are living here, this isn’t
Westworld. Wait, is it?
Nanna (or am I?)
Hey Nanna,
My friend told me earlier this month that
she’d had an abortion last year and I can’t
help but feel like our relationship is dam-
aged somehow. We tell each other every-
thing, or so I thought. I mean, she’s kept
this a secret for a FULL YEAR. I am having
trouble bringing myself to talk to her, do I
need to change my thinking here? She says
I don’t have a right to be hurt but I can’t
help how I feel.
Betrayed
Hey Betrayed,
I think the person who needs to change
her thinking here is your so-called
“friend.” She’s the one making re-
productive health decisions without
consulting the Master General of her
uterus—i.e. you.
How callous can she be? Her duty as
your friend is to keep you sated with
juicy personal morsels of her private
life so that you may live life through
her experiences as well as your own.
DOES SHE NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR
FEELINGS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT
FEELINGS?
I’m sorry your friend treats you this way.
Nanna.
Do you want to ask Nanna a question? Go ahead, but continue at your
peril. Shoot her an email on nanna.arnadottir(at)gmail.com or tweet her
using @NannaArnadottir
DON'T ASK NANNA ABOUT
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01 — 2017
62
A fishing boat was sailing north of Ice-
land when it suddenly heeled, so that it
was almost flooded, due to some hor-
rific creature that held on to the gun-
wale. The part of it that was on board
resembled some kind of pincers, but the
head and body were outboard. The crew
cleft the beast in twain at the gunwale.
The part that fell on board was so large
that they had to cut it up to get rid of it.
They estimated that the whole creature
must have been many shiploads.
Sigfús Sigfússon, Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og
sagnir V, p. 125.
MONSTER OF THE MONTH
Kráki
Kraken
In Icelandic Christmas tradition,
there’s not one Santa Claus but thir-
teen mischievous, not always generous
Jólasveinar, or Yule Lads. And Christ-
mas in Iceland doesn’t just end with a
food coma on December 25th, it goes
on for thirteen more days. During this
time, these Yule Lads return home to
the mountains one by one.
The last to leave is Kertasníkir
(literally “candle stealer”) on Janu-
ary 6th, and his departure marks the
end of Christmas. This day is known
as “Þrettándinn.” Though the literal
translation is “the thirteenth,” it’s
commonly called Twelfth Night. Like
on Christmas, there are many festivi-
ties on Þrettándinn, from bonfires to
fireworks—one last yuletide hurrah.
Þrettándinn is also a curious and
mystical time. Iceland is rich with
folklore featuring elves, literally called
“hidden people” (huldufólk). Accord-
ing to the Elfschool of Reykjavík,
these hidden people are descendants
of Adam and Eve. Eve was ashamed of
her unwashed children and hid them
from God. Seeing through her lies, God
made them invisible to men.
Humans can only see these hidden
people with the elf’s permission, so
huldufólk spottings are usually quite
rare. However, on Þrettándinn, they
are rumoured to come out of hiding
and frolick in the open, dancing by the
bonfires and celebrating the season.
Folklore also tells of seals that turn
into humans and cows that speak. So
if you are in Iceland this time of year,
keep a vigilant watch!
Elf Watch
WORDS OF INTEREST
Words & Art EUNSAN HUH
"Monster of the
Month" is a spin off of
'The Museum of Hid-
den Beings', by artist
Arngrímur Sigurðs-
son. He delved into
Iceland´s mytho-
logical history, taking
creature encounters
from across the cen-
turies and bringing
them to life through
painting in an act of
creative cryptozool-
ogy. Find the book at
bookstores, or order
it online at arngrimur.
com.
This Issue's
Winner
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to win a Grapevine t-shirt. The winning pic-
tures are posted to our website grapevine.is,
Istagram account @rvkgrapevine and also
right here in the magazine. Just tag your
pictures with #GVpics to enter. Here are the
best shots from the last week. Our winner is a
photo by @jrbowe.
Congrats!
#GVPICS
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