Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.03.2017, Síða 60

Pictured here is probably the
best-known landmark in Reyk-
javík, and perhaps the most Ins-
tagrammed one, too. The church
Hallgrímskirkja is named in honor
of Iceland’s most prominent writer
of religious poetry, Hallgrímur Pé-
tursson (1614-1674). The older image
dates from 1969, when the church
was in its 24th year of construc-
tion; in all, it would take 41 years
to complete, and was finally open
to the public in 1986. Its architect
was the state architect Guðjón
Samúelsson, who’s also respon-
sible for the University of Iceland’s
main building, the National The-
atre, Hótel Borg and more. Hall-
grímskirkja was controversial
from the start, inspiring one an-
noyed poet to write a poem ending
thus (roughly translated): “State
architect, no more, no more.”
H a l l
g r í m s
k i r k j a
Words
Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
Photos
Top: Reykjavik Museum of
photography
Bottom: Art Bicnick
REYKJAVÍK OF YORE
There is a peculiar story about the
origin of the Icelandic word for
sweater:
A F rench f i sher ma n saw
an Icelandic farmer wearing a
sweater and pointing to him, he
called out “Paysan!”—the French
word for farmer. Due to the lan-
guage barrier, the farmer thought
the fisherman was commenting
on his sweater, and thus the Ice-
landic word for sweater, peysa,
was born.
It’s probably not a true story,
but the actual origin of the word
(likely from Dutch or German
roots) is not quite as cute.
If you’re asked to think of an
Icelandic sweater, you will likely
imagine the lopapeysa, a knitted
wool sweater characterized by a
patterned yoke, hem and wrists.
The name lopapeysa just means
a sweater made from Icelandic
yarn, or lopi.
Although synonymous with
Icelandic knitting, the lopapeysa
was only introduced to the coun-
try in the mid-20th century. Pro-
fessor Gudrun Helgadottir notes
that the sweater’s popularity
peaked during the years follow-
ing independence from Danish
sovereignty, and again following
the economic collapse of 2008.
Both periods saw an upswing in
nationalism and a return to tra-
ditional values, and what’s more
traditional or more Icelandic than
sheep, wool and knitting?
Practically everyone in Iceland
owns one of these lopapeysur,
likely handknitted by someone in
their family. Although Icelandic
grandmothers are best known
for knitting, the craft is taught to
both boys and girls in school.
Nowadays lopapeysur can
be easily found around tour-
ist shops in 101, but if you are
looking for something a little
more authent ic or possibly
handmade by a real Icelandic
grandmother, or amma, visit
the Handknitting Association
of Iceland on Skólavörðustígur.
If you are a seasoned knitter,
you can purchase lopi and pat-
terns and knit one yourself!

Every Single Word in Icelandic (http://
everysingleword.is) is a pictographic
exploration of the Icelandic language.
I find an interesting compound word,
then deconstruct and illustrate it as
icons. The goal is to express how Ice-
landic can be deadpan literal and un-
expectedly poetic at the same time.
The Peysa of the PeysanWORDS OF INTEREST
Words & Art: Eunsan Huh
60 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 03 — 2017
Book online:
elding.is elding@elding.is +(354) 519 5000
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