Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Page 54

Although houses don’t change as
the years pass by society does.
We at Grapevine found this ab-
solutely amazing photo of Jón
Ingi Guðmundsson, swimming
teacher at Sundhöllin. With him
are swimmers from the Icelandic
sports club KR. Only three of the
women are named in the mu-
seum’s archive: Erla Gísladóttir
(1927-1983), Hafdís Jóhannsdóttir
(1932-2001), and Kristrún Einars-
dóttir Castagna (born 1927). The
picture was taken some time be-
tween 1948 and 1955.
Because we love to think outside
the box, we decided to call the new
head coach of the KR swim team—
who today isn’t a middle-aged man
in a black suit, but a young women,
a little younger than the women in
the older photograph. Her name is
Berglind Ósk Bárðadóttir and she’s
eight months pregnant. We asked
her if she could help us re-create
the photo, and of course she was
more than willing. She recruited
teenagers from KR to help us re-
stage the photo (and we are very
thankful for their time).
Sundhöllin, Reykjavík’s oldest
swimming pool, was built in the
year 1937. The architect, Guðjón
Samúelsson, was the most fa-
mous in Iceland—he also de-
signed Hallgrímskirkja and the
National Theater, among other
iconic Reykjavík structures.
An historic reenactment
Words: Valur Grettisson
Photo:
Reykjavik Museum of photography
REYKJAVÍK OF YORE
It is in most respects like other cats
[...] but larger and more vicious and
formidable. As a youngling, it will
bury itself into the ground, prefer-
ably in a cemetery, and stay there for
an undetermined time. It will spare
nothing once it has emerged and is
almost impossible to conquer. It can
grow to the size of a dog, wether or
even a yearling. It is said that when
it buries itself in a cemetery and is
left undisturbed, it will stay under-
ground for three years, in which
case it is known as a corpse cat.
Once it leaves the cemetery, accord-
ing to some accounts, it will dwell in
rocky slopes, attacking sheep, birds
and men alike. Its gaze is so evil and
severe that it proves instantly fatal
to all beings, although this is mostly
to be feared [...] when it is newly
emerged from the ground. It is like
other cats in that it will be over-
come by its own reflection. I have
heard few tales of actual ghoul cats.
No guns will harm a ghoul cat with
full powers, except perhaps if silver
buttons or silver bullets are fired at
it. These are among the worst of all
malignant creatures.
Source: Sigfús Sigfússon, Íslenzkar
þjóðsögur og sagnir VI, p. 64-65
Urðarköttur - “Ghoul Cat”
MONSTER OF THE MONTH
54 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05 — 2017
Photo:
Art Bicnick
Taken from 'The Museum of Hidden Beings' by
Arngrímur Sigurðsson. Buy the book at gpv.is/dulbk
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