Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2019, Blaðsíða 6

New research has brought to light two
amazing facts about pre-settlement
Iceland: there was once a special
“breed” of Icelandic walrus which was
abundant across West Iceland, and
the dawn of earnest settlement of the
island heralded the end of the creature.
Fréttablaðið reported that the
research was a joint effort of the
University of Iceland, the University of
Copenhagen and the Icelandic Museum
of Natural History, where the genetic
material of some 300 walrus bones
found in Iceland was examined.
This genetic material contained
particular mutations that are not found
anywhere else in the world, indicating
that this walrus population was partic-
ular to Iceland. By their estimates, the
walruses, which inhabited the Icelandic
coastline pretty much exclusively in the
West, may have been here from as far
back as 6,000 years BCE.
In a story that brings to mind such
creatures as the great auk and the dodo,
humankind would end up spelling the
downfall of the creature. When the
first settlers began to arrive in Iceland
in the 9th century, the walruses were
hunted enthusiastically. So enthusias-
tically, in fact, that the Vikings almost
single-handedly wiped out the Icelandic
walrus stock.
Today, walruses do on occasion
find their way to Icelandic shores. In
fact, there are some walrus popula-
tions in Greenland and Svalbard which
bear some genetic similarities with
the old Icelandic stock. The Icelandic
settlers might not have cut down all
of the country’s trees, as is popularly
contended, but they are quite defini-
tively the reason why there’s no such
thing as an Icelandic walrus today.
Have you ever
eaten something
and got the feeling
that the food is
literally trying to
kill you? No? Well,
then you haven’t
tried the traditional
fermented Icelan-
dic dish ‘skata’, or
‘skate’ in English.
Skata is an old
Icelandic Christmas
tradition that is
part of the celebra-
tion on the mass of
Saint Þorlákur on
December 23rd. As
with most rotten
things, we inher-
ited skata from
the self-hating
Catholic church.
They believed that
you should fast
before Christmas,
or, at the very least,
not eat anything
good. Therefore,
they developed
the custom
to only eat
damaged fish
on the day of
Saint Þorlákur.
You can always
trust the Catholics
to remember you in
the nicest way.
But how do you pre-
pare skata? We’re
not sure you want
to know. You ready?
Begin by cutting
the edges of the
fish—remember to
remove the liver, or
it will damage the
fish. Then, leave it
in a tub for three
weeks to
rot. This is neces-
sary because the
skata has a high
amount of urea, so
while the fish rots,
the urea changes
into ammonia,
which gives the
fish its delicious
stench and
brutal
taste—which can
only be described
as a full frontal
assault. In fewer
words: It marinates
in the same stuff
you piss.
Hungry
yet?
And
how
does
it taste?
It’s hard
to explain, ex-
actly. But the short
version is that if it’s
well prepared, it
literally takes your
breath away, as the
stink of the cooking
is notorious, and is
probably the clos-
est that the Icelan-
dic nation gets to
chemical warfare.
After you’ve been
to a Skötupartý,
it’s recommended
that you burn your
clothes, scrub
yourself in the
shower, fall onto
the floor, and cry a
little bit—if not for
yourself, at least do
it for Saint Þorlákur.
VG
Walruses, Once Plentiful
In Iceland, Were Wiped
Out By Settlers
The seldom-seen sea mammal
disappeared with the Vikings
Words:
Andie Fontaine
Photo:
Gary Bembridge
First
Jón Gnarr is known to many of our
readers as the fun-loving former may-
or of Reykjavík, but his local claim to
fame is based in large part on some of
the many comedic characters he has
created. One unlikely success is his
character Indriði, a perpetually shout-
ing and outraged man who issues an
endless litany of petty complaints.
This character resonated strongly
with Icelanders, leading us to wonder
just what it is about him that speaks
to the national character, so we asked
the creator himself.
“Indriði was not based on any one
person that I remember, but rather
a type that I created for the Tvíhöfði
serial sketch programme Smásálin,
a call-in radio show. Indriði didn’t
get much attention when he first
appeared, and for some reason he
never appeared in the VHS copies we
published. It wasn’t until he appeared
on DVD that the character became a
success. I had actually completely
forgotten about him and his popular-
ity surprised me greatly.
“Indriði is naturally a human arche-
type of Icelandic laziness and eccen-
tricity. We are a society that’s still at
the first stage of civilisation. Indriði
is a kind of petty farmer who realises
he’s in the city.”
Complaining about small things
is somewhat of a national pastime.
Indriði, who will complain loudly about
such things as leaky faucets and noisy
radiators at a corporate board meet-
ing, is then a hyperbolic depiction of
this facet of the Icelandic character.

ASK A
Comedy Writer
Q: What Can Indriði Tell
Us About The Icelandic
Character?
6 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 01— 2019
FOOD OF
ICELAND
NEWS
Sk
at
a
A majestic animal. People define the word 'majestic' in so many ways.
Words: Andie Fontaine
Photo: Ari Magg
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