Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.09.2019, Blaðsíða 8

So you’ve got all your stuff boxed up,
you’ve got the van hired, and you’re
ready to move into your new home.
But are you sure you brought every-
thing you’ll need? In Iceland, there
are superstitions surrounding having
a particular set of items in your new
home in order to avert disaster: salt,
coins, bread, a candle, and a Bible or a
cross. Maybe.
We say “maybe” here because there
are conflicting reports regarding which
of these you will need and why. But the
basic run-down is like this:
You need the salt to always have “salt
in your porridge” (similar to “sugar in
your tea”, i.e., to have some kind of
humble luxuries that make life more
bearable), the coins to ensure you’ll
always have money, and the Bible or
cross to keep evil spirits away. Some
say you also need bread to ensure you’ll
always have food, and some add the
candle to ensure that the lights stay on.
These items are then placed in a
small jar or pouch and kept in a safe
place somewhere in the house, most
often the kitchen cupboards.
So you get the basic idea: assemble
a small collection of tiny items that
represent the ingredients of a happy,
stable home, and then stash the
collection somewhere. The best thing
about this is that you could very well do
your own version of this. Get creative!
Superstitions need not be dogmatic.
Moving Day
Ancient superstitions also spark joy
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 16— 2019
LÓABORATORIUM
Listen, watch & hear
more tracks:
gpv.is/play
Alexander Jarl -
Marbella
Alexander Jarl
announces himself
in classic Jason
Derulo-Style and then
takes us on a trip to
sunnier shores. This
song is for anyone
who is looking to
prolong the Icelandic
summer and
ignore the fact that
temperatures are
hovering around 10
degrees Celsius. LM
Sin Fang - Hollow
I feel like a kid on
Christmas. This song
is absolutely brilliant,
the video, directed by
Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir,
is fantastic. Sin Fang
is back and better
than ever. The song
is incredibly strong
and I can’t wait to
see those guys at
Airwaves later this
winter. VG
Benni Hemm Hemm -
MIKLABRAUT
This is a feel-good
song that will
instantly put a little
smile on your face
as you’re sitting in
someone’s passenger
seat, head out the
window, with the
fresh winds of the
Icelandic countryside
blowing in your hair.
Perfect for any road-
trip adventure—just
make sure to get your
pretty head back in
before the driver hits
the brakes. LM
Rauður - Himinbjörg
Rauður’s new track
is an ethereal work
that feels dreamy at
first, but by the end,
a sinister vibe creeps
in. The video is also
very dream-like, with
footage of ocean
waves played in
reverse, and the artist
climbing around the
surrounding rocks
and laying down in
the water. SPO
Haraldur Þór - Pieces
Some of us remember
what it was like to
be emo. Haraldur Þór
does a fantastic job of
reviving that feeling
without copying His
Infernal Majesty or
The Used. The track
sounds fresh while
also delivering a
strong vibe of Chuck
Taylors and skinny
jeans. SPO
gugusar - I’m not
supposed to say this
gugusar is the
Icelandic response to
Billie Eilish, just with
an added touch of
Soundcloud autotune
and depression. The
girl is only 15—yeah,
seriously, 15—but her
three released tracks
betray a knowledge
of tonal maturity far
beyond her years.
Write this name
down now so you can
genuinely say you
listened to her before
she was famous. HJC
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
The must-hear
music of the issue
„Heimskt er
heimaalið barn“
JUST SAYINGS
This saying is pretty basic. In English,
it means ‘a homeschooled child is a
stupid child.’ Sounds rough, but this
is a saying in Iceland. What it means
is that an individual that does not
travel or see the world, will be a
stupid, narrow-minded bastard.
Once again, it sounds rough, but we
didn’t make this up; it’s a real saying.
To be clear, it’s not about children,
it’s about intolerant and uncharitable
people that vote for Donald Trump or
Viktor Orban and think that the whole
world revolves around them.
VG
ICELANDIC
SUPERSTITIONS
Words:
Andie Fontaine
Photo:
Art Bicnick
First
ARTISAN BAKERY
& COFFEE HOUSE
OPEN EVERYDAY 6.30 - 21.00
LAUGAVEGUR 36 · 101 REYKJAVIK
Some will go to great lengths to avoid renting a moving van