Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.10.2019, Qupperneq 8

Halloween nears, and from the hearts
of all the old Norse, you’re welcome.
The holiday has its roots in old pagan
customs originating in the Nordic
countries. In Sweden, it was Dísablót
(‘Festival Of The Valkyries’), and in
Iceland, Veturnætur (‘Winternights’),
which was once the most popular time
to get married. Spooky, right?

The wandering dead
Veturnætur was primarily a celebra-
tion of the upcoming dark winter, and
the holiday revolved around farmers
joyously slaughtering their sheep.
Afterwards, they would drink them-
selves unconscious to further honour
the gods, as one does.
The harvest festival is often
mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas and it
appears to have been a rollicking drink-
ing celebration. Beyond that, it's a bit
unclear what people got up to. One clan
from the Sagas is said to have played
some kind of a ball game as a part of
the festivities. Others believed that
the elves and the dead would wander
around on Veturnætur, but nowadays,
that belief has been associated with a
night in the beginning of January called
the Thirteenth.
Spooky spirits
Unfortunately, after the Nordic coun-
tries became boring—I mean, Chris-
tian—Veturnætur turned into All
Saint’s Day, which eventually became
Halloween in other parts of the world.
Veturnætur still has some cultural
roots in Iceland. Some farmers believe
it’s bad luck to slaughter sheep in Octo-
ber or later in the winter. Ásatrú, the
Nordic pagan faith, celebrates the holi-
day in Iceland every year, and practi-
tioners have been doing so for some
time now. The rest of us just get drunk,
which, we suppose, is a nice enough
homage to the past.
Slau!hter Your
Sheep, Halloween
Is Comin!
How Iceland celebrated Halloween before
there even was Halloween
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 19— 2019
LÓABORATORIUM
Hera - How Does A Lie
Taste?
In her new song, Hera
asks the important
questions. Just how
does a lie taste? Well,
apparently sugary
as hell, if this slick
folk-pop ditty is to be
believed. If you’re a
traditional pop fan,
Hera will hit all your
buttons. She knows
the genre and does
it well. VG
una schram -
get away
una schram—no
capitals please—is
a newbie in the
Icelandic R&B scene,
who will play her
premiere Iceland
Airwaves set in
November. Her
newest single—the
first of two she’ll
release before her
Airwaves debut—
blends charming
R&B beats with
bad bitch attitude.
It’s surprisingly
refreshing, especially
in a tough genre
where the music can
o!en tend towards
bland. VG
einarIndra ". Sillus
- Dóttir
einarIndra struck like
a lightning bolt into
the Icelandic music
scene a couple of
years ago, quickly
proving that he was
one of the country’s
most interesting,
soulful electronic
musicians. “Dóttir,”
meaning daughter, is
a somber trip-hop-ish
ride with deep bass
and a fantastic vocal
addition by Sillus.
Don’t miss this at
Airwaves. We certainly
won’t. VG
JFDR -
Taking A Part Of Me
JFDR is back with
the first single o"
her upcoming 2020
album.“Taking A Part Of
Me” bears the strong
signature of JFDR, but
it’s admittedly a little
forgettable, unlike
her previous e"orts.
That said, it’s a solid
track nonetheless
and a good reminder
of how strong JFDR is,
even when not at her
best. VG

Matthildur - My Own
Matthildur’s vocals
are strong, so much
so that her smooth
R&B might sound
even better live than
it does with the light
vocal e"ects on her
album. She’s got a
Fiona Apple-turned-
trap-and-not-angry
vibe about her, but
perhaps a little
less controversial.
Basically, if you like
singer-songwriters
that you can also vibe
and vape to, check
her out. HJC
Shakespeare ver#ur
ástfanginn - Hva# er
ástin
‘Shakespeare ver#ur
ástfanginn’ is a
current musical at
$ljó#leikhúsi# based
on the Oscar-winning
‘Shakespeare In
Love.’ If you’re a fan
of slightly-cheesy
emotional ballads
with a touch of
soaring vocals—like
the music you listen
to in the bath when
you’re 100% sure
your roommate isn’t
home—put this on
your playlist. You’ll
keep it spinning, but
probably with your
earphones on. HJC
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
„Of seint í
rassinn gripi#“
JUST SAYINGS
Here’s one idiom that suddenly became
inflammatory because of #MeToo. It
literally means “too late to grab that
ass.” I kid you not. This is the exact
translation. Of course, it’s not about a
missed opportunity to sexually harass-
ing someone, it simply means that
it’s too late to do something now.
It’s origin is from the 16th century and
is believed to be connected to saving
someone that is drowning at sea. That
is, it’s too late to grab his body to haul
him from the depths of the crushing
Atlantic ocean. So, use this one with
care, and don’t grab anyone's ass,
unless they’re drowning. VG
ICELANDIC
SUPERSTITIONS
Words:
Valur Grettisson
Photo:
Art Bicnick
First
Well, someone's not getting any damn candy