Reykjavík Grapevine - feb. 2020, Side 10

10 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02— 2020
Town Celebrates First
Day Of Sunli!ht
The gods really work in mysterious ways
On January 28th, RÚV reported that the
inhabitants of Siglu!ör"ur, on Iceland’s north
coast, celebrated a very special day: the
return of sunlight.
A long period of darkness
It’s no secret that Icelandic winters are
characterised by long periods of darkness,
but some places fare better than others.
Icelanders who live in Reykjavík, for example,
are spared the worst of it, as the city is in the
southwest and the landscape to the south
is relatively flat. Further north, especially for
towns flanked by mountains to the south,
such as Siglu!ör"ur, they receive only ambient
sunlight for much of the winter.
In fact, today marks the first day since mid-
November that Siglu!ör"ur residents have
been able to enjoy direct sunlight.
Bake-off
The occasion is marked by a massive pancake
bake-o#, where some 2,000 Icelandic
pancakes are consumed. School children were
permitted to go on a guided walk to enjoy the
sun’s rays, culminating in a sing-along by the
local church.
It’s a touching moment, and hopefully
one that reminds people that we should be
grateful for all the little things that make life
worth living, even those things we o$en take
for granted, like sunlight.
Ásatrú Pagans received aid from an
unexpected source. Religious lead-
ers in Thailand donated thousands of
euros toward the construction of their
temple. “The gods are doing their work
in a mysterious and inspiring way,”
Pagan Chief Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson
told Vísir. The group plans to begin
crowdfunding later this year to finish
construction. They hope to be a great
attraction to visitors from abroad who
are interested in ancient Norse culture.
“I have always said this will be one of
the major buildings in Reykjavík when
it is finished,” Hilmar said.
One of Ó"in’s names
The location of the temple was
provided by the City of Reykjavík and,
as Hilmar explains, is quite perfect.
“We were originally supposed to be
in Leynim!ri, but that was not possi-
ble because of the airport. Then
Vilhjálmur "órmundur Vilhjálmsson
descended on this location, which he
said was really perfect. Here are all the
names which are connected to Ásatrú.
We have Hrafnabjörg right below us.
We have Hangakletta, which is now one
of the names of Ó#in…So I think this is
divine providence.”
Built with their own money
The banking collapse also delayed
construction. The group had hoped
to begin construction in 2010 or 2011,
but it did not begin until 2017. Also,
the temple was initially set to cost
127 million ISK, but today it is valued
at over 300 million ISK—the project
has been on hold since last year due
to lack of funding. Fortunately, the
group has not borrowed any money
from the bank. “We have built with our
own money,” Hilmar explains; “never
borrowed.”
Words: Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo: CDC/Dr. Fred Murphy
While there are no reported cases of
coronavirus in Iceland, the Depart-
ment of Civil Protection and Emer-
gency Management has issued a
“state of uncertainty” over the situ-
ation.
“While there are no suspected cases
of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
in Iceland, the National Commissioner
of the Icelandic Police, in association
with the Directorate of Health, has
declared an uncertainty phase based
on risk assessments from The World
Health Organization (WHO) and the
European Center for Disease Control
(ECDC),” they state in part. “‘Uncer-
tainty phase’ is characterized by an
indication of event that could pose a
health- or security threat to people,
communities or the environment. Rel-
evant authorities are closely coordi-
nating the response and monitoring
the situation.”
To this end, Civil Protection is work-
ing closely with the police and the
Directorate of Health to monitor the
situation more closely.
“State Of
Uncertainty”
Issued Over
Coronavirus
State of uncertainty
issued in Iceland
Ásatrú Pa!ans
Receive Forei!n Aid
The gods work in mysterious ways
Words:
Sam O’Donnell

Photo:
Art Bicnick
Words:
Andie Sophia Fontaine

Photo:
Art Bicnick
Coming soon: Divine Providence
News
Words: Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Iceland and the United Kingdom have
signed a joint agreement that will
ensure all the European Economic
Area (EEA) rights and privileges of
citizens of both countries currently
enjoy until at least the end of 2020, an
announcement from Iceland’s Minis-
try of Foreign Affairs reports.
Brexit cause for concern
Though Brexit became official at 11
p.m. GMT on January 31st, the UK will
remain within the EU market until the
end of 2020. While Iceland is not in the
EU, it is in the EEA, and Brexit has been
a cause for concern amongst Iceland-
ers living in the UK and Brits living in
Iceland.
Citizen not affected by
Brexit
Minister of Foreign Affairs Gu#lau-
gur "ór "ór#arson signed an agree-
ment with London in January that will
ensure that citizens of these countries
will not be affected by Brexit, provided
they have moved from one country to
the other before the end of 2020.
Continue our close
relationship
Furthermore, Iceland and the UK will
begin trade negotiations to prepare for
when Britain will be officially out of
the EU market at the end of this year.
The stated goal of this agreement is “to
continue our close relationship now
and in the future, and to take the best
advantage of the opportunities that
will arise.”
Iceland And Britain Si!n
A!reement, Ensurin! Pre-Brexit
Ri!hts Until End Of 2020
The gods still work in mysterious ways
Coming soon: Trade Negotiations
Coming soon: Sun, glorious sun!