Reykjavík Grapevine - okt. 2020, Blaðsíða 7

Words:
Andie Sophia
Fontaine
Illustration:
Hans Dahl via
Wikimedia
Commons
Rán is the wife of Ægir, a jötunn (a
kind of giant) associated with the sea.
While Ægir is all about the more posi-
tive aspects of the sea—sailing, explor-
ing, fishing and such—Rán has but one
mission in life and that is to literally
drown you.
Where Thor has a hammer and
Freyr has a magic sword, Rán has a net.
And she uses that net to literally drown
you.
Icelanders to this day feel a great
deal of emotions about the sea, which
they both revered and feared since
Settlement times. Icelandic poet Egill
Skallagrímsson, writing Sonnatorrek
in the 10th century, lamented the loss
of his son Bö!varr, who drowned at
sea, saying in part, “Greatly has Rán
afflicted me/I have been despoiled of
a great friend/Empty and unoccupied
I see the place/which the sea has torn
my son”.
Why will Rán literally drown you?
Because she can. Some people bake
bread, some people knit, Rán literally
drowns people. Much like the sea, she
does not have any rhyme or reason in
terms of who will be lost in her watery
embrace—one only needs to be in the
wrong place at the wrong time for Rán
to see you, cast her net, and literally
drown you.
Today, the Icelandic noun “rán”
means a robbery of some kind. While
having your car stolen is upsetting, it’s
certainly better than being out to sea
and having a powerful goddess throw
a net at you, and then literally drown
you.
Rán, The Sea Goddess
The Goddess who will literally drown you
7 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08— 2020
Jónsi & Robyn - Salt
Licorice
“Salt Licorice” is an
aggressive take
on ballroom house,
with a thumping
beat contrasted
by eerie vocals.
In it, Jónsi and
Robyn—what a duo,
right?—share the
sorrows of aging,
nostalgia and
depression. A 2020
revelation, for sure.
HJC
The Post
Performance Blues
Band - ooh I am
blue
Smoking in the
gym? What’s not
to like about this
super-aggressive,
kind of self-hating
indie techno
track by the
most interesting
performance
group/band in
Iceland? The
video itself is a
masterpiece and
the song is like if
Björk went to the
gym and had a
stroke at the same
time. That’s a good
thing. I think? VG
Rex Pistols - Don’t
Be Afraid Of My
Heart
Grapevine-favourite
Rex Pistols proves
once and again
that goth isn’t
dead. And by “goth,”
we don’t mean
those green-haired
TikTok kids who
dramatically lip
sync to Top 40.
No, this is pure,
old-school, synth-
laden, delectable
goth that’ll have
you lavishly
swaying around
your apartment in
a lace gown and
headpiece. Lugosi,
don’t be afraid of
this art. HJC
Ólafur Arnalds -
Woven Song
“Woven Song” is
something that
you would imagine
aliens on distant
planets would love.
But if you enjoy odd
voices, beautiful
piano melodies
and incredible
videos directed
by Thomas Vanz,
you’ll like it too.
Ólafur Arnalds is,
as always, unique
and his songs
are like a shot of
future technology
straight into your
forehead. This is no
exception. VG
Sólstafir - Her Fall
from Grace
Who said 2020
didn’t need a
melancholic,
atmospheric,
depressive
anthem? (Probably
everybody.) That
didn’t stop Sólstafir
from giving us one.
With a music video
that peculiarly
features Queen
Águsta Eva herself,
Sólstafir have once-
again proved they
are the Kings of
weirdly-addictive
bummer tracks. We
mean “bummer”
in the most
complimentary
way, btw. But what
else would you
expect from a band
that is releasing
an album titled
‘Endless Twilight
Of Codependent
Love’? HJC
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
JUST SAYINGS
Is everything going great? Are you “living
the life”? Well then—in Iceland—you
are “living like a flower in an egg.” This
saying might be confusing for those
who know that there are no flowers in
eggs, just slimy yellow yolks. But, unless
you’re Donald Trump (who is definitely
still confused by this), you might have
figured out that “flower” here is the
yolk. Potentially, this originated from
Iceland’s former oppressor, the impe-
rialistic swine in Denmark, whose word
for yolk in their hideous language is
“æggeblomme” (egg-flower). So if you’re
not currently being oppressed by the
Danes—or knowingly spreading COVID
around the Republican party—then you
could say that you’re living like a flower
in an egg VG
First
Her friends call her Robbery. She's heard it before. Prepare to get dunked.
„A! lifa eins
og blóm í eggi“
DEITIES OF
ICELAND
Superpowers:
Will literally drown you
Modern
analogue: A
woman who will
literally drown
you
Weaknesses:
None