Reykjavík Grapevine - Apr 2021, Síða 7

If there’s a group from the Norse
Pantheon more suited to creating a
cheesy power metal band than the
Jötnar, I’ll eat my copy of WoW and also
give whomever points them out one
trillion pillaged cities. Seriously, that’s
a real bet. [EDITOR'S NOTE: No, it's not]
So far away...
Anyway, usually described as giants,
the Jötnar were one of the early races
in the Norse Pantheon. Think of them
as the “bad guys” of the Nine Worlds, as
opposed to the totally-not-violent-and-
scary Æsir and admittedly-quite-lovely
Vanir. In fact, the definition of Jötunn
in the Oxford Language Dictionary is “a
member of the race of giants, enemies
of the gods.” Enemies of the gods! I
mean, the epic melodic chorus writes
itself, doesn’t it?
But while they are giants, that
term is actually rather vague in Norse
mythology. Unlike the towering crea-
tures you might have seen in hits
like ‘Jack & The Beanstalk’ and ‘Harry
Potter’, the Norse giants weren’t neces-
sarily large, hairy, and dumb. In fact,
some were human sized, wise, attrac-
tive and even rather fascinating to
talk to. Take "mir, the first of the lot,
who famously birthed two children via
his armpits and was later murdered,
bleeding out toxic blood that subse-
quently killed all but two of his kind.
Jeez. He’d probably have some stories
to tell, which, we’d reckon, would make
a fantastic two-disc concept album.
Shame ghosts can’t shred, eh?
Lives, so wasted and gone
But in a fantastic plot twist—and
potential experimental side project—
those two lucky giants spared by "mir’s
bloody genocide went on to create a
new sub-species of Jötnar, including
the Frost Giants, who lived in Jotun-
heimr, and the Fire Giants, who lived
in Múspellsheim.
The Frost Giants, while being
total chaotic messes, were relatively
controlled in their frosty kingdom by
the Æsir gods in next door Ásgar!ur.
That said, the Fire Giants are some-
what troubling. Apparently, when
Ragnarök arrives, they’ll burst out of
their fiery hellscape and kill everyone.
It’ll basically be a Jon Snow/Daenerys
Targaryen situation, except hopefully
with a more satisfying ending, and,
obviously, a bombastic soundtrack.
The pain of a lifetime lost
My favourite Jötunn is a rather lovely
young woman named Hyrrokkin. A
lonely soul who roamed the woods in
a lawless portion of Jötunheimr, she
patrolled the world on the back of a
wolf that she controlled with reigns
made from poisonous snakes and was
considered so strong and fierce that
she shook the earth and caused things
to spontaneously combust with but
one push. And that’s with just one tap
of the finger, so just imagine what she
could do with a killer riff accompanied
by a children’s choir. Brutal.
But, in the end, the Jötnar are
actually just so metal that when you
research them, literally every name
and term associated with them is actu-
ally already the name of a power metal
band, song or album. It actually makes
me question the creativity of the genre,
but, I suppose, through the fire and the
flames, the Jötnar will carry on.
7 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 04— 2021
Kælan Mikla -
Sólstö"ur
This track
demonstrates that
Kælan Mikla keeps
evolving in ever-
improving directions.
Slaps like a funeral
dirge but carries the
power of a blizzard on
the horizon heading
quickly your way. We
have long been fans
of Kælan Mikla, and
we were absolutely
right to tell you that
this is the band to
keep your eye on.
Keep following—
more surprises are
surely in store. ASF

Viktor Orri Árnason -
Eilífur: IX. Var—Er
“Var - Er” is the first
single from Icelandic
contemporary
composer’s Viktor
Orri Árnason’s debut
PENTATONE album,
which, as he explains,
explores the concept
of living forever. But
this is no triumphant
fountain of youth
extravaganza. No it’s
an eerie, everlasting
and enchanting
orchestral work
featuring a droning
men's choir (a
heavily underused
instrument imo)
and an overall
aura of meditative
resignation. Who
wants to live forever?
Not Viktor. HJC

Laufey - Best Friend
“Best Friend” is like if
Amanda Palmer made
a wholesome PG track
for the credit scene
of a Disney movie.
A love letter to her
best friend—despite
all her flaws, such
as her hairdo—it’s
Laufey’s smiley take
on rockabilly that
truly stands out here.
D’aww! HJC

Kristín Sesselja -
W.A.I.S.T.D. (what am
I supposed to do)
Sassy Sessy kicked
ass and took names
last year with the
insanely catchy
“Fuckboys,” a
middle-finger to
misbehaving males
everywhere. Then as
the year turned, she
topped the airplay
charts at RÚV’s Rás 2
radio station with the
balladic “Earthquake,”
presciently
preceding Iceland’s
real-life shakes.
Coming back strong
with a heavier sound
and a darker vibe,
Kristín Sesselja is in
no mood for honey
and candy floss
lyrics. “I write a lot
of sad songs, it’s
kinda my thing” she
sings. Keep it up
Kristín – that, and
the ass-kicking. Oh,
and the earthquake
predictions. JP

Eivør - Gullspunnin
Eivør, despite being
from the Faroe
Islands, was quickly
adopted by Iceland
when it became clear
that she is a vocalist
of unparalleled
talent. At her very
best, her voice is
backed by music that
gives her the chance
to exercise the full
strength of her range,
and “Gullspunnin”
is definitely one
of those songs. An
ethereal rush that
washes over you like
the ocean as the tide
comes in, you would
do well to make this
your new crying-in-
the-bathtub track.
ASF
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
JUST SAYINGS
“Úr öskunni í eldinn” means “from
ashes into the fire.” It’s a saying that
is still commonly used in Iceland, and
most importantly, it’s a bad thing. It
seems that the phrase is fairly well-
known in English—in fact, a simple
Google search reveals that there are a
bunch of Christian books with similar
names dating all the way back to the
1970s. This is fitting because this saying
basically means, in Icelandic, that bad
things can always get worse. To help
you understand, I’ve helpfully provided
a little dialogue to illustrate the saying:
Me: So An airplane crashed on this
guy but he survived it miraculously.

Hannah Jane: That’s amazing.
Me: But then he became a hardline
Methodist afterwards, hating other
people's fundamental human rights and
inciting a civil war to enslave everybody
that doesn't share his view of life.
Hannah Jane: Wow, he just went
straight from öskunni í eldinn.
There you have it. We were actually
going to have a saying related to volca-
noes, only to discover that there is not
one saying or idiom about volcanos in
Icelandic. In conclusion, our forefathers'
lack of interest in volcanos is borderline
shocking. VG
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“Úr öskunni í eldinn”
GODS OF ICELAND
Superpowers:
Are giants. Ride
wolves.
Weaknesses:
Veins that run
with toxic blood
which is fatal to
their own kind.
Modern
Analogue:
A Swedish
Power Metal
Band that just
took it too far.
Jötnar, A Sick af Power Metal Band
Throu(h the fire and the flames, a Jötunn carries on
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
AdobeStock is the #1 resource for o&cial Jötnar pictures
Photo by Timothée Lambrecq