Reykjavík Grapevine - nov. 2021, Side 7

Long ago, the Æsir and the Vanir—two
groups of Norse gods—were at war
with one another. When peace was at
long last achieved, these two sides did
the only reasonable thing: chewed up
some berries and spat the resulting juice
into one pot. From this melange of half-
chewed berries and god spit arose the
hero of this story, Kvasir.
Kvasir quickly gained a reputation
for being a very wise dude. He would
travel the lands, and people would hit
him up with problems they were strug-
gling with and, like some kind of Norse
Anthony Fauci, Kvasir would give them
the solutions to how best to confront
their struggles.
It wasn’t long before his reputation
began to precede him. Just as is the
case now, the ancients also had their
anti-intellectuals who were distrust-
ful of academics. Two such people in
this story are Fjalar and Galar, dwarves
who were disdainful of Kvasir. So they
killed him. But they didn’t stop there,
as they took the unorthodox step of
draining his blood into another pot,
mixing it with honey, and creating the
Mead of Poetry—an elixir that would
give anyone the gift of wordsmithy to
anyone who drank it.
While Kvasir’s story ends at this
point, the Norse gods’ love of poetry
continued on, so we largely have Kvasir
to thank for all the sick bars dropped by
these ancient deities. Respect!
7 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 11— 2021

Ólafur Arnalds
“Partisans/Epilogue”
Composer and all-round master
musician Ólafur Arnalds recently
released this dreamlike couplet
of tracks, both plucked from his
‘Invisible EP’. Sweeping slowly over
you, “Partisans” builds in a way
that’s thoughtful, delicate and full
of suspense. “Epilogue,” on the
other hand, is sweet, forgiving and
measured. Taken together, the songs
evoke a moment of awakening,
of a di"cult decision, of a dream
remembered. And once you’ve allowed
them to wash over you, it feels like the
sun is shining again. DT

Stereo Hypnosis
“Hvolf”
Icelandic chillout maestros Stereo
Hypnosis were quietly at work through
2020, creating this gorgeously
understated album which they
thoughtfully held back to soundtrack
the northern hemisphere’s gentle dri#
into winter. According to the band—
Óskar Thorarensen, Pan Thorarensen
and %orkell Atlason—the album
“speaks of Iceland’s rich natural world,
beautiful open spaces, myth and
mystery, long winters and patience.” JP
Of Monsters And Men
“Phantom”
This November, Of Monsters And Men
celebrate the 10-year anniversary
of their first album, ‘My Head Is An
Animal’. The song “Phantom” was a
mainstay for the band back when
they were making that record, but
for one reason or another it didn’t
make it onto the album. However
this gorgeous track has been
rescued, recorded and added to the
celebratory re-release. It’s what you’d
expect from Iceland’s most famous
indie darlings, all soothing guitar ri(s,
smooth vocals and gentle hooks. If
you’re experiencing stress, you may
find “Phantom” to be a fantastically
calming influence. RH
NEW MUSIC PICKS
JUST SAYINGS
The saying „Tvær grímur renna á
einhvern“ orginated from our home-
boy, the absolute psychopath, Grettir
(the strong) Ásmundarson, and is to
be found in Grettis Saga dating to the
12th century. The saying literally trans-
lates to “two masks slide on someone.”
It means that you are startled or realise
that the situation has changed drasti-
cally.
Scholars have tried to find the origin
of this saying, and there are a few theo-
ries. The most interesting one is that it
refers to the Roman god, Janus, who had
two faces and could see ahead of and
behind himself simultaneously.
What this phrase actually means is
up to debate It’s a fitting expression for
this stage of the pandemic, when you’re
not sure if you should wear one mask
or two or none at all. Or if you’re not
wearing a mask, but everyone else is,
then two masks slide on your face and
you realised that you messed up. VG
First
THE WORLD’S
LARGEST
ALL VEGAN
SUPERMARKET
Faxafen 14 · 108 Reykjavík · veganbudin.is
Masking the mask, miming the meme. (Or something.)
,,Why One Mask, When You Can Wear Two?”
GODS OF ICELAND
Superpowers:
Signalled peace between two
warring sides, very wise
Weaknesses:
Thirsty dwarves
Modern Analogy:
Anthony Fauci
Gods Of Iceland: Kvasir
Poetic Justice, Put It In A Sa'a
Words:
Andie Sophia
Fontaine
Image:
Wikimedia
How long is it since you shaved, Vanir?