Atlantica - 01.01.2004, Page 10

8 A T L A N T I C A
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Next time you feel as if the weight of the world is on your shoul-
ders, pick up that atlas sitting on your coffee table, hold it above
your head, and count to 35 (the same amount of time it will take
to read this little ditty).
Why hold up an atlas? Because the word originally denoted a per-
son who supported a great burden. The person in question just
happened to be Atlas himself.
You see, Atlas was one of the Titans who took part in a revolt
against mighty Zeus. Bad mistake. Atlas was punished for his
role by being forced to support the weight of the heavens.
A book of maps became known as an atlas because a long, long
time ago these books often had a drawing on the first page of the
mythical Atlas holding a globe on his shoulders.
Hey, still counting? The article is over. Drop that atlas.
EW
IL
LU
S
TR
A
TI
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TE
IN
G
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ÍM
U
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E
Y
FJ
Ö
R
Ð
Funny Old Word:
Atlas
airmail
SCANDINAVIA HOUSE
West-Nordic Culture
Last autumn saw the opening of a new centre for West-Nordic cul-
ture in Copenhagen. Located at the North Atlantic Bridge in the
heart of the city and in a beautifully restored former warehouse,
the centre, named Nordatlantens Brygge, presents the culture,
science and economy of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
It also houses the new Icelandic embassy in Denmark and the
Governor’s Offices for the Faroe Islands and Greenland, as well as
a West-Nordic information centre and the gourmet restaurant
NOMA, featuring North Atlantic dishes. Regular art exhibitions
from the three countries will be featured, and until 29 February
there will be a collective exhibition by 21 contemporary West-
Nordic artists called Kolonialen, comprised of installations, paint-
ings and sculptures. AMB
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