Atlantica - 01.09.2007, Qupperneq 63

A T L A N T I C A 61
As life in the West Fjords has always re-
volved around fish, it is unsurprising that
a museum entirely dedicated to fish and fisher-
ies exists in the region. But Ósvör in Bolun-
garvík in Ísafjardardjúp isn’t just any ordinary
fish museum—the origins of fishing in Iceland
can be directly traced to this old fishing station.
Museum docent Finnbogi Bernódusson’s white beard matches
his waterproof costume made from the skin of seven sheep. He
also wears an old rope that he has wrapped around his waist and
down between his legs. “This fancy belt is possibly the predecessor
of the thong,” he says, chuckling, before explaining that the rope
was actually the first safety device used by Icelandic fishermen. If
a man fell overboard, the belt was the only part of the otherwise
slippery costume that the other men on the boat could grab to save
their fellow mate from drowning.
You’ll also find boats, anchors, nets and other fishing parapher-
nalia in Ósvör, and even a little shed where the infamous putrid
Icelandic shark has been hung to dry. Consider yourself warned
about the smell.
For Cod’s Sake
You don’t need to arrive on a broomstick to
check out the Museum of Icelandic Sor-
cery and Witchcraft in the village of Hólmavík,
in Steingrímsfjördur. On display is a smattering
of objects related to the dark arts and, even
better, someone is on hand to teach magic.
Cue Sigurdur Atlason, the black-bearded museum director who
argues it’s fairly easy to become invisible. “All you need is a raven’s
heart and some human blood with which to write the magical sign
hulinhjálmur onto a piece of lignite,” he reveals.
At the dark heart of this spooky museum is a display depicting
a witch-hunt that took place in Iceland in the early 18th century.
More than twenty people, mostly men, were burned for alleged
sorcery and another 150 were subjected to flogging. A second exhi-
bition at a reconstructed farm in nearby Bjarnarfjördur shows the
dreadful living conditions during this period.
Sorcery, at least according to Atlason, has not been abandoned
entirely in Iceland. He suspects that some of the nation’s bankers
own nábraekur, trousers made from the lower half of dead bodies,
which produce endless amounts of money. Meanwhile, the rest of
us just have to settle for a pair of Levi’s.
Black Magic
iceland amuseums of the west fjords