Iceland review - 2012, Qupperneq 6

4 ICELAND REVIEW
The other day I was asked, “What
is the most Icelandic of all things
in Iceland?” Without even think-
ing, I answered, “The outdoor pools.” I,
along with the rest of the population, enjoy
the pools all year round. My favorite time
to do so is December, when it is dark, cold,
and snowing. You are closer to heaven. 
Maybe I was wrong, maybe it’s the mu-
sic. Creative and hunting. Or the literature,
with its long history of the sagas. Or the
landscape, with long rows of craters and
snow-topped volcanoes. Or places where
the land meets sea, where mountains plum-
met sheer into the water and the land is cast
into insignificance by the vastness of the
ocean. The seabirds studding the sky like
black stars. The president? No. Too con-
troversial. 
Working at this magazine, I found the
most Icelandic thing: the horse. Unique,
independent, free. The breed comes in
more than one hundred colors. All have
their own name in Icelandic. Skjóttur
(pinto), slettuskjóttur (splashed white),
fífilbleikur (yellow dun), draugmoldóttur
(dark buckskin), litföróttur (roan), nösót-
tur (snip), or glaseygur (sclera). 
On page 68, you will meet one that is
the color of bay. You will not find him on
eBay. Ever.
Páll Stefánsson
ps@icelandreview.com
AnnuAl subscription (worldwide) usd 40 or equivalent in other currencies.
Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Submissions should be accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and
an international money order to cover postage, if return is required. No articles in this magazine may be reproduced elsewhere in
whole or in part without the permission of the publisher. ISSN 0019-1094. Iceland Review (ISSN:0019-1094) is published quarterly
by Heimur hf. in Iceland and distributed in the USA by SPP 75 Aberdeen Road Emigsville PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid
at Emigsville PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Iceland Review P.O. BOX 437 Emigsville PA 17318-0437.
publisher Benedikt Jóhannesson
Head office
Heimur hf.
Borgartún 23, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland
Tel: (+354) 512 7575
Fax: (+354) 561 8646
icelandreview@icelandreview.com
Printed in Iceland by Oddi
Studding the Sky
EDITOR
Páll Stefánsson
DEPUTY EDITOR &
fEATUREs EDITOR
Ásta Andrésdóttir
DEsIGN
Erlingur Páll Ingvarsson
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERs
Ann Sass
Deb Smith
Ed Hancox
Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir
Guðmundur Hilmarsson
Haraldur Sigurðsson
Jóhannes Benediktsson
Nanna Árnadóttir
Sölvi Tryggvason
Zoë Robert
CONTRIBUTING
PhOTOGRAPhERs
Áslaug Snorradóttir
Bernharð Valsson
Ernir Eyjólfsson
Geir Ólafsson
Ingólfur Júlíusson
Lilja Birgisdóttir
Ómar Óskarsson
Páll Kjartansson
RAX (Ragnar Axelsson)
WEB EDITOR
Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir
COPY EDITORs
Ann Sass
Zoë Robert
PRODUCTION
Erlingur Páll Ingvarsson
COLOR PRODUCTION
Páll Kjartansson
ADVERTIsING sALEs
Helga Möller
COVER PhOTO
RAX
Advertising Sales helga@heimur.is
For daily news from Iceland:
www.icelandreview.com
Iceland
RevIew
atlantIca
From the editor p
h
o
to
á
S
la
u
g
S
n
o
r
r
a
d
ó
tt
ir