Iceland review - 2019, Síða 79

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Iceland Review
“Yellow, green and brown are easily obtainable
from nature,” Guðrún goes on to illustrate by
revealing the contents of four boiling pots filled
with green autumn herbs clinging to the metallic
sides. “It is traditional to use lichen (Parmelia).
Lichen was used in Norway before we came to
Iceland; the first settlers recognised this plant and
could use it in the same way. We can read about it
in the Icelandic sagas, where it was called ‘brown
grass’ due to the brown colour that it gives.”
Cetraria islandica, or Iceland moss in its old name,
was also a key source of nutrition for Icelanders,
who used to eat it for its carbohydrates and anti-
bacterial properties. “It was possible to grow barley
in Norway, so they did not need to rely on this plant
as much as we did. In fact, in Norway the lichen was
fed to the pigs, but here in Iceland, this was our
main food source in porridge, soup and stew forms
for many centuries.”
Colour codes
The story behind the Icelandic wool dyeing tradi-
tion reaches back to centuries of history involv-
ing trade and politics. “Norway has over 1,300
plant species while the British Isles have more
than 6,000,” Guðrún reveals. “In Iceland, we only
have around 500 species.” This scarcity of plants
thereby defined social echelons and class divisions,
depending on who had access to certain colours.
“We had trouble getting red and blue.
Traditionally, we had imported plants from Norway
and the British Isles to achieve blue and red dyes,
and as such, they became associated with noble
colours.” Red, a tough colour to obtain from nature,
became an identifier of the wealthy and royalty.
Blue, on the other hand, was not only the colour
of kings but also the Vikings. “Vikings loved blue.
In fact, if you read the Icelandic sagas, you will
notice that Vikings wore blue because it was a sign
of wealth, power, and travel. The Vikings also had
access to Norway and bought clothes from there.”
Norway has a plant called woad (Isatis tinctoria)
that does not grow in Iceland, from which rich blue
dye can be obtained.
As temperatures drastically cooled during the
13th century, trade routes froze over or became
treacherous. Icelanders suddenly found themselves
stuck, no longer able to reach Norway. This was
the Middle Ages, a dark time in Icelandic history,
punctuated by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
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stykkishólmur
flatey
brjánslækur
landeyjahöfn
vestmannaeyjar
reykjavík
ísafjörður
höfn
vík
egilsstaðir
akureyri
ATU E
PARADISE
IN BREIDAFJORDUR, TRY OUR VIKING SUSHI
ADVENTURE OR SAIL BETWEEN STYKKISHÓLMUR
AND BRJÁNSLÆKUR WITH A STOPOVER
IN BEAUTIFUL FLATEY.
seatours.is
Book online