Few artists and designers have imbued their work so consistently and thoroughly with the iconography, tales, and lessons of Norse mythology as Haukur Halldórsson.
“Hrafninn flýgur” Screening
For a month starting November 15th, the classic Icelandic film Hrafninn flýgur (When the Raven Flies) will be available to rent through the Scandinavian Cultural Center in Massachusetts. This is special screening because it features a new high definition digital transfer. And as an added bonus, my brother-in-arms, Matt Smith, […]
How to Drink Ale and Glare About Fiercely
”At the worst, the game will soon be played, and others will stand where we have stood, and strive where we have striven, and fail as we have failed, and so on, till man has worked out his doom, and the Gods cease from their wrath, or Ragnarök come upon […]
21st Century Eyrbyggja Saga
I recently finished reading Saga: A Novel of Medieval Iceland by Jeff Janoda and what an immersive experience it was! The book is billed as a modern retelling/novelization of Eyrbyggja Saga, which is correct, but also slightly misleading because the book really just focuses on a fraction of the overall […]
The Most Valiant Man Who Has Ever Lived in the Destitute Housing Projects of Northern England
It’s not often that I discover a book so unique, so bizarre, and so badass that I choose to publicly word-vomit about it to all of the several individuals who occasionally stumble across this site by mistake, but Nutcase by Tony Williams is one of those rare exceptions. Nutcase is […]
Icelandic Saga Recaps
So I just stumbled across the Icelandic Saga Recaps by Grayson del Faro that are being published in English over at the Reykjavik Grapevine online magazine. They are just as their name implies—abbreviated recaps of the plot lines of various sagas, with extra special attention given to all the best […]
Drink to the Deceiver of the Gods
Iceland is undisputedly the most Viking place on the planet. In some cases, the coefficient of Viking discrepancy between Iceland and a comparative test sample is dramatic and severe (Ethiopia, China, most of the U.S. – particularly Florida) while in much rarer cases the coefficient begins to approach zero (Norway, […]
Heroes of Norse Proliferation: Nancy Marie Brown
Books having to do with Vikings in some form or another seem to be experiencing a bit of a surge in popularity lately (at least compared to how the subject matter normally fares). I suspect this is mainly due to various publishers attempting to shamelessly piggy-back onto the pseudo-popularity of […]
Brewsky of the North
There’s no better way to start the week off right than by rolling out of bed Monday morning and popping open a cold, refreshing Icelandic craft brew courtesy of the Einstök Beer Company. Located in Akureyri, along the island’s north shore near the Arctic Circle, Einstök brews a variety of […]
June Downbeat: Some Dark, Wintry Ice[land]
Ahhh, June, that wonderful month when the weather warms up (maybe), the sun stays out late (when it’s not overcast), and vacation seasons tend to officially start (if you can get the time off and/or afford to go anywhere). But let’s not be so optimistic here. Winter is only a […]
A Good Day to Hail Leif
Today is the official Leif Erikson Day of 2013, and what appropriate and ironic timing! Leif’s Icelandic ancestors all bailed from Norway when they finally got too disgusted with their slimy politicians to bother sticking around. Lucky for them, they were able to find a nice (if harsh), uninhabited island […]
Skálmöld Trip Out with the Wolf
It’s the last Frey’s day of the month, the nights are becoming longer than the days, the average daily temperatures are dropping, and “winter is coming.” That makes it a perfect time to trip out with Icelandic Viking metal band Skálmöld in their new music video. In it they take […]
Icelandic Lava Beer
Finally! The Icelanders have begun smoking their beer (in addition to smoking their whales and their puffins). I personally can’t think of a more befitting national, Viking-appropriate meal for Iceland than one composed of smoked endangered animal, smoked cute little penguin-type thing, and smoked beer inspired by volcanic eruptions. How […]