Download or read book Icelandic Folk Tales written by Hjörleifur Helgi Stefánsson and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2020-11-30 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iceland is a country where stories are as important as history. When Vikings settled the island, they brought their tales with them. Every rock, hot spring and waterfall seems to have its own story. Cruel man-eating trolls rub shoulders with beautiful elves, whose homes are hidden from mortal view. Vengeful ghosts envy the living, seeking to drag lost loves into their graves – or they may simply demand a pinch of your snuff. Some of the stories in this collection are classic Icelandic tales, while others are completely new to English translation. Hjörleifur has always been deeply interested in the rich lore of his island. His grandparents provided a second home in his upbringing and taught him much about the past through their own way of life. Hjörleifur is dedicated to breathing fresh life into the stories he loves.
Download or read book Icelandic Folktales and Legends written by Jacqueline Simpson and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1972 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A translated selection devoted to supernatural beings, ghosts, and magic practices.
Download or read book Icelandic Folk Legends written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir and published by . This book was released on 2013-12-04 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Icelandic nation has a long and rich history of storytelling. Throughout centuries characterized by hardship, poverty and dark winters, the Icelanders kept their spirits high and moral values intact by telling each other stories. In this collection of 15 Icelandic folk legends, we get a glimpse of the world-view of the Icelanders in centuries past as they endeavored to understand and cope with the natural phenomena around them. There are stories of malicious ghosts, outlaws living in carved-out boulders, hidden people residing in grassy knolls, trolls that are tripped up by their own stupidity, and much more. In addition, there is one story exemplifying a fairy tale motif that scholars have discovered to be unique to Iceland: that of the good stepmother (The Story of Himinbjorg). Throughout we get a powerful sense of the Icelanders' beliefs, values and fears, as well as their strong need to cling to all that was pure and good. Twelve of these stories were previously published in physical form on two separate occasions. The book has been out of print for about four years. In this edition, an introduction has been added, as well as a "field guide" to the various apparitions that appear in the book, and three more stories.
Download or read book A Traveller s Guide to Icelandic Folk Tales written by Jón R. Hjálmarsson and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Little Book of the Hidden People written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Icelandic folklore is rife with tales of elves and hidden people that inhabited hills and rocks in the landscape. But what do those elf stories really tell us about the Iceland of old and the people who lived there? In this book, author Alda Sigmundsdóttir presents twenty translated elf stories from Icelandic folklore, along with fascinating notes on the context from which they sprung. The international media has had a particular infatuation with the Icelanders’ elf belief, generally using it to propagate some kind of “kooky Icelanders” myth. Yet Iceland’s elf folklore, at its core, reflects the plight of a nation living in abject poverty on the edge of the inhabitable world, and its people’s heroic efforts to survive, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. That is what the stories of the elves, or hidden people, are really about. In a country that was, at times, virtually uninhabitable, where poverty was endemic and death and grief a part of daily life, the Icelanders nurtured a belief in a world that existed parallel to their own. This was the world of the hidden people, which more often than not was a projection of the most fervent dreams and desires of the human population. The hidden people lived inside hillocks, cliffs, or boulders, very close to the abodes of the humans. Their homes were furnished with fine, sumptuous objects. Their clothes were luxurious, their adornments beautiful. Their livestock was better and fatter, their sheep yielded more wool than regular sheep, their crops were more bounteous. They even had supernatural powers: they could make themselves visible or invisible at will, and they could see the future. To the Icelanders, stories of elves and hidden people are an integral part of the cultural and psychological fabric of their nation. They are a part of their identity, a reflection of the struggles, hopes, resilience, and endurance of their people. What you will read about in The Little Book of the Hidden People: • The fascination in the international media: why are they so obsessed with elves? • The meaning of elf: what do hidden people stories tell us about the psyche of the Icelanders of old? • The elves' badassery—they could make or break your fortune so you’d better be nice! • The ljúflingar ... hidden men who became the lovers of mortal women • Glamorous and regal: why were the elves so damn good-looking? • The grim realities: what do scholars believe about all those children abducted by elves? ... and so much more!
Download or read book Icelandic Folk and Fairy Tales written by Jón Árnason and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collection of popular Icelandic folk and fairy tales translated into English. Arranged under three headings: elves and trolls, ghosts and sorcerers, and miscellaneous tales.
Download or read book Icelandic Fairy Tales written by Mrs. Angus W. Hall and published by . This book was released on 1897 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hildur Queen of the Elves and Other Stories written by J.M. Bedell and published by Interlink Books. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Out of the country’s fascinating geography and history emerge a plethora of poetic and imaginative Icelandic legends that hold a particular wary respect of nature, and a wry wisdom at turns gentle and sharp: that we human beings are mere tenants on earth, with no control over weather or ghosts or wild. On the one hand, these stories come out of the great wellspring of Scandinavian tales that have so influenced the Western imagination: Here are elves and trolls, ghosts, goblins, and monsters; drama and mystery and moral. But Iceland’s particular geography, its long nights and savage weather, also led to the development of a unique oral tradition, from which grew the famous Icelandic family sagas and stories.
Download or read book Icelandic Legends written by Jón Árnason and published by . This book was released on 1866 with total page 832 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Tales of the elves icelandic folktales for children written by Anna Kristín Ásbjörnsdóttir and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Comic Sagas and Tales from Iceland written by and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2013-03-07 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comic Sagas and Tales brings together the very finest Icelandic stories from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, a time of civil unrest and social upheaval. With feuding families and moments of grotesque violence, the sagas see such classic mythological figures as murdered fathers, disguised beggars, corrupt chieftains and avenging sons do battle with axes, words and cunning. The tales, meanwhile, follow heroes and comical fools through dreams, voyages and religious conversions in medieval Iceland and beyond. Shaped by Iceland's oral culture and their conversion to Christianity, these stories are works of ironic humour and stylistic innovation.
Download or read book The Folk stories of Iceland written by Einar Ólafur Sveinsson and published by Viking Society for Northern Research University College. This book was released on 2003 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Iceland, people do not compose verse just to comfort themselves; they worship poetry and believe in it. In poetry is a power which rules men's lives and health, governs wind and sea. This book contains an account of the various types of Icelandic folk-story, their origins and sources, the folk-beliefs they represent, and their meanings.
Download or read book The Little Book of the Icelanders written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After more than 20 years away, Alda Sigmundsdottir returned to her native Iceland as a foreigner. With a native person's insight yet an outsider's perspective, Alda quickly set about dissecting the national psyche of the Icelanders. This second edition, from 2018, contains new and updated chapters from the original edition, reflecting the changes in Icelandic society and among the Icelandic people since the book was first published in 2012. Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders: • The appalling driving habits of the Icelanders • Naming conventions and customs • The Icelanders’ profound fear of commitment • The Icelanders’ irreverence • Why Icelandic women are really men • How the Icelanders manage to make social interactions really complicated • The importance of the family in Icelandic society • Where to go to meet the real Icelanders (and possibly score some free financial advice) • Rituals associated with the most important life events (weddings, confirmations, graduations, and deaths) ... and many more. One chapter leads to the next, creating a continuous chain of storytelling. It feels as if you’re sitting in the author’s kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee and conversing with her about the quirks of her countrymen, every now and then bursting out laughing. [...] I’m going to heartily recommend The Little Book of the Icelanders, both to fans of Sigmundsdóttir’s blog and those unfamiliar with her work. - Iceland Review Online There aren’t many books I’d recommend reading over morning coffee but The Little Book of the Icelanders is one of them. [...] I laughed at the essays in this book, not because I was laughing at Icelanders but because I recognize much of the behavior in myself and members of my family. It felt good. It’s not just the sanest, most impressive characteristics that we pass on and share but also some of the zaniest. As I read this book, I frequently thought, yup, I’m definitely part Icelandic. - Lögberg-Heimskringla, Canada Excerpt "Even though they live on the edge of the inhabitable world with engulfing darkness for several months of the year, the Icelanders continue to score among the most optimistic people in the world. Is it the fish? The fresh air? The cod liver oil? Natural selection? The copious amounts of anti-depressants they consume? Nobody really knows. However, one thing is sure: this character trait serves Icelanders well and has helped the nation cope with innumerable shocks, from volcanic eruptions to famines, to a massive economic crisis. Whatever happens, you can be sure that the Icelanders will seek the silver lining and soldier on, firmly believing that things will soon get better. Indeed it is fascinating to observe how the Icelanders deal with trauma at a national level. Their initial reaction always seems to be to bond together. People who on regular days will bicker and quarrel amongst themselves, suddenly become enormously supportive of each other. I’ve seen this happen in the aftermath of disasters such as snow avalanches and volcanic eruptions, or tragedies that capture the nation’s attention. Take, for example, the economic meltdown of 2008, which for the Icelanders was one of the most catastrophic events in recent history. Many people feared an onslaught of suicides in the wake of all the bankruptcies that ensued. Yet it turned out that the number of suicides actually declined. According to the Directorate of Health, it was because the nation had bonded together, and people were closer and more supportive of each other than they had been in a very long time. In other words, the optimism is probably a long-term survival strategy. After all, through the centuries of hardship and geographical isolation that the Icelandic nation has endured, defeat was not an option – it was stand together, fight together, or die."
Download or read book The Little Book of Icelandic written by Alda Sigmundsdottir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Icelandic is one of the oldest and most complex languages in the world. In this book, Alda Sigmundsdóttir looks at the Icelandic language with wit and humor, and how it reflects the heart and soul of the Icelandic people and their culture. Many of the Icelanders' idioms and proverbs, their meaning, and origins are discussed, as is the Icelanders' love for their language and their attempts to keep it pure through the ongoing construction of new words and terminology. There is a section on Icelandic curse words as well as Icelandic slang, which is mostly derived from English. Throughout, this book deconstructs Icelandic vocabulary, and the often-hilarious, almost naive, ways in which words are made. Among the fascinating topics broached in The Little Book of Icelandic: • The Language Committee: how Icelanders struggle to keep their language “pure” • Let's make a word!—How names for new things are constructed • Old letters, strange sounds: wrapping your tongue around the Icelanders’ tongue • $#*!%&!“#$%*, or how Icelanders curse • The missing dialects—why Icelandic has none • Which is the prettiest of all: contests to find the most lovely word in Icelandic (and the ugliest!) • Quintessential Icelandic words and phrases (the ones that describe the Icelanders like no others) • Useful phrases to impress your new Icelandic friends! • Klósett—the unexpected origin of the Icelandic word for toilet ... and so much more! This is a must-read book for anyone interested in the Icelandic people, their culture—and of course their language. Excerpt "Idioms and proverbs provide a unique insight into the soul of a nation. They say so much about a people’s history—the heartfelt, the tragic, the monumental, the proud. Icelandic has a vast number of idioms and proverbs that are a direct throwback to our nation’s past, especially idioms relating to the ocean, which is such a massive force in our nation's history. Many of them we use all the time without ever giving a thought to their origins. What follows is a random sampling—I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I did. — Idiom: Eins og skrattinn úr sauðaleggnum Translation: Like Satan out of the sheep’s leg bone Meaning: Unexpectedly, out of the blue If someone suddenly appeared, especially someone I didn’t really want to see, I might say hann kom eins og skrattinn úr sauðaleggnum, literally “he appeared like Satan out of the sheep’s leg bone”. Where the affiliation between a sheep’s leg bone and the prince of darkness comes in I could not tell you. However, I can tell you that, in the old days, Icelandic children (being impoverished and everything) had no proper toys. Instead, they played with sheeps’ bones, each of which was assigned a role. The jawbones were the cows, the joints of the legs were the sheep, and the leg bones were the horses. So maybe folks were worried that Satan—being the crafty bugger that he was—would install himself in a sheeps’ leg bone when the kids were playing and then suddenly BOO! pop out and scare the bejeezus out of them. It’s just a theory. Incidentally, the use of this idiom is not confined to people—it is also successfully used to comment on unwanted happenings, as in: “Damn, this huge phone bill comes like Satan out of a sheep’s leg bone!”
Download or read book Icelandic Trolls written by Brian Pilkington and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book J n Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland written by Árni Heimir Ingólfsson and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2019-09-27 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of the influential Icelandic composer’s career and his work. In Jón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland, Árni Heimir Ingólfsson provides a striking account of the dramatic career of Iceland’s iconic composer. Leifs (1899–1968) was the first Icelander to devote himself fully to composition at a time when a local music scene was only beginning to take form. He was a fervent nationalist in his art, fashioning an idiosyncratic and uncompromising “Icelandic” sound from traditions of vernacular music with the aim to legitimize Iceland as an independent, culturally empowered nation. In addition to exploring Leifs’s career, Ingólfsson provides detailed descriptions of Leifs’s major works and their cultural contexts. Leifs’s music was inspired by the Icelandic landscape and includes auditory depictions of volcanos, geysers, and waterfalls. The raw quality of his orchestral music is frequently enhanced by an expansive percussion section, including anvils, stones, sirens, bells, ships’ chains, shotguns, and cannons. Largely neglected in his own lifetime, Leifs’s music has been rediscovered in recent years and hailed as a singular and deeply original contribution to twentieth-century music. Jón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland enriches our understanding and appreciation of Leifs and his music by exploring the political, literary and environmental contexts that influenced his work. “Composers of fearsome originality seldom have an easy path in the world. Jón Leifs, who translated the landscapes and legends of Iceland into sound, comes vividly to life in this brilliant, panoramic biography, his myriad personal and political conflicts delineated with clarity and candor. A major twentieth-century figure at last receives his due.” —Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker and author of The Rest Is Noise “Jón Leifs was the first major Icelandic composer and it is insane that most of his pieces were not performed or recorded until recently. His works were almost just a myth to us Icelanders and therefore this book is so magnificently important. . . . This book is incredibly well written and Árni Heimir’s analysis of the music is deeply satisfying. I listened to each work as it was being discussed, which turned the experience from black and white to color! An extraordinary achievement!” —Björk, singer/songwriter
Download or read book The Legend of the Icelandic Yule Lads written by Heidi Herman and published by . This book was released on 2015-03-11 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Legend of the Yule Lads is well-known among Icelanders and has been passed down from generation to generation for over 1,500 years. The country's rich history of legends and folktales featuring a host of mystical creatures is reflected in this unique Christmas tale about trolls. However, like many of Iceland's legends, the story of the Yule Lads is virtually unknown outside of the country. This particular story can be traced back to 13th Century and the Snorri Sturlson's Edda. The Edda refers to the recognized mother of the Yule Lad's, a horrible ogress named Gryla. In that time, Gryla and her many troll offspring were said to terrorize children, hauling badly behaved children off in great burlap bags to be later eaten. The tales of Gryla and the Yule Lads became so gruesome and disturbing that in 1746 a public decree was issued to forbid parents from using these stories to terrify children. In the years since, the Yule Lads' character has been softened from horrible trolls to mischievous tricksters. As the legend goes, the Yule Lads come down from the mountain, one each day starting 13 days before Christmas. They stay through Christmas Day, then leave, one each day, in the order they arrived. In 1932, a popular poem was written about the Jolasveinarnir [Yule Lads] by Johannes from Kotlum and it first appeared in the book Jolin Koma [Christmas is coming]. As presented in Johannes poem, each of the Yule Lad's name reflects their particular brand of mischief. Stekkjastaur (Sheep Cote Clod) starts things off on December 12th and is best known for stealing sheep's milk. Giljagaur (Gulley-Gawk) arrives the next day and is preoccupied with sneaking into the barn to steal cow's milk. Stufur (Shorty) steals bits of food left on frying pans while Thvorusleikir (Spoon-licker) steals spoons from the kitchen to lick and Pottasleikir (Pot-licker) steals pots and pans for the leftovers. Askasleikir (Bowl-licker) arrives next and sneak awa
