Deep North: Stories from Iceland: Recent Episodes
Iceland Review
Deep North: Stories from Iceland is the official podcast of Iceland Review, the longest-running magazine presenting Iceland, in print since 1963.
Deep North is a journey into Iceland, with in-depth interviews and coverage of art, business, politics, sports, history, nature, and more.
Updated weekly.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, Andie Sophia covers all the week's top stories, including the knights of mediaeval Iceland, increased risk of an eruption within Grindavík itself, a newly discovered species of spider named after our most famous president, and a whole lot more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In this episode of Iceland News Review, Ingamaría brings you all the week's top stories, including another impending eruption, a miraculous rescue operation in Reykjavík harbour, a new guest in the northeast and a whole lot more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In this episode of Iceland News Review, editor Andie Sophia goes over the week's top stories in Iceland, including a daring heist, religious shifts in Iceland, mysterious bones found under a downtown street, and a whole lot more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In this episode, join us as editor Andie Sophia, filling in for Yelena, brings you all the week's top stories in Iceland, including a daring sea rescue, protecting the puffin population, maybe a new eruption, and more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In this episode, join us as Yelena talks about what the end of the eruption means, cyberattacks against a major newspaper, tightened e-scooter rules, the appearance of frogs in Iceland, and much more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In this episode of Iceland News Review, lava is getting dangerously close to the Svartsengi power plant, Kringlan re-opens after a large conflagration, a parliamentary party wants to ban whaling, and so much more. Join us Yelena explores this, and the week's other top stories, in this episode of Iceland News Review.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
A special episode today, in response to the recent decision to grant Hvalur hf. a one-year permit to hunt fin whales. We head to the coast by Grótta to talk with anti-whaling activists Anahita Babaei and Micah Garen about what lies behind the recent decision and what may come next.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, The Minister of Fisheries has allowed for fin whale hunting this year, but it remains unclear if any whaling will be done this summer at all. Join us Yelena explores this, and the week's other top stories, in this episode of Iceland News Review.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
Mountain biker and cycling guide Magne Kvam is an energetic guy with a grey beard and a sleek scalp. When he smiles, one of his cuspids protrudes endearingly. He describes himself as something of an oddball.
“I’m probably very, very strange,” he confesses, while inspecting the ground below us prior to our descent. I had joined Magne in Reykjadalur to watch him fix the trails before summer. “I like to be alone in the mountains,” he observes. “I’m an old soul.”
We head out to the mountains near Hveragerði to speak with Magne and learn more about this unique area.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we'll tell you all about our new president, the ongoing eruption, a reindeer calf brought back from the brink, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we make a visit to the eruption area in Reykjanes, it's a dead heat in the presidential race, which ends tomorrow, debate over alcohol in stores heats up, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
We sit down and talk with Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson, professor emeritus and frequent commentator on all things related to the Icelandic language, language learning, integration, and more.
Read our recent feature interview with him here: https://www.icelandreview.com/magazine/icelandic-as-a-weapon/
In this episode of Iceland News Review, there's a storm brewing around fin whale hunting, some new twists in the presidential race, one's man fight to keep his "awful" name, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
Fílalag is a radio show about music, and one of Iceland's oldest and most popular podcasts.
In Fílalag, Bergur and Snorri analyze cultural phenomena through music music, trends in sound, and the spirit of the times. Iceland Review writer Ragnar Tómas sits down with Bergur and Snorri to find out more.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we bring you all you need to know about the upcoming total solar eclipse in Iceland, our highest ranking yet on the Rainbow Map, an adorable bird webcam you can watch, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
Every once in a while, an Icelandic musician or band will be picked up by foreign audiences in a big way. Björk and Sigur Rós made waves in establishing Iceland as a major music exporter, and Of Monsters and Men continues to be played worldwide. But one artist has the potential to go even bigger than any of these artists: Laufey. And certainly a bit too big for us. We reflect on Icelandic society and the nature of fame on our small island home.
Read the article here: https://www.icelandreview.com/magazine/chasing-ghosts/
In this episode of Iceland News Review, a government plan to eliminate a deadly disease in sheep, an end to planned airport strikes, what the latest polls tell us about who our next president will be, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
We sit down for a conversation with Atli Freyr Hjaltason, a young folklorist and folk dancer. In a nation known for its history and literature, dancing is a tradition that seems to have fallen by the wayside. We talk about why that is, and the future of these traditions.
Read the feature article here: https://www.icelandreview.com/magazine/keeping-in-step/
In this episode of Iceland News Review, a new twist in a daring daylight heist, Björk encourages opposition to a controversial fishing bill, keeping geese off the runway, a presidential elections record, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
William Morris, the Victorian poet perhaps known best for his interest in traditional crafts and revolutionary socialism, was also a keen scholar of the medieval north. He was also, in some sense, one of Iceland's first tourists. In the latest episode of Deep North, we talk about the sagas, language, and what drove a 19th-century Englishman to travel by horse and foot over high heaths and steep mountains.
Note: We apologize for the poor audio quality of today's episode.
Read the article here: https://www.icelandreview.com/magazine/searching-for-grettir/
If you enjoyed this episode of Deep North, please consider supporting our work by subscribing to the magazine at our website.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we have some great predictions for the summer, presidential elections reaching a fever pitch, questions over the fate of fin whales, and more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
We take a look at the history of coffee culture in Iceland, and one of the newest coffee roasters in Iceland, located on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Read the article here: https://www.icelandreview.com/magazine/goodbye-to-the-grind/
If you enjoyed this episode of Deep North, please consider supporting our work by subscribing to the magazine at our website.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we dig into a rocky start for the government, some intriguing findings following a controversial law, the return of an iconic bird and more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
Iceland Review writer Andie Sophia Fontaine sits down with artist Joanna Pawlowska to talk about art, queerness, horses, and the Hamraborg Art Festival.
Read the article here: https://www.icelandreview.com/magazine/to-thrive-in-chaos/
If you enjoyed this episode of Deep North, please consider supporting our work by subscribing to the magazine at our website.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we delve into Iceland's new government; the return of Iceland's iconic puffins; a new attraction that could show you the inside of an active volcano, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
We take a look at the latest heart-melting supergroup from Iceland - the Ice Guys.
Read the article at Iceland Review: https://www.icelandreview.com/magazine/melting-hearts/
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we explore all the latest on who's running for President of Iceland, including one surprise candidate that might shake up the government. In addition, big changes at Geysir, plus weather, road conditions, and much more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
We head out to new Highland Base at Kerlingarfjöll to find out, who, exactly, the Icelandic highland is for these days.
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Iceland Review is Iceland’s oldest English-language publication, featuring coverage of community, nature, and culture. With beautiful photography and in-depth interviews, we help you discover a whole new side of Iceland. #icelandreview #since1963
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we delve into a daring heist of tens of millions; a heated price war; a bird that changes the seasons; and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
Last winter, Karítas Hrundar Pálsdóttir launched her first workbook to accompany the short stories in her debut, "Árstíðir". Árstíðir features stories in simple Icelandic for adult learners. So far, Karítas' three publications have been the Icelandic language learning materials many immigrants have longed for.
A story about learning Icelandic and the process of fitting into a small society.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, the still-ongoing volcanic eruption on Reykjanes peninsula, a hotly contested presidential race, a bird's incredible return to East Iceland, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
Many might know the story of how Iceland was affected by the Second World War, but the story of many Icelandic ex-Nazis remains untold. We take a look at the life of Björn Sv. Björnsson - an Icelander and member of the Waffen SS.
Correction: In the discussion after the article, Björn Sv. Björnsson is mistakenly referred to as Sveinn Björn Sveinsson.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, political intrigue in the east of Iceland, the economy looking bright as wage agreements are signed, Palestinian families reunited at last, an effort to bring our folk tales home, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
Online retail and COVID were supposed to have killed the shopping centre, but they're alive and well in Iceland. We take a look at the history of urban development in Reykjavík to find out why.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, a very special music festival is coming your way, more Palestinians with Icelandic residence permits have been rescued from Gaza, possibly the largest police sting operation in Icelandic history, how we may save our sheep from scrapie, and much more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In early November, when it became clear that magma was collecting below Svartsengi, the government approved the building of lava barriers on the Reykjanes peninsula to protect crucial infrastructure. On January 14, not even four weeks after the last volcanic eruption – the earth began trembling again and opened up once more, this time just meters away from Grindavík. On February 8, the third eruption within three months occurred close to Sýlingarfell and subsided after only one day. We spoke to civil engineer Ari Guðmundsson, who was planning the construction of the lava barriers. Have they succeeded in their mission?
In this episode of Iceland News Review, it may have already happened: yet another eruption in Reykjanes. If so, this will mark the fourth one since last December. What will this mean for visitors to Iceland, or moreover, the people of Grindavík?
Also, an Icelandic company is set to take over the US market, a new app may save lives, a surprising number of Icelanders live abroad--but where?--and lots more.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
We accompanied hunter Kristján Andri Einarsson on his annual quest for the bird, and talked to ornithologist Ólafur Nielsen and Áki Ármann Jónsson, president of the Icelandic Hunting Association, about the uncertain future of the rock ptarmigan in Iceland.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, business leaders and union officials have some very different ideas about whether or not to move back to Grindavík, where earthquakes and eruptions have done substantial damage to the town--and are very likely not done with the town yet.
Meanwhile, the Icelandic government is also pushing for new measures regarding asylum seekers and expanded police powers; parliamentarians want the Turkish Abductions investigated, genetically; a new app is here for learning Icelandic, and lots more.
NOTE: You can get the app, BÍN-kjarninn, on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. It is referred to as the DMII Core in this podcast, on account of the English name used for it on the Árnastofnun website.
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In one of the world's happiest nations, why do people protest? We take a look at civil disobedience in Iceland and talk about the most recent demonstrations on Austurvöllur square.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we report on some happy news, as more Palestinians have been rescued from Gaza with the help of ordinary Icelandic citizens. The news comes as Foreign Ministry officials from Iceland are currently in Cairo meeting with Egyptian officials on how to rescue the remaining one hundred or so Icelandic residence permit holders from Gaza.
Also, it turns out we overestimated our population--by about 14,000 people. How that happened and how that was fixed explained within. We've also got the latest on Grindavík, a tragic mystery in East Iceland, weather, road conditions, and much more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
Icelandic cuisine is famous - perhaps infamous - for its strong, fermented flavours. We take a look at Þorramatur, the fermented foods traditionally consumed during Iceland's midwinter festival, and ask: can it really be that bad?
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we bring you the story of how three Icelandic women took it upon themselves to begin rescuing Palestinians with Icelandic residence permits from Gaza--something the Icelandic government has said would be "complicated" and has still not yet taken action on--while fundraising efforts continue.
We also bring you the latest on the newest Reykjanes eruption, a Grammy win for an Icelandic musician, Russian hackers cyberattacking a university, local drama surrounding a celebrity cat, and much more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we report on some good news for disaster preparedness, how fin whale hunters and the government are at odds, corruption in Iceland, the annual bird count, and much more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
We take a deep dive into the history of Icelandic turf houses, and what's being done to preserve them.
In this episode of Iceland News Review, we go in-depth on what assistance Grindavík residence will get, a bill that could greatly restrict the use of AI in Iceland, a controversial new twist in Iceland's possible participation in Eurovision, along with weather, road conditions, and much more!
Iceland News Review brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
The sinking of the Goðafoss was one of the deadliest days in Icelandic history. We take a look at the events of this tragic day and consider how Iceland was affected by the Second World War.
In this episode of Iceland Review News, we go in-depth on last Sunday's eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula and what this could mean for the people of Grindavík. Can they ever return and if not, where will they live? How will the government help them? There's a lot of options on the table. Also, Reykjavík has a new mayor with an historic twist; good news for Palestinian children in Iceland; one town stands out as having the highest per capita immigrant population; along with weather, road conditions, and much more!
Iceland Review News brings you all of Iceland's top stories, every week, with the context and background you need. Be sure to like, follow and subscribe so you don't miss a single episode!
On Saturday, October 7, a tractor trundled through the streets of downtown Reykjavík with hundreds of protestors in tow. The procession was headed to Austurvöllur Square in front of Iceland’s Parliament for a demonstration.
Several organisations – including Landvernd (the Icelandic Environment Association) and the Icelandic Wildlife Fund – had organised the event to protest salmon aquaculture in open-net sea pens, an industry that grew more than tenfold in Iceland between 2014 and 2021. During this period, annual production ballooned from nearly 4,000 tonnes of farmed salmon to approximately 45,000 tonnes.
The reason protestors were demonstrating was because the growth of the industry had coincided with what some would call predictable problems. Aside from the potentially negative environmental impacts that salmon farming in open-net pens poses – including pollution from fish waste, uneaten feed, and chemicals or medicines used to treat diseases – Iceland had recently witnessed firsthand two of the industry’s primary risks: the escape of genetically-distinct farmed salmon of Norwegian origin from open-net pens (threatening introgression with wild populations), and the proliferation of diseases and parasites, most notably sea lice.
We talk about the progress of language technology in Iceland and how tech is helping to shape the future of the language.
For those interested, the online dictionary mentioned in the discussion can be found here: https://ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is/
We take a look at laufabrauð, a traditional Christmas delicacy, and the man keeping the custom alive.
As noted in the discussion, listeners can find Haraldur's website here: https://handverkharaldar.is/index.php/en/
Note that this is the last episode of the year until we go on our holiday break. We will see you in the new year!
Close your eyes and picture Iceland. What comes to mind? A powerful waterfall streaming down a cliffside? Bluish icebergs floating in a glacier lagoon? A hulking jeep fording a highland river? Or maybe a steaming hot spring or a neighbourhood swimming pool? Whichever image is most evocative of Iceland for you, there’s one thing they all have in common: water.
In this special episode, we break down the latest developments and give an overview of the situation on the Reykjanes peninsula.
Since the time of recording, the banks have agreed to waive interest and indexation of mortgages for the next three months. For the latest on the situation, check out our coverage on icelandreview.is
A special episode today for Icelandic Language Day: we take a look at a fun 1973 piece from our archives, and talk about what it looks like to learn Icelandic today.
The West Icelanders in Canada are the largest group of Icelanders outside of Iceland. We look at the history of the short-lived Icelandic colony in Manitoba, and the story of one Icelander in particular.
As the tourism industry increasingly introduces English as a public language in Iceland, one programme in the Westfjords is trying to give the language a chance.
Find more resources to learn Icelandic at our website: https://www.icelandreview.com/ask-ir/is-there-an-app-or-website-where-i-can-learn-icelandic/
It's not an exaggeration to call the most recent Women's Strike historic. With some 70-100,000 women participating, including Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the strike attracted international media attention and injected fresh energy into feminist activism in Iceland. We take a look at our 1986 coverage of Women's Day Off and consider how far we've come, and where we have yet to go.
Fall means an explosion of mushrooms throughout Iceland, and we go to find out more about these fascinating organisms.
Note: the mushroom referenced in the Q&A is known as ullserkur, or shaggy mane.
Under the regular ascent and descent of Keflavík jet traffic, out past the old American radar stations, at the northwestern tip of the Reykjanes peninsula, sits the Suðurnes Science and Learning Centre. Much like the airport terminal a few kilometres from here, this spit of low-flung land is a place where many visitors to this island come and go. Along with an international team of ecologists, Sölvi Rúnar Vignisson has been working here for the past 10 years studying the oystercatcher (in Icelandic, tjaldur), a distinctive shorebird whose migratory patterns may serve as a good indicator of climate change.
Last spring, journalists and activists gathered in a quiet fjord an hour’s drive north of Reykjavík. There was a small harbour, but no fishermen bringing in the day’s catch. For what these guys were fishing, they needed a bigger boat. The whaling ships of Hvalur were preparing for a season of fin whale hunting, planning to sail out and harpoon 160 animals in what was to be Iceland’s last whaling season.
There had been talk of halting the controversial practice after results from the 2022 whaling report found that current whaling methods violated Iceland’s animal welfare regulations. On June 20, just as the whaling season was about to start, Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries Svandís Svavarsdóttir instituted a temporary halt on the hunt in order to further assess the situation. At the time of writing, the future of whaling in Iceland is uncertain. Has the last whale already been harpooned, flensed, and frozen? Only time will tell.
For the third year in a row, there’s a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, only a stone’s throw away from the city centre. This eruption marks a pattern, with around 300 days between eruptions, geologists’ predictions of a new eruption phase for the long-dormant volcano system seem to be coming to fruition. For visitors to the island, as well as the locals themselves, this series of “tourist-friendly” eruptions has been welcomed, with thousands of hikers making their way up to see lava gushing forth from the crater down into the field below – the freshest rock on earth.
The 1783 Laki eruption was one of the worst eruptions in modern history, with global consequences.
The eruptions on the Reykanes peninsula in 2021 and 2022 once again propelled Iceland’s volcanoes into the global consciousness. The last time this happened was in 2010, when Eyjafjallajökull’s ash cloud grounded an estimated 10 million air travellers. By contrast, the latest social media-friendly eruptions, a half-hour drive from the capital, attracted even more tourists to the island’s already strained post-COVID hospitality industry.
Although at any given time there’s a 50/50 chance a volcanic eruption is ongoing in Iceland, the last time the Reykjanes peninsula witnessed an active volcano was in the 12th century. The eruptions were part of a sustained period of volcanic activity that spanned more than 200 years, known to Icelanders as the “Reykjavík Fires.” Could these latest eruptions herald a new era of volcanic activity on the peninsula, near the homes of over two-thirds of Iceland’s population?
It’s the first day of the coastal fishing season, and for the next three months, these independent fishermen on their small boats will let their lines out each morning, each bringing back just about 774 kilos of sparkling fresh cod each afternoon. For Guðmundur, steering his boat away from shore, cup of coffee still in his hand and the engine purring, this is the best part of his day.
The tagline of Jón Karl’s Swimming Pool Stories reads as follows: “The Russians have their vodka. The Finns have their saunas. And the Icelanders have their pools.”
But unlike those first two, Icelandic swimming pool culture is relatively young. It began in the early 20th century, when a national awakening to the inordinate number of drownings among fishermen was taking place.
A "deep dive" in the history and culture of Iceland's pools.
The Einherjar football team was founded in the year of our unlordly economic meltdown. 2008. They played their first match in 2016 – but all of their games are friendlies. Not yet recognised by the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland (ÍSÍ), the Einherjar, Iceland's only American football team, must fend for themselves.
The Westman Islands are home to some of the most exciting tastes you've never heard of.
The Council of Europe, held in Reykjavík this May, was the largest such event since the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit.
Gísli Einarsson must rank as one of Iceland’s most prolific television producers. When afforded the opportunity of stepping behind the camera and training his lens upon the world, Gísli’s audience saw the world not as it was – but as Gísli was: it took a true rustic, proud of his provincial manners and heritage, to make it to the national broadcaster in Reykjavík and focus our collective attention on the people of rural Iceland. This most domestically-travelled man in Iceland (such is his reputation) has now produced over 500 episodes for his TV series Landinn (e. The Local), and he’s recently staged a show on the subject of his own travels. This makes him, in the eyes of Iceland Review, the ideal interlocutor.
Observant visitors to Reykjavík may have noticed a peculiar street name: Barónsstígur, named after an eccentric aristocrat who lived in Iceland at the turn of the century.
This April, sheep at Bergsstaðir farm in Northwest Iceland were diagnosed with the fatal degenerative disease known as scrapie. In accordance with regulations, the 700-some sheep were culled to prevent the spread of the disease to neighbouring farms. We revisit our 2022 article, Good Breeding, to see what's being done to fight this deadly disease.
Feminist punk band and political activist group Pussy Riot held their first-ever gallery exhibition at Reykjavík's Marshall House.
The circular economy could revolutionize how we make things and deal with our waste. A profile of the Icelandic entrepreneurs working within the circular ethos.
When we met the beauty pageant winner, he wasn't exactly what you might expect: three years old, short, and furry. This is the story of the comeback of the Icelandic sheepdog.
A history of the Icelandic flatbread: the unsung hero of traditional Icelandic cuisine.
With a growing economy, Iceland is home to more foreign-born residents than ever. And although Icelandic is often described as an "impossible" language to learn, the barriers to learning Icelandic are more often social and economic. We look at the shortcomings of Icelandic as a second language education, and ask what's to be done.
In the fall of 1813, a young, shy Danish man disembarked from a cargo sailing ship in Reykjavík harbour. His name was Rasmus Kristian Rask (1787-1832), but he was no merchant, nor was he a tourist. Short in stature and modestly dressed, his face was thin and fine-featured, long-nosed with round, clear eyes that burned with enthusiasm and intellect. Rask had been offered free passage to Iceland by appreciative Icelanders fascinated by the diminutive young Dane who so loved their language. He had come to the remote Danish colony for a two-year stay to master the language and test a theory he had devised; that Icelandic was the closest thing to an ancestor of all the other Germanic languages.
A look at the women in business who are finding solutions for workplace inequality in Iceland and the world.
On March 30, 1949, a large crowd convened behind a school in central Reykjavík. They were protesting the government’s decision to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, then in its infancy. Once a sizeable throng had formed, the group marched on Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament. They were met by a group of NATO supporters who had surrounded the parliament building, intending to defend it. A riot erupted between the two groups, who only dispersed after police deployed tear gas. Five days later, NATO was officially formed, with Iceland among its founding members.
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the Icelander who portrayed Gregor Clegane, a.k.a. “the Mountain,” in HBO series Game of Thrones, owns and operates a gym in Kópavogur, Iceland. It’s called Thor’s Power Gym, which, admittedly, has an ever-so-slightly masculine ring to it. It’s there where Hafþór and other might-minded individuals convene to train for, among other things, the sport of strongman. Called aflraunir in Icelandic, the competition involves a potpourri of premodern feats of strength (with a few modern twists) often named for mythological heroes: the Atlas Stones, the Hercules Hold, Conan’s Wheel, Fingal’s Finger. In strongman, there are no points for subtlety.
In Episode 15 of Deep North, we take a look inside the like of strong men in Iceland, and ask: is there something in the water?
Haraldur Þorleifsson, known more often as Halli, is famous for something most of us do every year: paying our taxes. After the sale of his company Ueno to Twitter, Halli became one of Iceland's so-called "Tax Kings." Now, he's working to make Iceland more accessible.
The Westfjords have always been isolated, but after World War II, when the rest of Iceland experienced a period of sped-up industrialisation, the Westfjords were left behind. Once-thriving communities were slowly drained of life when the young people moved south, and a series of economic setbacks made life difficult for the ones that remained. A look at daily life in this remote region of Iceland.
In the spring of last year, Strætó announced an operational deficit of 750 million ISK. Shortly after that, it doubled this estimate. Coming out of the economic disruptions of COVID-19, is Strætó in a position to lead Iceland's energy transition?
Birnir's latest album, Bushido, represents an omnibus of contemporary Icelandic rap music. We talk about hip-hop, family, and what makes Birnir tick.
Pools, hot-tubs, and saunas are an often-flaunted feature of Iceland in the tourism industry. But Iceland's pool culture serves as much more, forming the very stuff of social life for many Icelanders and perhaps even the basis of our democratic ideals.
In 1998, Guðmundur Felix was working as an electronics engineer. One day in January, he set out to do some work on a high-voltage transmission line. The line he was supposed to be working on was powered off, but on that fateful day, Felix reached out and touched a line that was very much powered on. Shocked by 11,000 volts, he fell 8 metres. When he woke up, both his arms had been amputated at the shoulder.
With the dust from this fall's leadership turmoil still unsettled, one-third of wage contracts need to be re-negotiated between their trade union and SA, the employers' union. High interest rates and inflation have made this a particularly tricky negotiation round, and we briefly outline why it matters.
Is it just the phones? We take a look at the state of mental health for Iceland's youth.
In the tug-of-war game between interest rates and inflation following the economic disruptions of COVID-19, Icelandic homeowners have been put under increasing pressure. We talk about a rather unique feature of the Icelandic financial system and its effects on Icelandic families.
Just in time for Yule, we talk with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, chief priest of Ásatrúarfélagið.
Elísabet Jökulsdóttir is an award-winning Icelandic author, with a pioneering and personal style. Recently, however, her battle with Bipolar Disorder took on a new shape when her lithium treatment caused severe kidney problems. We talked with Elísabet about her life and work and what the future holds.
John Snorri was an Icelandic mountaineer who summited the treacherous K2 during winter.
Iceland's highland wilderness is many things: a tourist attraction, power source, and precious breeding ground for migratory birds. But besides all these uses, is there perhaps a value in empty land itself? We talk with environmental conservationists and the Minister of Environment to find out.
Iceland Review talks with rising Icelandic pop star, Bríet in the inaugural episode of our new podcast.