{"id":2787,"date":"2013-11-14T14:01:14","date_gmt":"2013-11-14T14:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/?p=2787"},"modified":"2013-11-14T14:01:14","modified_gmt":"2013-11-14T14:01:14","slug":"hardrok-in-the-whole-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/icelandic\/2013\/11\/14\/hardrok-in-the-whole-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Har\u00f0rok in the whole country!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"news0011\"<\/a>On the news this week: what about the killer pheasant? Is the rok<\/em> really har\u00f0<\/em>? Is J\u00f3n Gnarr ok? Let’s see:<\/p>\n

The queen is here<\/strong><\/p>\n

Margr\u00e9t Danadrottning*<\/em> is currently in the country. Her visit is due to the Medieval literature collector \u00c1rni Magnusson’s 300th birthday celebrations so naturally the entertainment has all been linked heavily to it. Last night I attended a theatre show that was held for the queen, and while it was very entertaining it also managed to surprise me. You see, what I thought as suitable material for such an occasion would certainly not include a little boy of perhaps nine years old reciting a poem where he wishes to go “h\u00f6ggva mann og annan<\/em>” (= kill a man and another), a large background image of two statues of Freyr** and Sk\u00e1lm\u00f6ld<\/em> as the finishing act. With a stage that rolled forward, smoke machines on full blast and a video of a young girl holding what seemed to be a wreath of bloodied guts.<\/p>\n

Perhaps I’m the one here who’s oversensitive though; the queen of Denmark did not seem upset in the least. She left just as full of smiles as she had arrived with and it’s probably safe to assume that a queen of Denmark would not be easily shaken by Medieval poetry, artifacts or heavy rock that draws its influence from the era.<\/p>\n

*All the members of royal families have their names “Icelandicized” as per rule. More about Icelandic naming rules here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

**Freyr is a fertility god and as such statues depicting him are very NSFW. You have been warned, here’s the most famous one of them, the R\u00e4llinge statuette (link<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Sk\u00e1lm\u00f6ld spila\u00f0i fyrir drottninguna<\/em> (= Sk\u00e1lm\u00f6ld played for the queen)(link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Storms throughout the land<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last week has been almost a non-stop storm and when it hasn’t been stormy we’ve merely had bad weather. The record is currently wind speed of 52m\/second, and it’s a small miracle that there hasn’t been any large scale damage, but fingers crossed since another heavy storm is arriving today. To be expected: high wind speeds, rain, hail, sleet, snow and ice on the roads, I can hear the windows of our house shake already and this is just the beginning… On another note the word “har\u00f0rok<\/em>” is a pun on the words har\u00f0ur<\/em> (= hard) and rok<\/em> (= wind).<\/p>\n

A chihuahua was scared by the storm and ran away from its owners but no worries, little L\u00f3a<\/em> (= plover) has since been found by two school girls.<\/p>\n

The IKEA Christmas goat fell during the storm. We’re mostly surprised it happened before anyone could light it on fire, and some people have commented that had it actually been burned the storms may not have happened, since clearly the heavenly anger was pointed towards the straw creature.<\/p>\n

Flights have for most of the time been on schedule. During the worst storm last week they had to wait but Icelandic pilots are so used to harsh, windy conditions that the limit for postponing flights is set rather high. In case you’re flying to Iceland in the autumn be prepared for shaky landings and take-offs though – and if you have any Icelanders on board you’ll be able to tell them by the fact that they’re the only people there who don’t look anxious. They may even be whooping.<\/p>\n

Vindhvi\u00f0ur \u00ed 52 metra \u00e1 sek\u00fandu<\/em>\u00a0(= Winds\/gusts at 52 m\/s)(link<\/a>)
\nLeita a\u00f0 litlum voffa \u00ed \u00f3ve\u00f0rinu<\/em> (= Search for a little pup in the storm: “voffi<\/em>” is a really cute way of saying “dog” in Icelandic)(link<\/a>)
\nTv\u00e6r n\u00edu \u00e1ra st\u00falkur fundu L\u00f3u<\/em> (= Two nine year old girls found L\u00f3a)(link<\/a>)
\nS\u00e6nska j\u00f3lageitin fauk um koll<\/em> (= Swedish Christmas goat blown on its head)(link<\/a>)
\nWinter Storm Disrupts Travel<\/em> (link<\/a>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"news003\"<\/a>Christmas is on its way<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iceland is preparing for Christmas. Due to the severe lack of trees Norway habitually lends a hand at this time of the year, providing Reykjav\u00edk with a Christmas tree specially grown for us. On the first Advent the lights of the tree will be lit, and after Christmas is over it will be chopped up and burned.<\/p>\n

We’ve already sent our mayor J\u00f3n Gnarr over to fell the tree (link<\/a>). He sleeps all night and he works all day, puts on women’s clothing and is OK.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The most beautiful word<\/strong><\/p>\n

Icelanders are currently voting for the most beautiful word of Icelandic. They have been asked to send in their suggestions, of which 30 have now been selected for the final votes.<\/p>\n

The difficulty in selecting the winner seems to be in that there are two ways a word can be beautiful. It can either mean something beautiful or sound beautiful, but by which should we be judging? We will do this the Icelandic way then, wait until the votes are in and see what kind of a word wins. Hulda is sad to mention that her own suggestion,\u00a0lambal\u00e6ri<\/em>\u00a0(= a leg of lamb) was not among the finalists.<\/p>\n

Thirty Semifinalists for Most Beautiful Icelandic Word<\/em>\u00a0(link<\/a>)<\/p>\n