Scandolust

boardface: R 23095 by Hrafn Gunnarsson “A typeface I’m...

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:11:30 -0700

R 23095 by Hrafn Gunnarsson

“A typeface I’m currently working on based on old Icelandic car licence plates. Each letter represented a part, district or county of Iceland so you could recognize were people were from by looking at their plates. They were used from 1950 till 1989”

selchieproductions: Back in the long ago, Westrobothnian...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:09:25 -0800

selchieproductions:

Back in the long ago, Westrobothnian mothers would warn their sons and daughters of a water dwelling, fiddle playing elf, often referred to as Näcken (the Naked One) or Vaatunwiitra (The Water Elf). The elf, who always appeared as a handsome, dark-haired young man, more often naked than not, was known to use his appearance to seduce people, only to take them with him to his home, where, lest the victim knew how to protect him- or herself against the elf, s/he would be drowned.

And to protect oneself, one only needed to carry a piece of steel, or a ring of brass, as these things worked as magical antidotes. And if the Näck still tried to drown you, you would be able to kill him by using the water around you, and baptise him, as the Näck was allergic to the Lord.

But the Näck was not always an ill-mannered, homicidal elf. More often than not he would help humans if they treated him and his home - i.e. the river or lake he was living in - with respect, and if someone offered him three drops of their own blood, a bottle of vodka, a horse or tobacco he would teach them how to play the fiddle. And considering the fact that the Näck’s fiddle playing had magical powers, this was something many people did.

Other stories talk of women who married the Näck, and the children of a human and the Näck would become wonderful fishermen and swimmers.

thedailywhat: Meanwhile in Iceland of the Day Fifteen-year-old...

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:02:43 -0800

thedailywhat:

Meanwhile in Iceland of the Day

Fifteen-year-old Blaer Bjarkardottir (shown left in the photo) is suing Iceland for the right to use her given name, which means “light breeze” in Icelandic. The Scandinavian state has replaced her name with “Stulka” (“girl) on all of her official documents, as “Blaer” is not listed on the country’s Personal Names Register, or a list of 1712 male and 1853 female names that Icelandic officials believe “will protect children from embarrassment.”

Blaer’s mother, Bjork Eidsdottir (shown right) did not realize her daughter’s name wasn’t pre-approved on the list until a panel turned it down on the grounds that “Blaer” takes a masculine article. This case marks the first time an Iceland resident has challenged a names committee decision in court.

scandolust: Noonie Bao - Bodywork Lover - Official video (by...

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 12:53:34 -0800

scandolust:

Noonie Bao - Bodywork Lover - Official video (by Noonie Bao)

A beautiful new track by Swedish singer Noonie Bao.

Noonie Bao - Bodywork Lover - Official video (by Noonie Bao) A...

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:42:15 -0800

Noonie Bao - Bodywork Lover - Official video (by Noonie Bao)

A beautiful new track by Swedish singer Noonie Bao.

coolchicksfromhistory: Happy St. Lucia’s Day! Image: Ola...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:08:50 -0800

coolchicksfromhistory:

Happy St. Lucia’s Day!

Image: Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se

cabinporn: Cabin in Eskifjörður, Iceland. Submitted by Chris...

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:14:40 -0800

cabinporn:

Cabin in Eskifjörður, Iceland.

Submitted by Chris Rhodes.

The Making of Björk - “Mutual Core” - Art + Music -...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:39:35 -0800

The Making of Björk - “Mutual Core” - Art + Music - MOCAtv (by MOCATV)

Bjӧrk - Mutual Core - Art + Music - MOCAtv (by MOCATV)

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:31:44 -0800

Bjӧrk - Mutual Core - Art + Music - MOCAtv (by MOCATV)

cabinporn: A salvaged window house in Christiania,...

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:29:23 -0800

cabinporn:

A salvaged window house in Christiania, Denmark.

From Tiny House Blog:

A town within a city, a rebel neighborhood within a well-ordered society. This is Christiania (Freetown), Denmark, a small community smack dab in the middle of Copenhagen, Denmark. Within this community are tiny houses, built by hand and with whatever materials are within reach. Christiania began in 1971 as an occupation of disused army barracks in the southern portion of Copenhagen near a lake. The 900 or so freethinking individuals who inhabit the area are a self governing community who refuse to pay taxes to the Danish government, run their own businesses and schools, live without cars on unpaved roads, build their own houses, restaurants and civil buildings and even have their own currency.

sfmoma: bluebirdsfloat: Olafur Eliasson - Your Sound...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 07:56:08 -0700

sfmoma:

bluebirdsfloat:

Olafur Eliasson - Your Sound Galaxy

via http://www.olafureliasson.net/

halvgal.: Some of my favourite Swedish words

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:01:11 -0700

halvgal.: Some of my favourite Swedish words:

selchieproductions:

Kura skymning (verb) - To huddle together in the gloaming, preferably around an open fire and read books and tell stories to each others.

Skarsnöknaster - the sound crusty snow makes when walked upon.

pulkbacke - a hill that you would bobsleigh down.

sjörök…

iambountyfan: 20120805: Stockholm Music & Arts —...

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:15:14 -0700

iambountyfan:

20120805: Stockholm Music & Arts — iamamiwhoami

iamamiwhoami to perform at the Stockholm Music & Arts festival on August 5! The lineup also includes Björk, Buffy Saint-Marie, Fatoumata Diawara, and Anna von Hausswolff.

Necropants in the Holmavik Witchcraft Museum Necropants are a...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:34:21 -0700

Necropants in the Holmavik Witchcraft Museum

Necropants are a method that a sorcerer used to get rich in old Iceland. With agreement prior to death, the sorcerer exhumed the corpse of a man and flayed its skin, in one piece, from the waist down. It was believed that the necropants would spontaneously produce money when worn, as long as the donor corpse had been stolen from a graveyard at the dead of night and a magic rune and a coin stolen from a poor widow were placed in the dead man’s scrotum. After tanning, the sorcerer wore the skin like a pair of pants. As soon as he stepped into the pants they will stick to his own skin. A coin must be stolen from a poor widow and placed in the scrotum along with a magical sign, written on a piece of paper. This reputedly attracted more coins and hence the sorcerer became wealthy. Before his death, the sorcerer had to pass the necropants to another. He did this by having the new owner place his right leg in one side of the pants whilst the sorcerer still has his left leg in the other. In this way, the power of the pants would pass from one individual to another.

The Museum of Witchcraft and Sorcery in Iceland has a pair of necropants on display.

Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng is a reconstructed viking-era Long...

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:34:53 -0700

Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng is a reconstructed viking-era Long house or farmstead in Iceland. It is a replica of the building which was buried under volcanic ash in 1104 following the eruption of the volcano Hekla.

The reconstruction was built in 1974 as a part of the national celebrations of the 1100th anniversary of the settlement of Iceland in 874.

thedailywhat: Letter Of Note of the Day: A terse letter penned...

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:12:02 -0800

thedailywhat:

Letter Of Note of the Day: A terse letter penned by Ingmar Bergman in 1960 to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences upon learning that his film, Wild Strawberries, had been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Screenplay category.

It lost to the Rock Hudson/Doris Day romcom Pillow Talk.

[criterioncollection.]

julieswilliams: (via BBC News - Scandinavian food: Why is it...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:49:10 -0800

julieswilliams:

(via BBC News - Scandinavian food: Why is it becoming popular in the UK?)

clairesalcedo: invisiblestories: Vädersolstavlan (Swedish for...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:51:02 -0800

clairesalcedo:

invisiblestories:

Vädersolstavlan (Swedish for “The Sun Dog Painting”) is an oil-on-panel painting depicting a halo display, an atmospheric optical phenomenon, observed over Stockholm on April 20, 1535 (via medieval)

It’s Gallifreyan, and you can’t convince me it’s not.

youhavenothingtodohere: Agnes Obel - Riverside

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:36:18 -0800

youhavenothingtodohere:

Agnes Obel - Riverside

Photo

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:34:33 -0800