During this week's episode, I give an overview of the rich history of Icelandic literature and  culture. Before I jump in, I have two announcements.

Two Important Announcements

The first is that today, February 20th, 2019, is the last day for you to enter the All Things Iceland podcast giveaway.  If you haven’t entered already, you can do so by clicking on the image that says the All Things Iceland podcast giveaway below. I will pick the winners at random tomorrow and contact them

The second announcement is that I am taking a little break from podcasting, but only for a little while. I get so much joy from doing this and I definitely plan on continuing to do it. One of the main reasons is that I am taking a pause is because I will be traveling for about 2 months.

It will be difficult to find the space and time to record, edit and publish weekly episodes. During that time, I will have some vacation time, my mother will have surgery, and I will start a new job. The show will restart again on April 24th, 2019. I know it sounds like a long time away but time passes by so quickly. It is hard to believe that I have been doing this podcast weekly for the past 8 months! Also, I have been reading your survey results and I am so excited to create shows and conduct interviews based off of your suggestions.

Ok, now let’s jump back into to the topic of Iceland’s literary culture.

Icelandic Sagas - The Beginning of Icelandic Literature History

Icelandic literature is just as unique as its language, which I talked about in episode two of this show. I’ll start out with lcelandic literature from Medieval times and end with the modern day literary environment in the country.

As I have mentioned in previous episodes, the sagas, which were written between the 9th and 13th centuries, are the most revered pieces of Icelandic literature. They were written in Old Norse tell tales of the people that migrated to Iceland, Viking voyages to unknown lands and the history of settlers. The sagas have withstood the test of time. They have been inspirational sources for shows, movies, plays and books that depict life in Scandinavia during those times.

Njáls Saga

For instance, Njáls Saga, which takes places between 960 and 1020, is full of drama. There is betrayal, murder, ongoing feuds, omens and prophetic dreams. It is teeming with excitement. It also gives insight into the culture during that time. While all of the sagas are fascinating, I specifically point out this one because its Iceland’s longest and most developed saga. If you want to check it out, I have a link to the  saga database that has free versions of the popular sages in Icelandic and English.

https://www.amazon.com/Njals-Saga-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140447695/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

While it hasn’t been confirmed, there is a theory that the sagas served as a way of hiding and preserving the view of pagans, which was threatened by the onslaught of Christianity in the country

Most of the authors of the sagas are unknown, but they are thought to be somewhat true accounts that were passed on orally until they were written down. Some people theorize that women might have been some of the authors. However, there is no evidence to support that. Plus, all of the known saga writers are male.

However, many poetry verse stanzas are attributed to Icelandic and Norwegian women,