The land of glaciers and volcanoes, the birthplace of the Vikings and … parliament. The Western state, a unique civilization, is as much integrated into the world as it is detached from it. What do we remember about Iceland besides the eruption of a volcano with an unpronounceable name a few years ago? Meanwhile, this is an amazing place, whose inhabitants rely on ancient traditions as firmly as on modern trends.
The English language has a famous comic paradox. The name of Greenland - Greenland - translates as "green land", and Iceland - Iceland - as "ice land". At the same time, Greenland is covered with snow almost all year round, while in Iceland, on the contrary, it is not too cold and there is enough greenery. Summers are cool, winters are warm - many would consider such a climate the weather of their dreams. In general, this is exactly what the Norwegian navigators of the 9th century thought about, fleeing the wrath of the harsh King Harald I. There were practically no forests on the island they discovered, but the meadows were quite suitable for grazing, and there was enough fish in the ocean for everyone. News of the promised land quickly spread over sea and land, and more ships sailed towards Iceland.
For several decades, enough people had accumulated for a full-fledged state, but the settlers did not need a supreme ruler. In the villages, decisions were made and judged by arranging a ting - a meeting of free husbands who had the right to bear arms. If the matter concerned the fate of the country, an althing was convened, which brought together the best representatives of all regions. The system itself was very reminiscent of the veche, customary for the Slavic tribes. The first althing took place in 930, marking the beginning of the era of democracy. Seventy years later, in order to protect themselves from invasion from the mainland, at the next Althing, the Icelanders decide to voluntarily convert to Christianity. Even after Iceland lost its independence and took over Norway in 1262, the althing remains as an expression of the people's will. Nowadays, the Icelandic parliament has become very modern,but retained the old name and many ancient laws. For example, a horse that leaves an island can no longer return to its homeland - even if it has participated in international competitions. This law was passed in 982 and has remained unchanged to this day.
SAGI, LEGENDS, FAIRY TALES
Not only ancient decrees are related to the ancestors of modern citizens of Iceland. Their language, having existed for more than a thousand years, has undergone minimal changes compared to other Scandinavian languages - especially when it comes to writing. The Icelandic alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet, but contains two runic letters inherited from the compilers of the sagas. Icelanders are generally very proud of their writing - after all, it is thanks to them that the Elder and Younger Edds have reached us.
The tales and legends of the "land of ice" deserve special attention. Initially, they were passed from mouth to mouth, carefully memorized and told to descendants as if they had seen everything with their own eyes. Icelandic tales differ markedly from the stories of other peoples. They do not have the usual confrontation between good and evil, there is no pronounced morality or instructions. The hero can survive or die. Several characters can change in one story, and still not achieve the goal. And it cannot be said that doom reigns there. It just happens in life - heroes don't always win. The purpose of the storyteller is not to make the listener happy, but only to tell the story without forgetting important details. In the legends of Iceland, there are many mythological creatures - trolls, elves and local evil spirits, but they act in the same circumstances as people. Elves especially stood out - they are huldufolk,"The hidden people". Their world is, as it were, parallel to ours, and only sorcerers and clairvoyants can notice it. The Hidden People were so closely intertwined with human society that many Icelanders sincerely believe in it to this day. In those places where, according to legend, elves live, the roads are even deliberately narrowed so that it would be easier for the representatives of the huldufoulk to cross them.
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WHAT IS IN YOUR SURNAME?
Another thing that has been preserved in Iceland since ancient times is surnames … or rather, their absence. Continuing the glorious traditions of their ancestors, in the 20th century, Icelanders voluntarily gave up the opportunity to get a surname. Only name and patronymic, only hardcore. Leif Erickson - name is Leif, son of Eric, why do you need something extra? In rare cases, however, instead of a middle name, you can use a matronym - the name of the mother.
It would seem that with such a commitment to ancient customs, Icelandic society should be extremely ossified, with all the accompanying sores. But no. Iceland is a developed country with a solid economy, an incredibly low crime rate (except for the most dangerous prisoners, they are released from prison here on holidays!) And unemployment. And political innovations are sometimes such that the rest of the world can only open their mouths in amazement. How about the world's first female president in 1980? The only women's political party in the world to win a seat in parliament? The legalization of same-sex marriages will surprise no one now, but the female head of government, who has officially announced her bisexuality, is, to put it mildly, infrequent. Or here's an example - the writing of the newest Constitution, amendments to which could be proposed and proposed by people from all over the country,using social networks. And this, by the way, under the president, who has been ruling from 1996 to the present day, who twice won elections for the absence of other candidates!
Perhaps we can say that Iceland is the only state in the West that still largely lives according to the ancient laws of the clan. And how he lives! The average life expectancy here is 82.4 years, this is the fourth result in the world after Switzerland (82.8 years), Italy and Japan (82.7 years). They use geothermal heating and do not pollute the environment. No army. Already a thousand years ago, Icelandic women had the right to divorce while retaining half of their property.
The island's population is small - only 320 thousand people, of which 120 thousand live in the capital - Reykjavik. Replenishment from the outside is out of the question, Iceland has a very harsh migration policy. The converse is also true - few leave their homeland. It is said that one Icelander always recognizes another anywhere in the world, even if they do not speak.
VOLCANOES AND SHARKS
It may seem that living in Iceland is easy and safe, but this is only for the social order. On a relatively small island there are about three dozen volcanoes - being next to them is like sitting on a powder keg. The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, which effectively halted Europe's air traffic, is a flower compared to the fury of neighboring volcanoes Laki and Grimsvetna two centuries ago.
In 1783, they spewed lava and ash for eight months, turning summer into a kind of nuclear winter. A deadly fog formed in the air - compounds of fluorine and sulfur dioxide, which destroyed half of all Iceland's livestock, and behind it - more than ten thousand people as a result of starvation. This cataclysm was called "Disaster in the Fog", and it is well remembered to this day.
Another manifestation of the harsh Icelandic reality is the local delicacy, haukarl. It is rotten shark meat with minimal processing prior to consumption. The shark is first kept in the ground for a month or a month and a half, then hung out to dry for another couple of months. Oddly enough, the result turns out to be quite edible, albeit unspeakably smelly. The Icelanders did not invent the haukarl because of a good life - the fact is that the meat of the Greenland shark is deadly poisonous due to the content of ammonia in it. And when there is nothing to eat, you don't have much to choose - you just need to learn how to cleanse the dish of poison. Fortunately, modern islanders are not as limited in food as their Varangian ancestors, but they periodically use haucarl in order to feel the connection of times.
Iceland looks tiny and closed - until behind this illusion a whole world is revealed: strange, original and wonderful. Of course, this is true of any country, but … the place where the roads are narrowed so that the elves can cross them deserves special treatment. As if the "icy land" itself can open to only a few, and only if it wants to.
Sergey Evtushenko