G is for Grýla

I'm getting a little behind with these posts, aren't I? I'm having one of those crazy weeks full of sleeping and essay writing and marshmallows and reading and more writing and sleeping and lollipops. I've hit that stage where I'm not sure whether I've had too much coffee, or not enough. 

I've decided to take a little break from it all to tell you about a certain horrid Icelandic giantess, Grýla.

Believe it or not, this terrifying witch of a woman is a Christmas character from Icelandic mythology. If I was an Icelandic child, I think Christmas would be a horrifying time of year for me. Grýla's favourite food is naughty children and she is never full. During the Christmas period she leaves her home in the mountains and hunts for naughty children, which she likes to boil into stew. She became linked to Christmas in the 17th century but her character dates back to at least the 13th century. During the 17th century it actually became prohibited to tell tales of Grýla because it was just too scary for the children. 

Here is a folksong about her, it's a nice example of the beautiful Icelandic language, just be thankful you can't understand it or you might not be able to sleep tonight!

the little nordic cabin

x

G is for Greenland

During my time studying the Nordic region, I have become more and more curious about the country of Greenland. While I was studying Icelandic, I read somewhere that Greenland was discovered by a Viking named Erik the Red, who had been sent away from both Norway and Iceland because of his crimes. When he found Greenland, he discovered that it had a great many resources and sailed back to Iceland in order to spread the news about "The Green Land".

According to their tourist website, on visiting Greenland you will have the opportunity to see many wild animals in their natural habitat. The biggest predator is the Polar Bear – can you imagine seeing one of these in the wild? He doesn't look much like a predator!

Oh hi :)

It is possible to take a boat trip, through the icebergs to see the midnight sun. Have you ever experienced this before? Up in the cabin I mentioned a couple of days ago, it is very light during the summer months. It does get fairly dark in the middle of the night, but it only really reaches twilight, before getting lighter again. The picture below was taken out of one of the windows, around 11:30pm. It’s a really strange experience, sitting out in the sunshine with a glass of wine, casually glancing at the clock and discovering that it’s nearly midnight!

While I was doing some research for this post, I came across quite a lot of information about the Ice-Sheet. I then found what I think is such a beautiful description of this: “Wherever the Ice Sheet meets the sea or a fjord, icebergs are born. The sea is whipped up, the swell rises, a huge lump of ice tumbles into the water, finds its equilibrium and floats in a sedate tempo out to sea, where icebergs in all shapes and sizes create a wonderful, ever-changing island realm.” - this was taken from the tourist website, that I linked to above.

Can you imagine having the opportunity to see this? I have never been lucky enough to visit Greenland, but in my mind, it is just the most stunningly beautiful place! But with all of it’s beauty and wonder comes a great sadness, and that is the fact that if we do not take care of our planet, it will be gone. It worries me that places like this are coming closer and closer to destruction with the passing of years and the problem with climate change. It makes me want to run away and see all of this breath-taking scenery while I still have the chance!

(pictures taken from here, here, here & here)

Happy Easter to all of you. I will be visiting you shortly. I've just stepped off of the train and am feeling very sleepy, but I can't wait to read your posts for today!

inspire nordic