I did an episode of #StoriesOfIceland about the weird travel book Letters from Iceland written by #WHAuden and #LouisMacNeice.
I don't remember if I related an anecdote I once heard about how many Icelanders were impressed by how gentlemanly Auden and MacNeice were because they never tried to seduce any #Icelandic women during their trip.
I have decided that when I am writing more than a few lines about #Iceland I am going to use the #Wordpress site for my podcast #StoriesOfIceland instead of my personal Mastodon account. With the support for #ActivityPub I can now easily write for people who want to follow the site itself, #RSS or the #Fediverse.
This is what I hope is the future for #Creators.
During the night, just before 03:00 local time, there was an increase in seismic activity near the town of Grindavík. Soon after an immediate evacuation was ordered. At 07:57 a volcanic eruption began near the town.
The inhabitants had been allowed to return after the end of the previous eruption but many had yet to do so. There had already been signs of activity and the town was supposed to be evacuated by Monday.
As I write this, the lava-flow is about 450m (about a third of mile) from the edge of town.
The best way to keep of with news of the eruption is at the RÚV (Icelandic state radio and TV) website. They also have webcams near to the eruption site.
An eruption began north of Grindavík just before 8am on SundayA second fissure opened above the town around midday on the same dayLava reached the town from the second fissure and three houses were lostThat second fissure eruption is over, and the first, larger fissure, now shows no sign of ongoing eruptionThe eruption does not present a threat to lifeFlights to and from Iceland are unaffected
The hidden folk at #Yuletide. I retell two related #folktales and speculate about what they say about contemporary society.
I recorded the episode and mentioned the then current state of the pending #VolcanicEruption in #Iceland. While I was doing so, an eruption started. I added a note on this before I uploaded it to Patreon. Now that I am releasing it for everyone, the eruption seems to be over.
https://storiesoficeland.com/home-alone/
#Elves #IcelandicFolklore, #StoriesOfIceland #Gender #Yule #Folklore
I do think I might keep using this simple template for my podcast (#StoriesOfIceland) thumbnails in the future.
This is from my upcoming (or already arrived if you support me on Patreon) special Yule episode which has a silly but appropriate title.
Many Icelanders love tracing their family trees. I do. So when I went down ten generations and found a master of sorcery (galdrameistari) who is featured in a couple of #Icelandic #folktales it was inevitable that I would dedicate an episode of #StoriesOfIceland to this man while also covering his son and grandson (9th and 8th generation ancestors respectively).
Three Generations of Sorcerer Priests In the 17th century, Iceland was thrown into a panic about witchcraft. My ancestor Einar Nikulásson lived through almost the exact period of the "age of burning" and has gone down in folklore as "Galdrameistari" or "master of sorcery". These stories also implicated his descendants, especially Þórarinn Einarson, Jón Einarsson and Einar Jónsson (the last two are also my ancestors). This episode explores these stories and the reputations of these real men, earned and unearned.
A few months ago I saw that @neilhimself (and some friends of mine) was coming to #ReykjavikNoir. I got tickets fully intending to read books by authors attending. Then I bought a new apartment and moved. Constant work for three months now. Today I went to get my armband and felt guilty that I have read nothing.
BTW. Every time I am around tourists in Iceland I have the urge to tell them about my podcast. I could just wear a #StoriesOfIceland shirts all the time but that feels a bit vain.
How long does it take to fill the souls of Priests? The answer might surprise you.
Long overdue episode of my podcast #StoriesOfIceland with an introduction which became irrelevant and weirdly relevant again.
https://storiesoficeland.com/it-takes-too-long-to-fill-the-souls-of-priests/
When I recorded the latest episode if my podcast #StoriesOfIceland I started with a lengthy discussion on the ongoing #VolcanicEruption in #Iceland. I put the episode on #Patreon but before I could upload it to the public feed the eruption was over.
I decided that I should record a little message and add to the start of the episode to explain the situation. Then I became very busy with buying an apartment and moving so I haven't done that yet.
Now they are talking about a new eruption so ...
In 2005 former (or current according to himself) World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer was granted an Icelandic citizenship.
I was inspired by an episode of #BehindTheBastards about Fischer which explained much about his antisemitic views but left open the question why Icelanders wanted him after all that had gone before. This episode tries to answer that question.
Óli Gneisti (English)
Stories of Iceland
