Dispelling some Viking Myths in Iceland

[@ivargu]

So just to be clear, viking raids were actually just innocent research expeditions ;)

[@MichelleJacobcik]

I have been following the volcanic eruptions so it is nice to learn about the people of Iceland. Thanks.

[@ivargu]

Glad you enjoyed! 🙂

[@jonkirk2118]

Fascinating stuff! Takk fyrir Ívar.

[@JustinMcCarthy-cy1mv]

As always, an educational and entertaining video. Your videos are the best.

[@musamirik]

😮

[@aag3752]

The music should be lower, it's distracting. Otherwise, very nice video. I'm learning.

[@davidhjortnaes2000]

Do Jingle Balls ever make you feel like Ransacking the neighborhood?

[@ivargu]

Lets see what happens this December 😉

[@davidhjortnaes2000]

Jolakotturinn is coming to Milwaukee I hear

[@BarryWilliams0]

Very enjoyable and interesting video. I'm from Wales originally and I'm fascinated to see that both the Icelandic and Welsh languages have double L (LL), which most English-born speakers have trouble pronouncing. 😊

[@davidhjortnaes2000]

I am from the Midwest and wonder what you mean when you say we cannot pronounce LL?

[@BarryWilliams0]

​@@davidhjortnaes2000I mean the way LL is pronounced in Welsh or Icelandic.

[@citroen143]

Hi Barry! Just out of curiosity: is it possible the double LL in the original language of your beautiful country is pronounced "f"? There is even a famous brand that has a Welsh name. Greetings from Italy, Giorgio :-)

[@BarryWilliams0]

@@citroen143 Hi Georgio. The Welsh LL is pronounced almost the same as in Icelandic, which is closest to 'tl'. In Welsh, the 'f' sound is spelt 'ff'. Does that make sense?

[@citroen143]

@@BarryWilliams0 Hi Barry! Thank you so much for your kind reply. It does make sense, double consonants have their precise function in many languages. I had a beautiful book about the Welsh, written by an Englishman, where he highlighted their character and explained that that are even words from Latin in Welsh ( I remember 2 of them that were close to Italian). I must say that the writer was right about the beauty of this ancient population, judging by your friendliness! Giorgio 🙂

[@citroen143]

God kväll! Your videos are always interesting and entertaining. Is it possibles that the first inhabitants of Iceland were not Danes or Norwegians but came from modern Ireland or other Celtic countries? The nice hat with horns suits you but without it you look better :-) Have a nice evening! Giorgio :-)

[@ivargu]

Yes, we are genetically a roughly 50/50 mix

[@Urspo]

My initial reaction was "OMG! I have the same hat!" (true) I imagine Icelanders dependent on tourism have a love/hate relationship with Viking stuff and Icelandic lore. The tourists want to experience fairies and see Yule Lads running amok in the street. When the don't they feel a disappointment. Speaking of the Yule Lads, you will do another advent calendar I hope?

[@ivargu]

Hatbrothers!

[@ivargu]

The Yule Lads are full of suspense this time around... but they have been sneaking around 😉

[@JustinMcCarthy-cy1mv]

What are the “British Isles”? Asking for a friend.

[@ivargu]

I at least meant that entire cluster of islands off the northern coast of France 😜😉

[@JustinMcCarthy-cy1mv]

@ Irish diplomats are not allowed to use that term. In all fairness, the alternatives they use are REALLY ridiculous (The Atlantic Archepelago and “these islands”).

[@tonyf9984]

​@@ivargu"Those piddling little islets off Ireland" was what he wanted to hear, Ívar. After all, that's what we effectively are now ...

[@valed6706]

Hi Ivar. Would you recommend someone to move there, in Iceland? I'm from Italy and planning to move abroad and Iceland is on my wish list. :)

[@ivargu]

I am not sure if that is something I can recommend for or against :) My perspective is quite skewed, having never lived anywhere else. Any place has pros and cons, and how those weigh are strongly influenced by your own personal preferences. Iceland definitely has it's pros, both physically and socially, but definitely cons as well in equal measure :)

[@tonyf9984]

You only picked this topic so you could dress up, didn't you, Ívar? 😄 I hope the ten minutes justified the outlay on that helmet-that-isn't-a-Viking's! A nice delusion-correcting rundown, though the tourist office probably won't thank you for reducing the world's image of the Nordic folk of yore from plunderers to mere peasants. I remember stumbling upon the Hafnarfjörður Viking Festival just before Covid struck and thinking - well yeah, it's all good stuff but the ones in York look much more like Vikings! 😉'Ransacking' very much epitomises the image here in the UK, as it has strong connotations of robbery, violence and destruction. Your fellow Icelandic KZbinr Ólafur Waage includes it in one of his many funny shorts ('Viking words in English') which amuse aficionados of the Nordic lands. If I include the link KZbin will unfortunately eat my post ...

[@ivargu]

...of course, all for that opportunity!