Fjóla

@fjolagud.bsky.social

Icelandic, folklorist, journalist. Lumpfish enthusiast and admirer of medieval manuscripts.

Me, looking for something to watch: "It's been two decades since I saw GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES. Wonder if I should revisit?" Me, an hour into the film: 😭 Me, an hour after the film: 😭 Me, trying to fall asleep: 😭 Worst decision this year, guys.

Ships coming into harbour and getting their crown of flags tells you that Fishermen's Day is soon upon us. By law, all ships must be berthed before midnight on Saturday, and they are not allowed to sail again until after 12 on Monday.

Looking down a street that ends in a view of a large, blue trawler. Look closely and you'll see a line of flags leading from the bow, up into the mast and back towards the stern.

It is 7°C, nothing is green yet, there's a bit of snow in the mountains and it'll probably rain for the next 40 days. But the summer cabin is habitable again and it's still bright out at 23:00 so I don't care, I'm declaring summer.

A glass of beer on a wooden deck. Behind it is a mountain, an ocean and in the distance, islands. There is much brown and very little green.

For PERFECTLY NORMAL REASONS, I have done so many Google searches today with the words 'salmon sperm facials' in thrm that I worry about the state of my algorithm.

My Helsinki hotel’s unsubstantiated claim about Finnland having the best drinking water in the world is quite offensive to my cultural identity, which is entirely based on ICELAND having the best drinking water in the world, actually.

A picture of a sticker on my hotel mirror urging me to turn off the tap while brushing my teeth in order to save the best drinking water in the world

My brother used to eat little corners off book pages. In the small library of the small town we lived in, I'd sometimes get a book with a few missing top corners, and I'd know he'd read it at some point. I wonder if any of them are still there and if people have puzzled over this.

☞ ☞ ☞ the index finger is a pointing gesture to be found in manuscript and print traditions. It was used to draw the reader's attention to a certain part of a text or image. This slow-moving thread highlight a few of them:

So thankful for winter Olympics while sick and vegging out on sofa. 7 year old daughter supports Canada because, and I quote, "They make the syrup." Can't argue with her logic.

So, I did not remember that Helen of Troy hatched from an egg after Zeus raped her mother in the guise of a swan but now, thanks to Strange Outrage on Internet, I do.

There are five ships sailing along the north and east of Iceland in a pattern, searching for capelin. It's a daily moment of mindfulness to check on their progress, provided by the Icelandic Marine Research Institute: skip.hafro.is

Map of Iceland. In the sea to the north and east, there are colourful lines that go back and forth, almost like a sewing pattern.

At least once a day, I think about the fact that the United States is trying to buy or steal our neighbours. That is an actual thing that's happening in my lifetime.

I have sensory issues with eating greasy or powdery food with my hands, but many, many cursed years went by before I figured out that I'm an idiot because the problem of crisps can be solved with chopsticks. Lo, I bring this knowledge to you who suffer but haven't received the same epiphany 😌

A choptick grasps a crisp. In the background, more crisps.

Tomorrow, 6 January, is the last day of Christmas in Iceland, simply called the Thirteenth. It's a good one because there is a lot of folklore attached to it (some of it is also said to apply to New Year's Day and/or Christmas Day). A little 🧵