Lundi the Lost Puffin

Download Lundi the Lost Puffin PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780960074532
Total Pages : 38 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (745 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Lundi the Lost Puffin by : Eric Newman

Download or read book Lundi the Lost Puffin written by Eric Newman and published by . This book was released on 2020-07-12 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every spring, puffin parents come back to the same cliff to raise a single baby puffling. And every fall, all of the parents pick one day to leave so that their babies can start taking care of themselves. The pufflings have an instinct to fly toward the moon, which would lead them to the ocean and away from the cliff. But the lights of civilization confuse some of the pufflings, who then end up lost and lonely on land.But then something amazing happens! Kids who live on Iceland's Westman Islands look for those lost pufflings in town every September. They keep them overnight in little houses they have made for just this purpose, and then take them to the Sea Life Trust. The pufflings are checked out by the team there, and most of the pufflings are healthy enough to be released to the ocean. In the fall of 2019, children on the Westman Islands rescued over 7,500 pufflings! Follow along as Lundi the puffling gets lost and then saved, based on the true child heroes of Iceland!

Tales of the elves : icelandic folktales for children

Download Tales of the elves : icelandic folktales for children PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9789979788805
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (888 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Tales of the elves : icelandic folktales for children by : Anna Kristín Ásbjörnsdóttir

Download or read book Tales of the elves : icelandic folktales for children written by Anna Kristín Ásbjörnsdóttir and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

My First Icelandic Alphabets Picture Book with English Translations

Download My First Icelandic Alphabets Picture Book with English Translations PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780369600233
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis My First Icelandic Alphabets Picture Book with English Translations by : Katrin S.

Download or read book My First Icelandic Alphabets Picture Book with English Translations written by Katrin S. and published by . This book was released on 2019-12-19 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did you ever want to teach your kids the basics of Icelandic ? Learning Icelandic can be fun with this picture book. In this book you will find the following features: Icelandic Alphabets. Icelandic Words. English Translations.

How To Live Icelandic

Download How To Live Icelandic PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : White Lion Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0711267391
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (112 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis How To Live Icelandic by : Nína Björk Jónsdóttir

Download or read book How To Live Icelandic written by Nína Björk Jónsdóttir and published by White Lion Publishing. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This ultimate guide to one of the world's most beautiful and fascinating island nations is packed with travel tips, cultural and historical facts, and insights from Icelanders into how we can all make our lives a little more Icelandic. Known as ‘The Land of Fire and Ice’, Iceland is a country of contrasts, from the enormous glaciers to the active volcanoes, the summer midnight sun to the briefest of winter days, the ancient language to the modern technological innovations. This is a nation with a rich and diverse culture as unique as its stunning landscapes. How to Live Icelandic is the ultimate insider’s guide to this northerly nation. You may have already tried skyr for breakfast and listened to Sigur Rós on your daily commute, but how much do you know about the real Iceland; the locals’ take on this one-of-a-kind island? Icelanders Nína Björk Jónsdóttir and Edda Magnus have put together the highlights of Icelandic music, literature, cultural attitudes, food traditions and celebrations so the rest of the world can benefit from the special blend of old Norse wisdom with liberal modern attitudes. This beautiful book is full of inspiration and insight into this progressive and peaceful nation that has freedom, community and equality at its core, revealing why Iceland remains one of the happiest countries in the world. From the How To Live... series of insightful guides to some of the most intriguing cultures and locations on the planet, other books available include How To Live Japanese, How To Live Korean and How to Live North.

The Little Book of the Hidden People

Download The Little Book of the Hidden People PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Little Books Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1970125209
Total Pages : 100 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (71 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Little Book of the Hidden People by : Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Download or read book The Little Book of the Hidden People written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Icelandic folklore is rife with tales of elves and hidden people that inhabited hills and rocks in the landscape. But what do those elf stories really tell us about the Iceland of old and the people who lived there? In this book, author Alda Sigmundsdóttir presents twenty translated elf stories from Icelandic folklore, along with fascinating notes on the context from which they sprung. The international media has had a particular infatuation with the Icelanders’ elf belief, generally using it to propagate some kind of “kooky Icelanders” myth. Yet Iceland’s elf folklore, at its core, reflects the plight of a nation living in abject poverty on the edge of the inhabitable world, and its people’s heroic efforts to survive, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. That is what the stories of the elves, or hidden people, are really about. In a country that was, at times, virtually uninhabitable, where poverty was endemic and death and grief a part of daily life, the Icelanders nurtured a belief in a world that existed parallel to their own. This was the world of the hidden people, which more often than not was a projection of the most fervent dreams and desires of the human population. The hidden people lived inside hillocks, cliffs, or boulders, very close to the abodes of the humans. Their homes were furnished with fine, sumptuous objects. Their clothes were luxurious, their adornments beautiful. Their livestock was better and fatter, their sheep yielded more wool than regular sheep, their crops were more bounteous. They even had supernatural powers: they could make themselves visible or invisible at will, and they could see the future. To the Icelanders, stories of elves and hidden people are an integral part of the cultural and psychological fabric of their nation. They are a part of their identity, a reflection of the struggles, hopes, resilience, and endurance of their people. What you will read about in The Little Book of the Hidden People: • The fascination in the international media: why are they so obsessed with elves? • The meaning of elf: what do hidden people stories tell us about the psyche of the Icelanders of old? • The elves' badassery—they could make or break your fortune so you’d better be nice! • The ljúflingar ... hidden men who became the lovers of mortal women • Glamorous and regal: why were the elves so damn good-looking? • The grim realities: what do scholars believe about all those children abducted by elves? ... and so much more!

Icelandic Trolls

Download Icelandic Trolls PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9789979319276
Total Pages : 24 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Icelandic Trolls by : Brian Pilkington

Download or read book Icelandic Trolls written by Brian Pilkington and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Little Book of Icelandic

Download The Little Book of Icelandic PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Little Books Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1970125225
Total Pages : 156 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (71 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Little Book of Icelandic by : Alda Sigmundsdottir

Download or read book The Little Book of Icelandic written by Alda Sigmundsdottir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Icelandic is one of the oldest and most complex languages in the world. In this book, Alda Sigmundsdóttir looks at the Icelandic language with wit and humor, and how it reflects the heart and soul of the Icelandic people and their culture. Many of the Icelanders' idioms and proverbs, their meaning, and origins are discussed, as is the Icelanders' love for their language and their attempts to keep it pure through the ongoing construction of new words and terminology. There is a section on Icelandic curse words as well as Icelandic slang, which is mostly derived from English. Throughout, this book deconstructs Icelandic vocabulary, and the often-hilarious, almost naive, ways in which words are made. Among the fascinating topics broached in The Little Book of Icelandic: • The Language Committee: how Icelanders struggle to keep their language “pure” • Let's make a word!—How names for new things are constructed • Old letters, strange sounds: wrapping your tongue around the Icelanders’ tongue • $#*!%&!“#$%*, or how Icelanders curse • The missing dialects—why Icelandic has none • Which is the prettiest of all: contests to find the most lovely word in Icelandic (and the ugliest!) • Quintessential Icelandic words and phrases (the ones that describe the Icelanders like no others) • Useful phrases to impress your new Icelandic friends! • Klósett—the unexpected origin of the Icelandic word for toilet ... and so much more! This is a must-read book for anyone interested in the Icelandic people, their culture—and of course their language. Excerpt "Idioms and proverbs provide a unique insight into the soul of a nation. They say so much about a people’s history—the heartfelt, the tragic, the monumental, the proud. Icelandic has a vast number of idioms and proverbs that are a direct throwback to our nation’s past, especially idioms relating to the ocean, which is such a massive force in our nation's history. Many of them we use all the time without ever giving a thought to their origins. What follows is a random sampling—I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I did. — Idiom: Eins og skrattinn úr sauðaleggnum Translation: Like Satan out of the sheep’s leg bone Meaning: Unexpectedly, out of the blue If someone suddenly appeared, especially someone I didn’t really want to see, I might say hann kom eins og skrattinn úr sauðaleggnum, literally “he appeared like Satan out of the sheep’s leg bone”. Where the affiliation between a sheep’s leg bone and the prince of darkness comes in I could not tell you. However, I can tell you that, in the old days, Icelandic children (being impoverished and everything) had no proper toys. Instead, they played with sheeps’ bones, each of which was assigned a role. The jawbones were the cows, the joints of the legs were the sheep, and the leg bones were the horses. So maybe folks were worried that Satan—being the crafty bugger that he was—would install himself in a sheeps’ leg bone when the kids were playing and then suddenly BOO! pop out and scare the bejeezus out of them. It’s just a theory. Incidentally, the use of this idiom is not confined to people—it is also successfully used to comment on unwanted happenings, as in: “Damn, this huge phone bill comes like Satan out of a sheep’s leg bone!”

Icelandic Fairy Tales

Download Icelandic Fairy Tales PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Icelandic Fairy Tales by : Mrs. Angus W. Hall

Download or read book Icelandic Fairy Tales written by Mrs. Angus W. Hall and published by . This book was released on 1897 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Casket of Time

Download The Casket of Time PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Restless Books
ISBN 13 : 1632062062
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (32 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Casket of Time by : Andri Snær Magnason

Download or read book The Casket of Time written by Andri Snær Magnason and published by Restless Books. This book was released on 2019-04-09 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A rose can rest in the casket for a thousand years without fading. An egg can remain there for centuries without going bad. A person could lie there for a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years, completely protected from time." What happens when the world starts to fall apart, and no one will take responsibility for mending it? Sigrun’s family, along with everyone else, finds refuge from the crisis in a new technology called TimeBox®, which lets you hibernate until the world’s problems solve themselves. But Sigrun’s TimeBox® opens early, and she wakes to a city in chaos, overrun by nature. Sigrun joins a roving band of kids and a wise researcher named Grace, who tells them of the ancient kingdom of Pangea, and the greedy king who wanted to protect his daughter Obsidiana from pain, gloomy days, and growing older by putting her in a silken casket that time could not penetrate. But Obsidiana learns that sabotaging time is a dangerous business, with effects that ripple outward even to the present day. Sigrun realizes it’s up to her and her friends to face the crisis, break the curse, and fix the world before it’s too late! Winner of The Icelandic Literary Prize for Children and Young People’s Books Winner of The Icelandic Booksellers Prize for Best Teenage Book of the Year Nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize Winner of the The West Nordic Literature Prize Winner of the Reykjavik Children’s Literature Prize “The story confronts the concept of time and twists old fairy-tale memories with a passionate creativity.” —The Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize Citation “Andri Snær Magnason has created an intimate epic that floats effortlessly between genres as diverse as fairy tale and political commentary, science fiction and social realism. The Casket of Time spans the chasm between ‘once upon a time’ and ‘have you heard the news today’ in a way that makes his philosophical fable feel both timely and timeless.” —Bjarke Ingels “The largest box of chocolate written in the Icelandic language that I have ever laid my hands on... This is confectionery for the mind!... This is a book for the 3 year old, the 30 year old, the 300 year old.” —Audur Haraldsdóttir, Channel 2, National Radio (Iceland) “The power of story animates a tale that communicates—but is not overpowered by—urgent messages.” — Kirkus Reviews

Nights of the Pufflings

Download Nights of the Pufflings PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 13 : 9780395856932
Total Pages : 36 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (569 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Nights of the Pufflings by :

Download or read book Nights of the Pufflings written by and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 1995 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes an island tradition in Iceland when the children rescue thousands of stranded young puffins each August and set them free at the beach.

The Little Book of the Icelanders

Download The Little Book of the Icelanders PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Little Books Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1970125152
Total Pages : 144 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (71 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Little Book of the Icelanders by : Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Download or read book The Little Book of the Icelanders written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After more than 20 years away, Alda Sigmundsdottir returned to her native Iceland as a foreigner. With a native person's insight yet an outsider's perspective, Alda quickly set about dissecting the national psyche of the Icelanders. This second edition, from 2018, contains new and updated chapters from the original edition, reflecting the changes in Icelandic society and among the Icelandic people since the book was first published in 2012. Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders: • The appalling driving habits of the Icelanders • Naming conventions and customs • The Icelanders’ profound fear of commitment • The Icelanders’ irreverence • Why Icelandic women are really men • How the Icelanders manage to make social interactions really complicated • The importance of the family in Icelandic society • Where to go to meet the real Icelanders (and possibly score some free financial advice) • Rituals associated with the most important life events (weddings, confirmations, graduations, and deaths) ... and many more. One chapter leads to the next, creating a continuous chain of storytelling. It feels as if you’re sitting in the author’s kitchen, enjoying a cup of coffee and conversing with her about the quirks of her countrymen, every now and then bursting out laughing. [...] I’m going to heartily recommend The Little Book of the Icelanders, both to fans of Sigmundsdóttir’s blog and those unfamiliar with her work. - Iceland Review Online There aren’t many books I’d recommend reading over morning coffee but The Little Book of the Icelanders is one of them. [...] I laughed at the essays in this book, not because I was laughing at Icelanders but because I recognize much of the behavior in myself and members of my family. It felt good. It’s not just the sanest, most impressive characteristics that we pass on and share but also some of the zaniest. As I read this book, I frequently thought, yup, I’m definitely part Icelandic. - Lögberg-Heimskringla, Canada Excerpt "Even though they live on the edge of the inhabitable world with engulfing darkness for several months of the year, the Icelanders continue to score among the most optimistic people in the world. Is it the fish? The fresh air? The cod liver oil? Natural selection? The copious amounts of anti-depressants they consume? Nobody really knows. However, one thing is sure: this character trait serves Icelanders well and has helped the nation cope with innumerable shocks, from volcanic eruptions to famines, to a massive economic crisis. Whatever happens, you can be sure that the Icelanders will seek the silver lining and soldier on, firmly believing that things will soon get better. Indeed it is fascinating to observe how the Icelanders deal with trauma at a national level. Their initial reaction always seems to be to bond together. People who on regular days will bicker and quarrel amongst themselves, suddenly become enormously supportive of each other. I’ve seen this happen in the aftermath of disasters such as snow avalanches and volcanic eruptions, or tragedies that capture the nation’s attention. Take, for example, the economic meltdown of 2008, which for the Icelanders was one of the most catastrophic events in recent history. Many people feared an onslaught of suicides in the wake of all the bankruptcies that ensued. Yet it turned out that the number of suicides actually declined. According to the Directorate of Health, it was because the nation had bonded together, and people were closer and more supportive of each other than they had been in a very long time. In other words, the optimism is probably a long-term survival strategy. After all, through the centuries of hardship and geographical isolation that the Icelandic nation has endured, defeat was not an option – it was stand together, fight together, or die."

Mindi and the Goose No One Else Could See

Download Mindi and the Goose No One Else Could See PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Candlewick Press
ISBN 13 : 1536212814
Total Pages : 41 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (362 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Mindi and the Goose No One Else Could See by : Sam McBratney

Download or read book Mindi and the Goose No One Else Could See written by Sam McBratney and published by Candlewick Press. This book was released on 2021-03 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "When a little girl named Mindi says she is being visited by a big goosea scary creature that is visible only to herher devoted dad and mom try everything they can think of to drive it away. But maybe some outside assistance is warranted from their wise friend Austen, a farmer who knows what is needed to help Mindi turn her mind to something new."--Provided by publisher.

The Problem With Chickens

Download The Problem With Chickens PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 13 : 054752935X
Total Pages : 37 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (475 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Problem With Chickens by : Bruce McMillan

Download or read book The Problem With Chickens written by Bruce McMillan and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2005-09-26 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ladies of Iceland have a problem: the birds lay their eggs in nooks on the sides of steep cliffs, so the ladies have a very difficult time getting any of the eggs for baking. They go to town to buy chickens to lay eggs for them instead. For a while, everyone is happy: there are plenty of eggs to bake plenty of yummy things. But the ladies' problems are far from solved, for the more time the chickens spend with the ladies, the more they begin to act like them too, until eventually they stop laying eggs all together. Now this is a problem indeed, but you can be sure, the clever ladies will find a solution. Full of fun and silliness, this lighthearted tale and vibrant illustrations are a delight.

The Legend of the Icelandic Yule Lads

Download The Legend of the Icelandic Yule Lads PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781478743309
Total Pages : 48 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (433 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Legend of the Icelandic Yule Lads by : Heidi Herman

Download or read book The Legend of the Icelandic Yule Lads written by Heidi Herman and published by . This book was released on 2015-03-11 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Legend of the Yule Lads is well-known among Icelanders and has been passed down from generation to generation for over 1,500 years. The country's rich history of legends and folktales featuring a host of mystical creatures is reflected in this unique Christmas tale about trolls. However, like many of Iceland's legends, the story of the Yule Lads is virtually unknown outside of the country. This particular story can be traced back to 13th Century and the Snorri Sturlson's Edda. The Edda refers to the recognized mother of the Yule Lad's, a horrible ogress named Gryla. In that time, Gryla and her many troll offspring were said to terrorize children, hauling badly behaved children off in great burlap bags to be later eaten. The tales of Gryla and the Yule Lads became so gruesome and disturbing that in 1746 a public decree was issued to forbid parents from using these stories to terrify children. In the years since, the Yule Lads' character has been softened from horrible trolls to mischievous tricksters. As the legend goes, the Yule Lads come down from the mountain, one each day starting 13 days before Christmas. They stay through Christmas Day, then leave, one each day, in the order they arrived. In 1932, a popular poem was written about the Jolasveinarnir [Yule Lads] by Johannes from Kotlum and it first appeared in the book Jolin Koma [Christmas is coming]. As presented in Johannes poem, each of the Yule Lad's name reflects their particular brand of mischief. Stekkjastaur (Sheep Cote Clod) starts things off on December 12th and is best known for stealing sheep's milk. Giljagaur (Gulley-Gawk) arrives the next day and is preoccupied with sneaking into the barn to steal cow's milk. Stufur (Shorty) steals bits of food left on frying pans while Thvorusleikir (Spoon-licker) steals spoons from the kitchen to lick and Pottasleikir (Pot-licker) steals pots and pans for the leftovers. Askasleikir (Bowl-licker) arrives next and sneak awa

Puffins Take Flight

Download Puffins Take Flight PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781950590063
Total Pages : 72 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Puffins Take Flight by : R. A. Anderson

Download or read book Puffins Take Flight written by R. A. Anderson and published by . This book was released on 2019-11-20 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series of books take you on an adventure around Iceland. A puffin named Árni is about to leave his burrow for his four-year adventure out at sea. But Árni doesn't want to go-at least not today. You see, he wants one more day to play with his best friend Birta, but she can't be found! In book 1, Árni is searching Iceland for Birta, while his mother and father are searching for him. The whole series take the readers along on Árni's big adventure exploring Iceland, the land of fire and ice! The story line is fiction, however all of the facts that are presented are true.

A History of Icelandic Literature

Download A History of Icelandic Literature PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : U of Nebraska Press
ISBN 13 : 0803233469
Total Pages : 748 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (32 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A History of Icelandic Literature by : Daisy L. Neijmann

Download or read book A History of Icelandic Literature written by Daisy L. Neijmann and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 748 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As complete a history as possible of the literature of Iceland.

The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days

Download The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Little Books Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1970125160
Total Pages : 170 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (71 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days by : Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Download or read book The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir and published by Little Books Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iceland in centuries past was a formidable place to live. Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the edge of the inhabitable world, the nation was both isolated and abjectly poor. Centuries of colonization translated into oppression and subjugation from the colonial overlords, and a hostile climate and repeated natural disasters meant that mere survival was a challenge to even the hardiest of souls. In these 50 miniature essays, Alda Sigmundsdottir writes about the Icelanders in centuries past in a light and humorous way, yet never without admiration and respect for the resilience and strength they showed in coping with conditions of adversity that are barely imaginable today. Their ways of interacting with the natural world are described, as are their sometimes tragic, sometimes ingenious, means of dealing with maltreatment and injustice from the church and other rulers. These forms of oppression include a trade monopoly imposed by Denmark that lasted nearly two centuries, a ban on dancing that lasted for a similar length of time, the forced dissolution of households when the breadwinner of the family died, the tyranny of merchants granted exclusive right to trade with the Icelanders, and the dreaded decrees of the Grand Judgement—a court of law that was set up to punish various offenses, real or imagined. Yet it is not only the “big picture” that is described in this book, but also the various smaller aspects that shed light on the daily life of the Icelanders of old. These include their ingenious ways of coping with lack, of preserving food, of finding shelter, of creating or admitting light into their homes, as well as the innumerable and sometimes wacky superstitions attached to various life events, big and small. The hilarious customs of hospitality and visiting are also described, as are some of the sexual activates of Icelanders in the past, their belief in elves and hidden people, sexual interactions with hidden people (!), ways of dealing with grief, interactions with foreigners, and much, much more. Today’s Iceland is a modern, cosmopolitan place, with one of the highest standards of living in the world. Yet less than a century ago, this paragon of equality and peace was the poorest society in Europe. The conditions of life described in this book are therefore not very distant from the Icelanders today, and many of the aspects described are still very much reflected in Iceland’s unique culture. In short, The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days is not only a funny, witty, and wise exposé on the Icelanders’ daily life in the past, it is also essential to understanding the Icelandic national character today. Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders in the Old Days: • How Icelanders' housing developed from stately longhouses to tiny turf farms • The kvöldvaka: how Icelanders managed to live through the long, dark winters • Social structure among the common folk (farmers to vagabonds) • All the superstitions: how folks attempted to gain control over their lives • The elf belief deconstructed: why did those tales of hidden people develop? • No time to be a kid (being a child was tough in the Iceland of old) • Sex and the church (yep, Icelandic ecclesiastical authorities also meddled in people's sex lives) • Precious, precious food. How do you live on the edge of the inhabitable world, where hardly anything grows? • Welcoming guests: smooching and other etiquettes • Foreigners in Iceland. Think Iceland had no visitors back then? Think again! ... and so much more!