Issue
1
ART
CULTURE WEST ICELAND
Photography
Gunnhildur Lind Photography
E GIL’ S SAGA Although Snorri Sturluson recited most of his poetry and myth to his scribes from a trove of inherited royal family history at his estate in Reykholt, it is believed that he wrote Egil’s Saga from Borg á Mýrum in Borgarnes. He is best known for the Eddas and for Heimskringla which were written around 1240 AD and are some of the oldest preserved transcripts in Iceland. It’s important to realize that Egil was both the real life son of Snorri Sturluson who supposedly lived in Borgarnes and he was also the protagonist in Egil's Saga, Egil the son of Skallagrímur. The first mention of Borgarnes in Egil’s Saga is after Kvedúlfur (the shape shifter named evening wolf) and his son Skallagrímur fled Norway on a stolen boat to Iceland. Kvedúlfur died from an illness at sea, yet his son continued the journey which took him to the shores of Borgarnes, by following the lead of his fathers coffin which was tied to the bow of the stolen ship. The birth of the islands Brákarey, Brákarsund, Litla & Stóra Brákarey began with the heroic actions of Egil’s devoted nursemaid and
slave Thorgerður Brák, who protected Egil at the cost of her own life by intervening when his father Skallagrímur attempted to kill him. She defied her master Skallagrímur by questioning his sanity and loyalty to his prodigy. Hence he turned his violence towards Thorgerður Brák and chased her from Granastaðir (the Borgarnes campground) for approximately two kilometers to Brákarsund, then hurled a boulder at her as she fled into the waters of the straight. Thorgerður Brák worked as a tanner and according to the legend she received the nickname Brák the Icelandic name for the tool used to tan skins. The BANG statue commemorates Thorgerður Brák’s character and was created by Bjarni Thor Bjarnason in 1997. Its form and material signifies her using the tools and the motions she made while tanning skins. The stone statue relief of at the Skallgrimurgardur was created by Anne Marie Carl Nielsen and marks the location where grief stricken Egil carries his son Bodvar to the grave
There are 10 tombs placed around Borgarfjordar that commemorate important moments in Egil’s Saga and are located at Granastaðir - Brákarsund Skallagrímsgarður - Borg á Mýrum - Rauðanes Ánabrekka - Álftanes - Krumskelda - Hvítárvellir Einkunnir. Granastadir is located at the Borgarnes camp-ground and is the site of the infamous ball game in which Egil loses his innocence in “Egil’s Saga”. This poem was penned by the young Egil just after the event at Granastadir. My mother said I would be bought a boat with fine oars, set off with Vikings, stand up on the prow, command the precious craft, then enter port, kill a man and another. At Borgá Mýrum (directly translated: city at the quagmire) stands a large abstract sculpture by Ásmundur Sveinsson depicting Egil with a hole in his heart mourning the death of his son. The statue is named Sonatorrek which was also one of Egils most known poems. The farm Borg á Mýrum lies northwest of Borgarnes and is where Egil's father Skallagrímur built his Settlement. Scattered throughout Borgarnes in festival names, monuments, cairns, and burial mounds are the characters, events and places which took place in Egil’s Saga. Note that many of the street names bear the names of the characters such as: Skallagrímsgata, Kvedúlfsgata, Böđvarsgata Brákarbraut and Egilsgata, and many more… The genealogy of the denizens of Borgarnes can also be traced back to Snorri Sturluson and his son Egil. Hildur Hallkelsdóttir contruibutor
Actor
Geir Konrรกรฐ Theodรณrsson
Performer
Sigríður Ásta Olgeirsdóttir
Photo by Constantin Gindele
Performer
Sigríður Ásta Olgeirsdóttir
Photographer Áslaug
Þorvaldsdóttir
The Settlement Center - Landnรกmssetur ร slands
Photo by Peter Males
Musician
Soffía Björg
Artist
Logi Bjarnason
Artists
Tricia Katz and Michael Hazani
ART Exhibition Snjólaugar Guðmundsdóttur
The Museum in Borgarnes Safnahús Borgarfjarðar
Arts & Crafts Exhibition Brugghús
Steðja Brewery
SUFA Stand Up For Art
Hjรกlmarklettur Syningarsalur
Artist
Kristrรณs Erla Baldursdรณttir
Artist
Delia Rut Claes
Artist
Vignir ร รณr Kristjรกnsson
Artist
Nína Dagrún Hermannsdóttir
SamĂşel HalldĂłrsson
Artist
Artist
Signy Oskarsdottir
Artist
Gudlaug-Gunnarsdottir
Artist
Steinunn Steinarsdottir
Photographer Áslaug
Þorvaldsdóttir
Artist
Egill Lind
Artist
Anna Rún Kristbjörnsdóttir
Art Studio
Josefina Morell
Art Studio
Michelle Bird
Art Studio
Cristina Cotofana
Photographer
Christian Rølla
Photographer
Christian Rølla
Photographer Dani
Vottero
Photography
Dario Mentesana
Photography
Sigurjรณn Einarsson
Photographer Dani
Vottero
Photographer (left) Dani Vottero (above) Dario Mentesana at
Kaffi Kyrrรฐ
Artist Anna
Fríða Jónsdóttir Be Like Water
Photographer Owen Fiene /Performance Anna
Kolfinna Kuran
Photographer Kristine Greร hรถner
Artist
Páll Húsafell
Artist
Maja Thommen
Stuttmynd um list í Borgarnesi. A short film about art in Borgarnes.
Directed by Alberto Garcia, Produced by Michelle Bird, Music Production by Erik Rex (BMI), Original music by Daníel Hjálmtýsson, Interviews by Kuba Urbaniak Text Editing & Text Translations by: Halldór Óli Gunnarsson, Geir Konráð Theodórsson, Guðrún Vala Elísdóttir, Sigursteinn Sigurðsson, Ásta Björk Björnsdóttir, Subtitles: Signy Oskarsdottir Creatrix Special Thanks to: The Karolina Funds, Landnamsetur, Olgeir Helgi Ragnarsson, The Choir at the Hallsgrimkirk, Open MIC Borgarnes & the Drama StudentsThis is a FLUXUS DESIGN TRIBE PRODUCTION
Hostel and Theater
The Freezer
logi bjarnason
Michelle Bird