ICELAND
ICELAND
These images were taken on 35mm film that had expired by 7 years, this gave rise to the muted nature of the colours within the collection. This is an exploration of Iceland’s natural landscape; a place like no other.
Of old was the age / when Ymir lived; Sea nor cool waves / nor sand there were; Earth had not been, / nor heaven above; But a yawning gap, / and grass nowhere. Then Bur ’s sons lifted / the level land, Mithgarth the mighty / there they made; The sun from the south / warmed the stones of earth, And green was the ground / with growing leeks. The sun, the sister / of the moon, from the south Her right had cast / over heaven’s rim; No knowledge she had / where her home should be, The moon knew not / what might was his, The starts knew not / where their stations were. Then sought the gods / their assembly- seats, The holy ones, / and council held; Names then gave they / to noon and twilight, Morning they named, / and the waning moon, Night and evening, / the years to number.
Voluspa tells the story of the creation of the world- and prophecies it coming end. Consiting of approximately 60 stanzas, this Norse cosmogony is told to the god Odin by an age old priestess raised by primeval giants. Voluspa is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda, the poem is preserved whole in the Codex Regius (ca. 1270), Hauksbok Codex (ca. 1334) and parts in the Prose Edda (ca. 1220).
In the Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, a scenario describing an encounter between an unnamed troll woman and the 9th century skald Bragi Boddason is provided. Late one evening, Bragi was driving through a forest when a troll woman aggressively asked him who he was, in the process describing herself as:
Troll kalla mik trungl sjotrungnis, auðsug jotuns, élsólar bol, vilsinn volu, vorð nafjarðar, hvélsveg himins – hvat’s troll nema þat?
They call me a troll, moon of the earth-Hrungnir wealth sucker of the giant, destroyer of the storm-sun beloved follower of the seeress, guardian of the “nafjord” swallower of the wheel of heaven [the sun]. What’s a troll if not that?
Cover Insert: Uppdråttur Islands/ Kort over Island Thorvaldur Thoroddsen printed in 1900 1st Edition, April 2014 Entire contents Copyright Š Sarah Ashworth 2014 & other sources as cited. All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the author. www.sarah-ashworth.com