Á Sprengisandi

Icelandic Folk Song

With Catherine speaking in Reykjavík, Iceland this weekend, today’s Friday music presents us with one of the most popular Icelandic folk songs that locals still sing at country gatherings and riding tours.

The music of Iceland has a long tradition which, for the most part, remained untainted by foreign influences. Some of the songs and dances date as far back as the 11th century. Myths of elves and trolls are still very much alive in the native folklore and are at the heart of this favorite song composed in 1913 by Sigvaldi Kaldalóns. Its lyrics are based on a 19th-century poem by Grímur Þorgrímsson Thomsen and take us to the remote and inhospitable region of the Icelandic Highlands, where the mythological creatures were said to live.

The ancient route through the Sprengisandur was only accessible in the summer, remaining impassable in the winter due to ice and snow. Sprengisandur is derived from the Icelandic noun sandur (“sand”), which stands for the volcanic ash deserts in the island’s center, and the verb sprengja, which means “to thunder on horseback”—so as to leave the eerie region behind as fast as possible.

Related:

Sprengisandur (Wikipedia)

Riding tours across the Sprengisandur (and source of featured image)