Letter from Iceland #58
The Little Book of Icelandic—Danish to English
Hæ!
Iceland has a slightly complicated relationship with Denmark. We Icelanders were under Danish rule for over five centuries—a colony, in other words. The independence movement began to take root in the late 1800s, and Iceland was granted its sovereignty in increments until 1918, when it became an independent country yet still under the Danish king, similar to what the British Commonwealth is today. This was known as the Kingdom of Iceland.
Then, in 1944, while Denmark was occupied by Germany, Iceland held a referendum to determine whether to sever ties with Denmark and become an independent nation. Voter turnout was over 98 percent, with two constituencies (Seyðisfjörður and Vestur-Skaftafellssýsla) having 100 percent turnout. The proposition to declare independence was approved with more than 98 percent in favour. And so, Iceland became the Republic of Iceland, which is its status today. 🇮🇸
This state of independence was achieved through without violence and any serious animosity, which is likely why the two nations have an amicable relationship today. Yet we still see little signs of the old colonial mentality and desire for one-upmanship, particularly when we are playing Denmark in sports tournaments and suchlike. But it is not serious, and overall we’re on good terms.
Today’s Little Book of Icelandic installment expands on this relationship a little bit … read on, if you are a paid subscriber!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Letter from Iceland to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.