Letter from Iceland #94
The "andskotans helvítis djöfulsins" edition
Blessuð og sæl!
I had lots of fun with today’s Little Book of Icelandic* section, which is about Icelandic curse words. I thoroughly enjoyed recording the audio for it, and getting to utter expletives to my hearts content. 😜
The Icelandic word for curse words is blótsyrði, literally blót-words. Blót is the ancient word for the pagan celebrations that were held before Iceland adopted Christianity. In those days að blóta meant “to worship” or “to sacrifice”. The Christians were suspicious of these pagan celebrations, considering them a devil-worshipping sacrilege. Hence the strongest curse words in Icelandic all came to be associated with hell or the devil.
More on Iceland’s curse words and their usage, below 👇
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