Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [19]
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ICELANDIC ANCESTRY & GENETIC RESEARCH
Thanks to Ári the Learned’s painstaking 12th-century works, Icelanders can trace their family trees right back to the 9th century through two books – the Landnámabók and the Íslendingabók, which is all very interesting for history buffs. But add this well-documented genealogical material to Iceland’s unusually homogenous population and you end up with something potentially quite sinister – a unique country-sized genetic laboratory.
In 1998 the Icelandic government controversially voted to allow the creation of a single database containing all Icelanders’ genealogical, genetic and medical records. Even more controversially, in 2000 the government then allowed American biotech company deCODE access to it all.
The decision sparked public outrage in Iceland and arguments across the globe about its implications for human rights and medical ethics. The chief questions it raised were: should a government be able to sell off its citizens’ medical records? And is it acceptable for a private corporation to use such records for profit? The company claimed that its encryption methods meant that individuals could not be identified by researchers (but read Tainted Blood by Arnaldur Indriðason for a cynical take on this statement).
The biotech company set to work, using the database to trace inheritable diseases and pinpoint the genes that cause them. The database was declared unconstitutional in 2004, and deCODE had to change its procedure, but it has still succeeded in isolating 15 genes linked to heart attacks, strokes and asthma. This information will be used to develop new drugs to combat the diseases. As a kind of pay-off, deCODE have promised that any drugs created through its research will be free to Icelanders.
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RELIGION
Norse
The original religion in Iceland at the time of the Settlement was Ásatrú, which means ‘faith in the Aesir (the old Norse gods)’. It was the ancient religion of most Germanic peoples and also appears as far away as India. The medieval Icelandic text, the Galdrabók, reveals that people were calling upon the Aesir long after Christianity was adopted across northern Europe.
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SWIMMING-POOL SENSE
Icelanders are a relaxed bunch with a live-and-let-live attitude, but there is a sure-fire way of unwittingly causing offence. The one time we’ve seen Icelanders get visibly angry, disgusted and upset is when talking about tourists abusing their swimming pools. It’s vital to conform to Icelandic etiquette by washing thoroughly without a swimsuit before hopping into the water. (It makes good hygiene sense, as Icelandic swimming pools don’t contain chemical cleaners.)
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There were many gods in the pantheon, but Þór (Thor), Óðinn and Freyr were the major trinity worshipped across Scandinavia. The religion is also closely linked to a reverence for the natural world.
Óðinn, the god of war and poetry, was the highest-ranking deity, chief of the gods, and a brooding and intimidating presence. He influenced the sway of battle and handed out literary talent to those deemed worthy.
Free from warfare, in Iceland most people were devoted to Þór (and there are still plenty of Icelandic people with names such as Þórir, Þórdís and Þóra). This giant, rowdy god of the common people controlled thunder, wind, storm and natural disaster, so he was a vital deity for farmers and fishermen to have on their side. He was depicted as a burly, red-haired, red-bearded dolt, who rumbled through the heavens in a goat-drawn chariot.
Freyr and his twin sister Freyja, the children of the sea god Njörður, served as the god and goddess of fertility and sexuality. Freyr was the one who brought springtime, with its romantic implications, to both the human and the animal world and was in charge of the perpetuation of all species.