I got into Scandinavian and Nordic history and literature via a pretty interesting segue way--Icelandic music. Sigur Rós is one of my favorite bands and has been since 2006 when I first got into them; they kept me company while I moved out on my own for the first time, got my first serious job, and started taking on more responsibilities in my life as a student. For Christmas in 2007, a good friend gave me a copy of their musical documentary Heima, and... well, let me just quote directly from the website:
"The question of the way Sigur Rós’s music relates to, and is influenced by, their environment has been reduced to a journalistic cliché about glacial majesty and fire and ice, but there is no doubt that the band are inextricably linked to the land in which they were forged. And the decision to film this first-ever Sigur Rós film in Iceland was, in the end, ineluctable."Needless to say, I was more than a little inspired. :) The stunning visuals combined with Jónsi's melodic voice and the sound of the language on my ears turned me into an addict pretty much overnight. My dad found a copy of The Sagas of Icelanders, which immediately got me hooked on medieval Icelandic literature. This continues to be what interests me most.
So... why Norway? Why not Iceland? For one, it was easier for me to study at the University of Oslo than in Reykjavik in Iceland, because the program I am enrolling through, the University Studies Abroad Consortium, did not have an agreement with any Icelandic universities. For another, Oslo is centrally located on the Scandinavian peninsula, meaning I'll have greater access to its neighbor countries. More travel opportunities! Having said that, I've got every intention of visiting Iceland while I'm abroad, and I have no doubt that it will be an intensely personal and uplifting experience for me.
Sigur Rós's "Heima."
Sigur Rós's "Heima."
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