ICELAND: ENERGY LANDSCAPE
CULTURE + LANDSCAPES
LANDSCAPE AS A CROWD SYMBOL
Perception and understanding of landscapes vary within and across individual cultures and throughout history. The perception of human and nature’s relationship is focused on landscapes and in the case of Iceland, reflected on manuscripts and folklore. Rich and profound ancient folklore from the times of Viking expressed awe and respect for the natural world. Dramatic spectacles of nature are anthropomorphized and endowed with new characters in Icelandic mythology and legend. Elves, trolls and even outlaws are rooted deeply in landscape and embedded in national culture. This veneration is very much alive as strange piles of rocks are often left undisturbed in the wake of building and road constructions due to the belief that they house hidden elves. In nineteenth century, Iceland ushered in a new era of national awakening after centuries of slumber under the control of Norway and Denmark. Hailed as the golden age for Icelandic literature, perception of landscape was reshaped from mystical worship of nature into contemporary view of landscape with ideological and political motives. In the book Draumalandið.Sjálfshjálparbók handa hræddri þjóð (Dreamland. A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation), Andri Snær Magnason (2006) emphasised on the distinct view that Icelandic national self-perception stems from landscape and nature. This view has strong mutual influence with literature from the same period and is closely connected to the political independence of the nation. Iceland’s extremely rugged and characteristically dystopian landscape was described as national landscape unparalleled by Danish wide plains terrain. Such a nationalist perspective is coupled with obvious appreciation of Icelandic literary tradition and eventually deemed as an argument for landscape preservation.
IMG.4: [ICELAND HIGH LAND AREA]
IMG.5: [ICELANDIC MYTHODOLOGY AND LANDSCAPE]
The Highlands of Iceland: they cover most of the interior of Iceland, Most of these area are uninhabitable volcanic desert. The vast mountain ranges are one of distinctive landscape characteristics differ from Denmark. Thus, they are regarded as national landscape unparalleled by Danish wide plains terrain.
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