Keep dancing in Iceland with horses or ice

Ryan Wood produced this funny, beautiful video.  He intersperses some goofy, yet endearing, dance routines amongst photos and video clips of a recent tour of Iceland.  Around minute 1:39, he dances with the Icelandic horses.  Thankfully he is a better photographer than dancer.  But then, dancing on ice must crimp one's style.  Enjoy!

The River of Horses, Iceland

Norbert Kardos and his girlfriend Denisa produced this haunting introduction to the land of Iceland.  The combination of poetry, music, and video footage is stunning.  One keeps expecting those lone stone boulders to turn back into trolls upon the setting of the sun.  

The title River of Horses is great but a bit misleading.  Icelandic horses don't show up until minute 7:00 out of 9:00.  And the way they maximize the advantage of drone footage with slo mo, reversing footage adds such dimension.   

We get to see aspects of the Icelandic landscape via drone  we would never see in person.

Learn Icelandic in Seattle

Learn to speak Icelandic online (and an awful lot of work). The Seattle Iceland Club has a link to some free sample on-line lessons in speaking Icelandic (after that you need to pay). I looked at one of the intro videos and had trouble with the Icelandic version of Good day. I am sure that has to do with the slight hearing defect that I have.

http://www.icelandseattle.com/language

Strandbeest--wind eating beasts on the beach

This is awesome!!! And think about how it would make a wonderful bombproofing exercise for horses.

How to Say the Alphabet in Icelandic

Here's a great introduction to how to say the alphabet in Icelandic "voiced by 3 adorable Icelandic boys."   As a special bonus, many of the words are related to horses like hesta or traditional Icelandic horse names like Dreki.

Unique View of Iceland

Edgar Granados used a drone and time lapse photography to give you a different view of Iceland. Jenny, daughter of the Pre-Raphaelite artist William Morris, described Iceland as "the land of trolls and awful mountains...at once overpoweringly beautiful and overpoweringly melancholy."

Whales Under Northern Lights

How awesome is this? Whales under the Northern Lights in Norway.

Iceland Under a Full Moon

Titled Iceland Under the Full Moon by Ozzo photography is described by Unilad as the "most beautiful video you will ever see." Kayaking under the Northern lights and night surfing and the Artic Henge......

Recent Movies Filmed in Iceland

Iceland has become extremely popular as a filming site because of its strange and fantastic landscapes.  If you follow the link to article in Iceland Magazine, you can watch a video of movie clips from recent  films: Rogue One, Captain America - Civil War, Jason Borne, The Huntsman, Noah, Prometheus, Oblivion, Secret life of Walter Mitty, Thor - The Dark World, Fast and Furious 8, Transformers, Sense 8, The Last Witch Hunter, Flags of our Fathers, Star Wars The Force Awakens and Justice League.



http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/watch-a-selection-most-amazing-hollywood-movie-scenes-shot-iceland

Icelandic Banquet at Olympic College

Olympic College in Bremerton WA offers a culinary arts program as part of its curriculum.

As the Pièce de résistance of his/her certification, each student has to design, plan, and execute a menu based on the cuisine of one country. The theme was Icelandic. Here's the menu:

- Soup ICELANDIC VEGETABLE & OAT
- Entrée BAKED HALIBUT SITKA w/ KARTOFLUSALAT
- Salad ICELANDIC CHRISTMAS SALAD
- Dessert VINARTERTA LAYER CAKE
- Bread DOKKT RUGBRAUD

My friend Judy joined me in this culinary adventure. I was totally blissed out. Gourmet food for the

gourmand. Total cost for the meal was $11 -- no tip accepted.


Here's a hint for your Memorial Day potato salad. Try using apples instead of onions and add a touch of curry to the dressing.

The Killing of Basque Whalers in Iceland

Also there is a historic connection between Iceland and Basque. Basque whalers started coming to Iceland as early as the 1600s. They were also the victims of the only government sponsored mass murder in Icelandic history.
http://icelandreview.com/news/2015/04/27/killing-basques-now-banned-west-fjords 

Dancing in Iceland

I want to go to Iceland and just dance under the aurora borealis, moon walk in front of a glacier, do the the wave in front of a herd of Icelandics.  Of course, I can't dance, I really can't, so if I made a video like this it would be titled "Tripping and Falling my Way through Iceland" especially considering the footing.


Iceland Dance Party from Seth Willingham on Vimeo.

Horses in The Hobbit and HBO Game of Thrones--Update 1-19-15

1-19-15

The black and white horses that appear in The Hobbit--The Desolation of Smaug are Gypsy Vanners

Gypsy Vanner Mare---from Wikipedia

provided by Gypsy Royal Stud. When the owner was first contacted, she thought the message on her answer machine was a joke.

“I thought it was a joke so I did nothing about it,” Lynda says. “The next day they rang again and it was for real.  They said they had been searching for a particular looking horse and found [the Gypsy breed] on the internet.  They apparently thought they would be perfect for what they wanted and googled gypsy horses in NZ which brought up my stud.” Here is a link to the breeding farm site that explains about why this type of horse was selected for the movie.  http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/14/77087-discover-the-horses-of-the-hobbit/

Like Icelandic horses, Gypsy Vanners tend to be round and low withered.  Jed Brophy who plays Nori the Dwarf makes the following observation about riding Gypsy Vanners in the movie:

"Getting on the pregnant horses was interesting. We had these black and white horses and we couldn't do the girths up properly, so that was getting on … and falling off. There was quite a bit of that in the day which was quite a lot of fun, working out how to get on a horse when the saddle was slipping."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/blogs/get-flickd/the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-lesson-one-never-interview-dwarves-20131104-2wxlw.html#ixzz3PJKvY6XU

"

12-23-14

To the best of my knowledge, Icelandic horses do not make an appearance in The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies.  However, here is a video about the horse Draysill that Beorn gave to Gandalf (appears in Parts 2 and 3).  Draysill is an 18-hand Clydesdale whose real name is Big Nick.  Oh, the elk that Thranduil rides is a digitally enhanced horse by the name of Moose (breed unknown).

Here is a report about how animals were handled during the filming of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Firve Armies.  Interestingly even though there was quite a scandal during the treatment of livestock during the first movie, "Due to limited resources and scheduling conflicts, The American Humane Association did not monitor any of the dog, goat, pig and some of the horse action."

Source:  

http://www.humanehollywood.org/index.php/movie-archive/item/the-hobbit-the-battle-of-the-five-armies

7-15-14

Game of Thrones filmed much of the Arya and Hound arc in Iceland in summer.  The producers certainly show off Iceland in all of its summer glory.  In the finale of Season 4, Arya rides away from the dying Hound.  In these scenes, the actress Maise Williams who plays Arya is riding a beautiful Icelandic horse.  Hopefully her riding in Iceland in Season 4 went a bit better than her riding experiences in Season 3:

" I was riding on the horse for a bit that day, and it was lovely weather, and I just remember having such a relaxing day. I met Rory in the pilot episode, and he's just a really, really nice guy. In that scene, we'd done a few rehearsals before with [director] David Nutter, just to see how everything was gonna go. So by the time we started shooting, we were quite confident. There weren't many hiccups, apart from I kind of fell off the horse and my foot got caught in the reins.

Oh, really?
Yeah, it was really funny, actually. My leg was, like, caught up by my ear, and I was like, "Oh, brilliant." [Laughs.] "
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/09/game-of-thrones-arya-stark_n_3412550.html

Since the only horses in Iceland are the pony-sized Icelandic horse breed (no horses can be imported into Iceland because of concerns of spreading disease to the native horses), one can understand the scene in Season 4, Episode 10 in which Brienne of Tarth wakes up, finds the horses missing,  and accuses Pod of failing to hobble them correctly.  And why the Hound and Arya walk the last leg of the trip to the Vales. 

6-2-13

I just received notice that 6 Icelandic horses were used in The Hobbit from 5 different owners from all over New Zealand.  I am waiting to see if I get permission to post the entire email.  No chestnut Icelandic horse was used in the film so it looks like Bilbo is not riding an Icelandic horse.  ;-)

You may also want to check my posting

http://blessiblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/icelandic-horses-in-hobbit-and-their.html

for details and pictures on how the steeds the dwaves ride are horses made up to look like Icelandic horse while Bilbo rides a real Icelandic horse.

Below is a series of posts linking all the stories that I could find abouut Icelandic horses in The Hobbit movie and the HBO Game of Thrones.

12-9-12

The American Human Society, whivh was invited to oversee the health and safety of the animals used in the filming of "The Hobbit" has put out a release on how it protected the animals.  The AHS also discusses how animals died on an off-site boarding facility.

"Our stringent Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media were rigorously applied and followed during production. However, in 2011 while filming was being conducted in New Zealand, the production company made us aware that some of the animal actors being used for the production had died while on a farm that was being used only as housing. None of the animals in question died during filming action or were being used as animal actors when they died. As our jurisdiction does not encompass off set activities, our on-set representative had not previously conducted a review of the farm. Nevertheless, after the deaths, upon the request by the production company, we traveled to the farm and conducted a thorough examination. We made safety recommendations to the animals’ living areas. The production company followed our recommendations and upgraded fence and farm housing, among other things. Working together with the production company, we were able to increase safety for animals on the farm."

Source: http://www.americanhumanefilmtv.org/reviews/movie-review-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey/ 

12-3-2012 Update

In the Winter USIHC Quarterly, Lisa Keller in her article "Land of the Hobbits," provides a clue about  a possible source of the Icelandic horses used in the soon-to-be-released Hobbit movie which was mostly filmed in New Zealand.  Lisa Keller vacationed in New Zealand and decided she had to visit the largest Icelandic horse farm in New Zealand, Neđri Bakki (meaning Down Under at the Edge of a Stream), whose web address is listed below:

http://icehorse.co.nz/

The owners Kenneth and Snejina hail from Denmark and Bulgaria.  In the interview, the owners Kenneth and Snejina discuss their experience with horses and Icelandics, farm services, and  their goals for the Icelandic horse in New Zealand.  When asked about Icelandic horses being used in the filming of The Hobbit, Kenneth replies: "Unfortunately, we are not allowed to comment on that.  We will all need to wait till "The Hobbit" is released."

One must admit that their farm photos of Icelandic horses look just like Hobbit horses living in the Shire.

And for those of you in the US, you may want to join the United States Icelandic Horse Congress so that you can get copies of this quarterly full of informative fun articles about the Icelandic horse--and possibly a future, more detailed article about Icelandic horses in The Hobbit movie.

http://www.icelandics.org/quarterly.php

Note:  As a volunteer writer, I do provide the occassional article for the USIHC quarterly.

11-26-12 Update

Not all is well in Hobbitland.  Nick Perry in an Associated Press article reports "Animal wranglers involved in the making of "The Hobbit" movie trilogy say the production company is responsible for the deaths of up to 27 animals, largely because they were kept at a farm filled with bluffs, sinkholes and other 'death traps.'"

Source: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/wranglers-hobbit-animals-died-unsafe-farm-084335908.html

No animals were harmed on the set of the film but it appears that there is no oversight at the stables or sites where animals are housed when not on the film set.  Horses Rainbow, Doofus, Claire, Zepplin, and Molly were seriously injured or died off-site.  Based on the names, none of the horses appear to be Icelandics.

Peter Jackson and company claim that exceptional measures were taken to protect all animals used on the set.  However, having some sort of oversight of animals off the set seems like a hole in their plans to protect animals.

Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20406456

Although it is too late to help the animals used in The Hobbit film, it is a wake up call to help animals in future films.  Here is the email site of the New Zealand Humane Society.

http://www.humanesociety.org.nz/

10-30-12

For those of you interested in the origins of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, there are multiple connections to Iceland.  Nancy Marie Brown has written Song of the Vikings about the life of the Snorri Sturluson.  In the 1200s AD, Snorri collected the myths and folklore of medieval Scandinavia into the Prose Edda, one of the sources of inspiration to JRR Tolken when he wrote his novels.  As Nancy discusses, Tolkein even got many of his characters' names directly from the Prose Edda.  See how many names from The Hobbit you can recognize below.

"And these, says the Sibyl, are their names:

Nýi and Nidi, | Nordri and Sudri,
Austri, Vestri, | Althjófr, Dvalinn;
Nár, Náinn, | Nípingr, Dáinn,
Bifurr, Báfurr, | Bömburr, Nóri,
Óri, Ónarr, | Óinn, Mjödvitnir,
Viggr and Gandálfr, | Vindálfr, Thorinn,
Fíli, Kíli, | Fundinn, Váli;
Thrór, Thróinn, | Thekkr, Litr and Vitr,
Nýr, Nýrádr, | Rekkr, Rádsvidr.

Snorri himself had a fascinating life.  He was a poet, historian, warrior, lawspeaker, diplomat, and politician.  In Iceland, Snorri acted as both an agent of the King of Norway and he attempted to consolidate power over all of Iceland, which ended with his assassination.

2-14-12

Here is more footage about the filming of Game of Thrones in Iceland.  You will see Icelandic horses in the background.  The horses were probably the only cast members not freezing during filming.

2-3-12

There is a wonderful site dedicated to discussing news about HBO filming of Game of Thones while providing a place for fans to discuss and debate topic from the series of novels collectively called A Song of Fire and Ice. 

http://www.westeros.org/GoT/

Elio, the webmaster at Westeros, has given me permission to share two screen shots from Season 2 of HBO's Game of Thrones.  Both shots are from Iceland.  The first shot shows Jon Snow (played by Kit Harington)  looking out over the icebound vastness Beyond the Wall.  This part of the script was filmed in Iceland in winter so the scenery is so dramatic that little CGI was required.

And here is a glimpse of the Icelandic horses in their role as pack animals or garons for the Wildlings.

1/29/12

HBO has released the new trailer for Season 2 of Game of Thrones.  The beyond the wall chapters of the book were filmed in Iceland in winter.  And as you can see in this trailer, the scenery in Iceland lends the footage a fantastical aura.  You can see the wildlings leading Icelandic horses around the 52 second marker.

12/21/11  I have decided to keep a running posting on this topic since it is so cool.   You can see more Icelandic horses in Peter Jackson's Production Video, Part 5 (see link below).  It is well worth watching the video to see Elijah Wood take a tour of the Hobbiton, with its 44 permanently installed hobbit holes that will remain after shooting ends.  The New Zealand Department of Tourism will be promoting the site.  Anyone for a tour of New Zealand?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e2pcUSXLAU

================================================

Here is a link to the Hobbit Movie Trailer.  You will see Icelandics!!!  How awesome.

The film industry has finally figured out the appeal of Icelandic horses, who  definitely have an elfish or Hobbit-like look.  Some Iceys are scheduled to make appearances in two major films--The Hobbit and HBO's Game of Thrones.

The Hobbit

I couldn't find my English version
 of the Hobbit.

Peter Jackson is using thirteen Icelandics in the filming of The Hobbit in New Zealand.  Per Cali Madincea of New Line Cinema, "'The look of the Icelandic horse, which grows a thick coat in the winter, was one of the things that attracted the attention of the producers. Another important aspect of the Icelandic horse is its endurance and strength.' She added that the tölt, the gait particular to the breed, played a part in the decision as well 'This soft gait moves them right along, which helps an actor in full armour stay close to Gandalf, who's riding a large horse.'"

The Hobbit is scheduled to be released in two parts, December 2012 and December 2013.  My friends and I have already set up a date to go to see that movie.

Source:  http://grapevine.is/Home/ReadArticle/Icelandic-Horses-Used-In-Hobbit-Film

Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin's multi-book series A Song of Ice and Fire has often been compared to Lord of the Rings--except that there are not purely good versus pure evil characters--characters are more gray, grittier, and definitely bloodier in Martin's books.  I have read the first 5 books in the series and highly recommend them.

HBO made the first book Game of Thrones into a very successful 10-part TV series.  Filming has started on part 2 of the series A Clash of Kings.  Events "beyond the wall" are being filmed in Iceland.  Fifteen Icelandic horses are included in the shoot, including a 28-year old horse Randver.  "Randver has the right qualities and considerable experience for the part; it has both been on stage in Reykjavík City Theater and at Hotel Ísland."

Source: http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Icelandic_Horses_to_Play_in_Game_of_Thrones_0_384388.news.aspx

You can read in Icelandic about the Icelandic horses being used in the film at this source:

http://www.visir.is/haetti-vid-ad-loga-randver/article/2011711119981

Although no Icelandic horses appear in the following clip, you do get some views of the spectacular scenery from Icelandic that will appear in Season 2 of Game of Thrones.  After a lot of commercials, the program picks up again around minute 15:00.

Sources:  http://visir.is/section/MEDIA99&fileid=SRC3B2C1862-00D1-49E3-99C3-8ABBD74A3210

I am so looking forward to seeing the Icelands in Season 2 of HBO's The Game of Thrones.

Another visit to Elska Island

Simon Caubet put together this video of his trip to Iceland.  He has layered some amazing footage of Reykavik and the countryside.  You can image spiritsand trolls such as "gnawer of the moon" and "destroyer of the storm-sun" still living just right beyond our senses in the waterfalls and rocks of Iceland.

So you want to learn Icelandic

An entity called Cool Icelandic Lessons has created a series of lessons on Youtube on learning the Icelandic language.  Lessons cover topics such as learning common animal names, having a conversation about what did you do over the weekend, pronouncing common names, and how to say place names. It is fun to learn how to pronounce "horse" or "hestur"  correctly in Icelandic.  And there is no term for "pony."

Skyr

I first encountered skyr when the parents of one of my Icelandic friends arrived at my house to spend the night while traveling on a tour of the US.  They had carefully carried a liter of skyr from Iceland and for a week of travel in the US until they got to another relative who was homesick for Iceland.

Skyr is a very thick yogurt, closer to cheese rather than what we think of as yogurt.  Knowledge of making skyr travelled with the Vikings from Norway to Iceland but knowledge of how to make skyr has been lost in Scandanavia.  Jules Verne in his novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth described lunch at a farmhouse in the 1800s which included lichen soup, fish served with sour butter, biscuits, juniper berry juice, and “skyr.”  Let’s face it, you have be born in Iceland or have visited Iceland or know a homesick Islander to know about “skyr.”  

Recently a local grocery store started carrying Siggi's Skyr, made the traditional Icelandic way.  The method of preparation is different from making yogurt.  I really liked the taste of skyr.  It is much tarter than most commercially prepared yoghurt in the US so I added a little agave syrup to sweeten it to my taste.

What is quite amazing is the difference in calories, fat, protein, and sugar content between the two types of "yogurt."  

The pomegranate & passion fruit skyr contains skim milk, agave nectar, passion fruit, pomegranate, live active cultures, and vegetable rennet.  The commercial yogurt contains lowfat milk, sugar, fruit, corn starch, tricalcium phosphate, gelatin, citric acid, pectin, beet juice, natural flavor, vitamin A and D.  Skyr contains different and more types of active cultures.


Here is a nutritional comparison: 

                                Skyr                                     Commercial Yogurt
Weight                     5.3 oz                                    6 oz
Fat                            0 gram                                  1.5 gram
Cholesterol               0 mg                                     10 mg
Sodium                    60 mg                                    85 mg
Carbohydrate           11 grams                               33 grams
Protein                     14 grams                                 5 grams 
vitamin a, d             none                                       15% and 50% daily requirement
calcium                     15%                                      50%


When you compare the two, skyr is much lower in sugars, fat, and sodium but higher in protein. Skyr does not contain the added vitamins A and D.  Skyr is about double the price of commercial yogurt.  I am going to dust off my yogurt maker and try to make my own.  I'll let you know how that goes.

A Different Type of Tour of Iceland

I thought the group might like the following video tour of Iceland by horseback
(sort of). The scenery is very beautiful and the video is very clever. It made
me smile.  Although I think the horse should be tolting.

Icelandic Cowboys

Icelanders are very proud of their horses and horse trekking remains an integral part of their culture.  This island has a population of 318,500 and 80,000 horses.  I read somewhere that 1 in 4 people ride in Iceland and more men than women ride.  Treks over long distances are a very popular activity and last for hours, if not days.  The rider often ponies one or two remounts so that each horse can be rested.  This video shows the joy of Icelandic "cowboys."

Þorrablót Poem

Þorrablót is a traditional Icelandic get together held in January or February.  Country style food such as wind-dried fish, rotten shark, ram testicles, blubber, seal flippers, and sheep head  may be served.  (I am not kidding about this--check with your Icelandic friends). And rye bread, lamb, wonderful deserts, and other food are included.  Per Wikipedia, "the Þorrablót is an evening with dinner where participants hold speeches and recite poems, originally to honour the Norse god Thor, after whom the month is presumed to be named."

So in honor of  Þorrablót, here is a poem titled Thor (author unknown):

Photo from Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

The tunder god went for a ride
Upon his favourite filly
I'm thor! he cried
And his horse replied,
You forgot your thaddle thilly.







Check back tomorrow for a real Icelandic poem set to music and accompanied by wonderful scenes of Iceland and people in traditional costume.

Reykjavik in 1926

I love this black and white film of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, in 1926.  The film opens with "We came ashore at midnight..."  Watch for the Icelandic women wearing traditional costume.  And there is a great section on Icelandic ponies showing riders with historic tack to the draft-style Icelandic pulling a wagon filled with tourists.  And one rider must be late as he carries an umbrella and canters his horse through the rain.