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Accepted Paper
Monsters and guardian spirits: nature, memory and cultural identity in Icelandic fiction of the Allied occupation
Daisy Neijmann
(University of Iceland)
This paper will discuss the use of mythological creatures in Icelandic fiction of the occupation during World War II to express emotions of trauma, loss and uncertainty as well as hope of protection through shared cultural memory and a deeply rooted connection with the natural landscape.
Paper long abstract
This paper proposes to discuss the use and function of mythological creatures in Icelandic fiction of the occupation during World War II. Although Iceland was occupied by Allied forces – British and later American –, this foreign army presence was regarded by many as an invasion and a threat to Icelandic cultural identity. Iceland had never been involved in a war and has never had an army, and this foreign military, which in many places outnumbered the locals, was experienced as alien, luring and menacing at the same time. This paper will discuss how several authors from different time periods turn to Icelandic mythological creatures and motifs to engage with this experience of a cultural threat on a different level than the dominant socio-political one. Figures such as the Icelandic land spirits and the elves, deeply rooted in Icelandic nature and culture, provided narrative ways to express emotions of trauma, loss, uncertainty, fear, as well as hope of protection, through shared memory and a deep-rooted connection with the natural landscape.