Paper short abstract:

Rather than national origin or authenticity, obscurity; image; powerplay; and transnationality may form the basis of a prolific practice of heritage. That statement is explored in relation to the ‘Icelandic’ þorrablót and in context with images of the North and recent pre- and post-Crash discourses.

Paper long abstract:

Rather than national origin or authenticity, obscurity; image; powerplay; and transnationality may form the basis of a prolific practice of heritage. In light of literary sources as well as folkloristic fieldwork the 'Icelandic' þorrablót (THORR-a-blote) tradition will be discussed in relation to prior research and debate. It will also be put into context with images of the North and recent discourses from before and after the economic "Crash" within and without Iceland. As the research suggests the origin and authenticity of the tradition is secondary to the effects of its performance. The obscurity of the tradition at home, and even more so abroad, provides the space necessary to perform and adapt the tradition to disparate contexts, sensory experience and underlying strategies and tactics.

An important context is one where images of the North are re-appropriated in pre-Crash performances of northern (né Nordic) identity. In the wake of the Crash these re-appropriations, once an ironic tactic of gaining access into host cultures, seem more ambivalent and yet remain intrinsically ironic. In light of this the þorrablót can hardly be built on continuity and authenticity. In fact the only aspect it is sure to have in common with ancient practices, obscure as they are in medieval sources, is the exotic context thrust upon them. If the þorri has any consistency as a tradition then it lies in its playfulness and in its constant state of revival and variation. As the paper argues: There lies its power.