Paper short abstract:

This paper proposes to discuss the ways in which new technologies and perceptions of the modern have left their mark on the "traditional" Icelandic folk tale in the 20th century. Narratives will be discussed in their social, historical and geographical contexts and recurring themes explored.

Paper long abstract:

What can the dreams of a Reykjavík woman tell us about visions of Europe, mental illness and killing technology in the 1930s? What about the East Fjords wondertale of a man who takes a flying machine to the land of the Jews? And what was the significance of a cinema screen in a prophetic dream about WW2? In this talk, I propose to take an in-depth look at selected Icelandic-language folk legends and wondertales from 1900 to 1980 in which visions of modernity, the future and new technology are expressed.

The aim of this paper is to provide insight into a changing narrative tradition. Stories will be placed in their historical contexts, in Iceland, Europe and the wider world. The impact of the technological and political changes described in the narratives on Icelandic society will also be considered, and all accounts will be viewed first and foremost as a reflection of their own era.

Recurring themes such as mental and physical illness, landscapes and fear of the modern will be discussed and their respective roles in the narratives analysed. Finally, I will propose that the fears, hopes and other sentiments expressed in these narratives are just as relevant to modern-day discourse as they were 50-100 years ago.