Blóðhófnir By Gerður Kristný

Gerður Kristný À 3 read

Í Blóðhófni yrkir Gerður Kristný um jötunmeyna Gerði Gymisdóttur sem Skírnir, skósveinn Freys, sótti til Jötunheima handa húsbónda sínum. Hér er efni hinna fornu Skírnismála listilega flutt í nútímalegt söguljóð, fullt af átökum, harmi og trega, og talar sterkt til samtímans. Blóðhófnir

I read a translation of this contemporary poetic retelling of a norse myth - the abduction of a beautiful giantess by a god - and enjoyed the stark and concise narrative. Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories I'm really not into poetry, so I doubt this would've made it into my hands had my friend not accidentally ordered two copies and given me her extra.

I'm so surprised by how much I enjoyed this! The introduction definitely gave me context I would've been sorely missing otherwise, but even so, I loved the language of the poem itself. I'm a sucker for mythology and this was a super quick read, I'm so pleased I liked this so much. Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories Moderniserad ljođahattr från huvudpersonens namne, läses gärna tillsammans med den gamla Skírnismál.

Omläst: jämte Karin Rehnqvists musikaliska gestaltning. Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories A powerful retelling of an Eddic poem!
It is the first time that I read something of this sort and I am quite impressed.
The author can definitely play with words and her use of the Icelandic language to write poetry is amazing.
What is great about this edition is that even without previous knowledge on Norse mythology or a background in poetry, you can still understand the message provided by the vivid vocabulary used by the author.
It tells the story of a forced union between Gerdur and Freyr settled by his servant´s (Skirnir) threats.
But this time from a female's point of view (Gerdur) and how she felt about the union and the birth of her son.
This book made me strangely emotional (probably because of the power of words). Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories Video review here: https://youtu.be/_nGeYD70nJ8 Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories

I wish I get to read more of her books – but didn’t find much translated material

I am in love with Icelandic history and all the myths, magic and stories that go round it – Gerdur transmits that vibrantly in this short but powerful poetic recount
Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories Gorgeous!

Wide-stretching fields
in glowing sunlight

the ears of corn
whispering in the breeze:

'No luck like yours'

Rightly framed as a story in abduction, or perhaps in the terror that masculine violence performs in the matrimonial history of mythology.

With rapid bounds
three bitches caught me
fast in their teeth:

Sorrow
Solitude
Suffering

This is also a poem reaching deep in the archive for what it cannot ever contain. Kristný's hands come up drenched in Snorri's unspoken nightmares and in the thought of what may have happened. Eloquent and elegant, this is poetry that lives in the shadows, that is the shadows of textuality; it remembers the sun, and what took it from that light. Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories An epic retelling of an old Norse tale from the perspective of the giantmaiden and victim. I bought this book on a recent trip to Reykjavik while I was looking for Kristný's Drápa. The bookseller handed me this book with Drápa and told me that I should buy both. I'm glad I did. The intoduction of Bloodhoof is written by Rory McTurk, the translator. This introduction explained the story of Gerður (the author's namesake) as it was traditionally told from stories written in the 1300s. It was always told as a love story, but in Kristný's retelling places Gerður as the victim and is told exclusively from her perspective. I'm glad I read it before Drápa, as the introduction helped with the pronunciation of Icelandic in both books. Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories ótrúlegt

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með fáum orðum Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories A fabulous Icelandic short saga/poem and retelling of an ancient partially recorded saga. The translation was lyrical and poignant. The tale was a beautiful yet sad tale of a God wanting to marry a woman on Earth and her travail of leaving her home. Literature Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories