Insights in Iceland
On August 9, 2023 by ElyseAnother Wednesday, another post coming to you from a random corner of the world. You could be forgiven for thinking Second Glance History has turned into a travel blog. I promise we’ll resume our regularly scheduled programming of poison-detecting guinea pigs and singing dogs soon. But for today, join me in discovering how much more there is to the Land of Fire and Ice than volcanoes, waterfalls and typing horses. As always, our guides on this quest are historical newsletters.

Beer is sacred.
From a reprehensive letter of Pope Gregory in the 13th century to the Archbishop of Iceland, it would seem that children were sometimes baptized in ale owing to a shortage water. In an earlier letter (1237) the use of ale in the administration of the Eucharist was forbidden, though it was reported that the Pope had once given the Icelanders a dispensation to receive the Sacrament in ale owing to the unsuitability of the wine due to incessant frosts.
– The Nelson Evening Mail, October 8, 1938
Long-time Second Glance History readers already know beer is a health food—it turns out it’s good for our souls as well. It’s just a shame Icelanders couldn’t legally enjoy it until 1989.

But for some reason, liquor and wine were fine?

Public safety is severely understaffed.
There are only two policemen in Iceland, and one of them spends most of his time in literary pursuits.
– The Marlborough Express, August 7, 1896
This troubling demographic trend continued:
Iceland has only one policeman, and his beat is in the capital, Reykjavik. The residents are so orderly that he has little to do.
– The Otago Daily Times, February 2, 1911
With so few police officers, Icelandic civilians had to take the law into their own hands.
In Iceland the law permits any man or woman who finds a boy or girl smoking to give the offender a sound spanking and to confiscate the pipe, cigarette, or tobacco found in his or her possession.
– The Ashburton Guardian, May 31, 1909
Happily, recruitment seems to be improving, judging by the Reykjavík police force’s Instagram, which features an entire three officers rescuing a cat from a tree.

Parallel parking is unheard of.
The Icelanders have a most curious mode, and a most effectual one, of preventing horses from straying, which, I believe, is entirely peculiar to this island. Two gentlemen, for instance, are riding together without attendants, and, wishing to alight for the purpose of visiting some objects at a distance from the road, they tie the head of one horse to the tail of the other, and the head of this to the tail of the former.
In this state it is utterly impossible that they can move on, either backwards or forwards, one pulling the one way and the other the other, and, therefore, if disposed to move at all, it will be only in a circle, and even then there must be an agreement to turn their heads the same way.
– The Colonist, August 21, 1860
This sounds less like a parking strategy and more like an invitation to be sued by PETA and/or strand yourself in the middle of nowhere with two exhausted horses.

Import restrictions protect the landscape.
Why may one not send a little present of some rough-on-rats to a friend in Trinidad, a feeding bottle with tube to one’s daughter-in-law in Algeria, or a packet or two of wax-candles to Bulgaria, without calling down on one’s head certain penalties and punishments duly provided in the postal code of these nations?
These potent questions, with many similar ones, perplex one’s mind after a brief perusal of that very interesting and informative little volume, the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Guide for 1925. . .
The definition of “interesting” appears to have changed in the last century.
Iceland, on the other hand, couples with an objection to old bedding and rags, a list which includes laces, perfumes, flowers and jewelry. . . Did one not read somewhere that the feminist movement was making great headway among the strong, silent women of the north? There is a distinct flavour of petticoat government about that list, veiled determination to save frail sisters from the foibles of the sex!
– The New Zealand Herald, September 30, 1925
Or perhaps that petticoat government is looking out for the local lace industry and preventing Iceland’s pristine landscape from being littered with old rags.

When it comes to Iceland, Vikings, geysers, sheep, lagoons and elves are just the tip of the tourist iceberg. (You had to know a lame ice pun was coming).


Recent Posts You
May Have Missed
Did you click through Facebook or Twitter? We got lucky—don’t let social media algorithms keep you from seeing a post! Save yourself a click, and subscribe to have stories delivered to your inbox as soon as they’re published.
Disclaimer: The modern era is far from the first to grapple with rampant “fake news.” As I am neither a historian nor journalist, I make no claims about the accuracy or lack thereof of the above sources. I assert only that they make for a good story.
Share this:
- Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
3 comments
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Recent Posts
Subscribe to the Blog via Email
Search
Archives
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
About This Blog
Welcome to Second Glance History! This blog seeks to uncover the people and the stories forgotten by history and give them another read through a modern lens. Join me every week as we examine the differences that divide and the common threads that connect the then to the now.
Mixed emotions: they’re tough on smokers and stinky perfume, but if I want a beer I gotta’ go to church???
On the plus side, there probably aren’t enough police to enforce the beer prohibition. Bottoms up!
– the way my luck works, there’d only be two constables, but they’d be chain-smoking 14 year old boys who douse themselves in Axe, and HATE alcohol….