Online Talk: On Social Life and Stories: Traditional Tale-Telling in 1970s Rural Iceland

• 01/12/2025
• 19:00-20:30
• online talk

On Social Life and Stories: Traditional Tale-Telling in 1970s Rural Iceland

A Folklore Society Online Talk

by

Rosemary Power

Monday 1 December 2025, 19:00-20:30

The talk covers some of the aspects of life in an Icelandic valley in the period in question, with knowledge of folklife and practice, farming changes, songs, singing-style, oral anecdotes and folktales. These were gained from a couple born in the late nineteenth century, their children, and some of their grandchildren, in the period in question and subsequently. The material was collected from monolingual speakers living a in largely traditional farm-life manner though one in accord with a century of great social and economic change, and before the advent of largely urban lifestyle on the island, and the more recent explosion of tourism. Examples will be given of traditional singing and its context, and of the stories recounted locally.

Rosemary Power writes academically on medieval Norse-Gaelic contacts, and also on folk tradition. She lived for some years in Iceland in the period discussed in this lecture; and has returned regularly since.

Tickets £6.00 (£4.00 for Folklore Society members with the Promo Code: log in to https://folklore-society.com/members-only to get the Promo Code) from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/on-social-life-and-stories-traditional-tale-telling-in-1970s-rural-iceland-tickets-1395923407489?

Every ticket sold helps to support the work of The Folklore Society

Photo: Rosemary Power