Deep freeze : the social and musical impact of the I{u00F0}unn Society on the Icelandic r{u00ED}mur tradition

Abstract

The Iounn Society of Intoners and Versifiers, Kvaeoamannafelagio Iounn, was founded in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1929. The founders had migrated from the rural areas at the beginning of the century, looking for work. This study analyses how the Iounn Society shaped the rimur tradition. Rimur are regarded as part of Iceland's literary heritage, documented in written manuscripts with the oldest one dating from around 1380. Historically, rimur were performed by one person using her, or his, own melodies. The melodies were orally transmitted and would change according to the prosody. The audience were the inhabitants of the Icelandic farmhouse, while they sat working (knitting, spinning, etc.) in the evening. These evening sessions were called kv{u00F6}ldvaka and the performance venue used to be the ba{u00F0}stofa, the main room in the old turf farmhouse, where most of the inhabitants would sleep, eat and spend their indoor-time. Moving from the rural to the urban areas meant a drastic change, not only for the members but also for the tradition itself, as it now became entertainment at a social gathering.

This study illuminates how the rimur tradition was shaped by the Iounn Society in the context of nation-building, class and power. At the same time this is a discussion about tradition and traditionalism. The Iounn Society took strong ownership of the rimur tradition, but was mainly concerned with the performance aspect. In order to preserve the melodies, they recorded 200 rimur melodies in 1935. The study analyses the melodies, compares them to another source of folk songs Islenzk pjodlog, and examines the conduct of Iounn. The expression 'Deep Freeze' contains the essential truth about the history of Iounn's dealings with the rimur tradition: freezing may preserve but it also immobilizes, while a thaw offers at least the chance of reincarnation into a renewed life.