18 Roses In The Drowning Pool

Almannagjá (translated as "All´s Gap," or "Everyone´s Gap") is a deeply-
crevassed walkway at þingvellir created centuries ago by an earthquake
estimated at 7.0 magnitude. I have added a link below about þingvellir
(the þ symbol has a "th" sound, similar to thanks, the same letter you find
in the name þórdís, Disa´s first name in Icelandic, a feminine variation of
the god, Thor, i.e. þór.)

As well as being a dramatic and powerful physical place, a national park,
and the most treasured site in the nation, þingvellir is home to the world´s
first-ever parliament. It was also the site of some events which Icelanders
never want to see repeated, namely the drowning of 18 women whose
"crimes" were as simple as becoming pregnant out of wedlock. Yesterday,
those women were remembered as part of a ceremony marking the 90th
anniversary of Icelandic women gaining theright to vote.

I went to this ceremony yesterday with Disa, her sister Anna, mother Aagot,
and father Guðmundur. The sun, which had blessed my first four days here,
was overtaken by cloudbanks and a chill rain as we proceeded to the top
reach ofAlmannagjá, up the pathway that runs between its high walls. On
each side, like stone pancakes stacked five hundred high, the cliffs of
Almannagjá are black and copper coloured and hold a haunting tilted
edginess. There are spirits here.

About 3,000 of us, women and men and children, begin the walk down
the crevassed path. Atop the cliffs are women wearing ceremonial dress
and holding spears. There is a women´s choir in one nook, singing hymns
in the pouring rain. In another, farther down, there is a five-piece female
brass band performing some of the spirited traditional Icelandic songs.
Toward the bottom of the gap, in white dresses, standing on rocks beside
the Drowning Pool, are 18 young girls each holding a white rose. One by
one, in memory of the drowned women, they drop their roses into the
deep and dark waters.

Later, at the constructed staging, there is a string quartet which plays some
of Iceland´s classical masterworks, and then Diddú, the most beloved singer
here, sings the national anthem. A few of the high notes feel as though they
have drycleaned my soaked jacket. There are speeches following, and a few
poems read by their female authors, and finally the first female president of
this nation, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, speaks to the crowd. Lastly, a pink t-shirt
is presented to the male Minister of Equality. Later, we learn, that every last
statue in Reykjavik is adorned today with a pink sash to mark the occasion.

It is a beautiful and moving ceremony, and most of the words are translated
for me by Disa. I am also able to grasp some of the speech through the
concurrent sign language. To see these 3,000 people crowded up the hillside
above the podium, wet from the rain, commemorating women´s equality and
paying respects to earlier crimes against women, is solemn, grounding. As
Guðmundur said, when first asked to attend, "I will go today to stand up
for the women." Disa was a little surprised at first that her father would give
up a day at Guðmundarstaðir toparticipate in the ceremony, but he has his
priorities clear.

The drive back to Reykjavik is a busy one. It´s been a long weekend with
Friday being Independence Day, and there are not only lineups of cars from
þingvellir but also from other getaway sites on the island. Later on the news
we see footage of the event, and see that backstage the Minister of Equality
has donned his pink t-shirt for the cameras. As we enter Reykjavik, we also
see the statues of the nation´s heroes adorned with pink sashes.

þingvellir website : http://www.thingvellir.is/english/

DL