Island of Winds Lore

This weekend María and Guðrún at Parity were so lucky to be able to attend a national costume convention in Stykkishólmur Iceland called Skotthúfan. We were invited there to talk about our game Island of Winds. We were so thankful for the opportunity to be able to share with them how we are using our cultural heritage in our game, we are very proud to be able to uplift it and honor it in so many ways.

The Icelandic national costume embodies the Icelandic woman, not only the woman but also the land itself. By using a version of the costume in our game we are celebrating and uplifting these women. While we are telling Brynhildur´s story, into the mix a lot of other women’s stories entwine. Not only Hrymja´s and Margrét’s but also the women that built our land, that farmed the land, made the clothes, wove the fabric and decorated it, bore the children that were the future of the land, from where we come. We sought inspiration from the Icelandic costume that goes by the name Faldbúningur. There are many Icelandic costumes, but Faldbúningur is the oldest that has been preserved, from the 18th century. The most prominent features of the costume are the headwear, the belt, the stitching and the footwear. The hat is called “Skotthúfa” in Icelandic, often used for everyday wear. The belt is called “Stokkabelti” which was commonly made out of silver. The stitching that was commonly used is called "baldýring" and was more often than not flower patterns, with silk or metal threads. The shoes are called “Sauðskinnsskór” which means shoes made out of sheepskin but sealskin, sharkskin and skin from skate was also commonly used for shoes in Iceland.


Image of the lovely lady in the Skautbúningur is from here, with permission from Heimilisiðnaðarfélagið:
https://www.heimilisidnadur.is/is/thjodbuningar/islenskir-thjodbuningar/18-aldar-faldbuningur