Tainted Blood

A NOTE ON ICELANDIC NAMES

Icelanders always address each other using first names, since most people have a patronymic rather than a "proper surname", ending in — son for a son and — dottir for a daughter. People are listed by first names even in the telephone directory. Strange as it may sound to the English ear, first names are therefore used throughout the police hierarchy and when police and criminals address one another. Erlendur's full name is Erlendur Sveinsson, and his daughter is Eva Lind Erlendsdottir. Matronymics are rare, although Audur is specifically said to be Kolbrunardottir, "Kolbrun's daughter". Some families do have traditional surnames, however, either derived directly from or else modelled on Danish, as a result of the colonial rule which lasted until early in the twentieth century. Briem is one of these traditional surnames, and as such it does not reveal the gender of the bearer — in the case of Marion Briem the ambiguous first name compounds this secondary mystery.

REYKJAVIK

2001