''Helvítis fokking fokk'' (translated by
Eiríkur Bergmann
Eirikur Bergmann (Eiríkur Bergmann Einarsson) (born 6 February 1969) is an Icelandic academic and writer. He is author of nine academic books and three novels.
Early life and education
Eirikur Bergmann was born in Reykjavík in 1969 and stud ...
as 'God Damn, Fucking Fuck',
Roger Boyes
Roger Boyes (born 7 August 1952 in Hereford, England) is a British journalist and author. He is the diplomatic editor for the London ''Times'' newspaper. He also has a column in the German newspaper ''Der Tagesspiegel'' entitled 'My Berlin'.
Boye ...
as 'What the Fuckety Fucking Fuck', and by Michael J. Casey as 'Bloody Fucking Fuck') is an
Icelandic neologism
A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...
which became a widely used expression of discontent following the
2008 Icelandic financial crisis
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
.
History
The phrase was coined by the artist Gunnar Már Pétursson, who painted the message on a placard while protesting outside the
Icelandic parliament
The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembl ...
. The phrase was further popularised in a comedy sketch performed by
Jón Gnarr
Jón Gnarr (; born 2 January 1967)This is an Icelandic name. ''Kristinsson'' is the patronymic, but he is properly referred to as ''Jón Gnarr'' as he had it legally removed. is an Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician who served as the Ma ...
and broadcast on the traditional New Year's Eve comedy revue, ''
Áramótaskaupið
''Áramótaskaupið'' ("The New Year's Lampoon") is an annual Icelandic television comedy special, broadcast on New Year's Eve by the state public service broadcaster RÚV. Initially aired on radio, and later moving to television, it features ske ...
'', in 2008. In the sketch, inspired by Gunnar Már's story, Jón played a strait-laced middle-aged protester participating in the
kitchenware revolution
The 2009–2011 Icelandic financial crisis protests, also referred to as the Kitchenware, Kitchen Implement or Pots and Pans Revolution ( Icelandic: ''Búsáhaldabyltingin''), occurred in the wake of the Icelandic financial crisis. There had bee ...
struggling to express his indignation at the crisis and eventually coming up with a sign reading ''Helvítis fokking fokk!!''
The phrase swiftly became widely used in Iceland in relation to the Crisis, as an expression of widely felt anger at corruption and mishandling of the economy. People even made real-life signs bearing the phrase which they took to the protests on
Austurvöllur
Austurvöllur () is a public square in Reykjavík, Iceland. The square is a popular gathering place for the citizens of Reykjavík, and especially during good weather due to the prevalence of cafés on Vallarstræti and Pósthússtræti. It has ...
; it was also printed on T-shirts. According to Sóley Björk Stefánsdóttir, the two biggest
Facebook group
Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of t ...
s relating to the Crisis were 'Icelanders are NOT terrorists' (17,188 members) and 'Helvítis fokking fokk' (9,396 members). Describing the city-centre office of the
Borgarahreyfingin party, Georg Fornes mentions that 'both inside the place and outside you could see various items from the demonstrations, including pots, cake-tins, and dirty placards with the slogan ''Helvítis Fokking Fokk!''’
Although usually an interjection, the term is also attested as a substantive, referring to the situation surrounding the financial crisis in general.
Appearances in art and literature
A picture of the artist
Gunnar Már Pétursson holding his own placard reading ''Helvítis fokking fokk!'' appears on the cover of
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson's history of the crisis.
The title of the Crisis-themed concept album ''Helvítis fokking funk'' by the
Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band is a pun on ''Helvítis fokking fokk''.
The usefulness of the phrase is discussed by characters in
Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir's novel ''
Hjartsláttur''. It is also the favourite phrase of the character Guðni in
Ævar Örn Jósepsson's 2010 novel ''
Önnur líf''.
The phrase became part of the title of a literature course at the
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland ( is, Háskóli Íslands ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' s ...
, taught by Jón Karl Helgason in 2014-15: 'Helvítis fokking fokk: Hrunið í íslenskum bókmenntum' ('The Crash in Icelandic literature').
ÍSL607G Helvítis fokking fokk: Hrunið í íslenskum bókmenntum
(accessed 5 October 2018).
See also
* '' Guð blessi Ísland''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helvitis fokking fokk
2009 in Iceland
Economic history of Iceland
Great Recession in Europe