The Poet's Tomb

In a small enclosure of lava stones in a grassy field, a modest tombstone bears the name of an Icelandic legend: Jonas Hallgrimsson. But are the bones beneath it really those of the poet, or a Danish grocer? Hallgrimsson is an icon in his country: a beloved poet and naturalist, the craftsman behind the renewal of the Icelandic language, and one of the founders of Icelandic national romanticism.

"He has become a part of the Icelandic soul and still is," native enthusiast Kari Stefansson told AFP, standing near the austere, lichen-speckled tombstone. "What separates art from everything else in the world is the ability to appeal to your emotions. And he appealed to my emotions, and Icelanders in general, extremely strongly."

Bones of contention

When Hallgrimsson died in Copenhagen in 1845 after falling down a staircase, his remains were placed in a grave where other bodies were also buried. In 1946, amid the patriotic fervour that followed Iceland's independence, the bones were repatriated. But time had taken its toll. "There was a grocer, a businessman, his wife, child, and everything got mixed up over the years," recalled Pall Valsson, author of a biography of Hallgrimsson. "And we don't have a skull. We don't have legs."

To be absolutely certain, some have called for DNA tests. But Icelandic authorities say they cannot authorise the opening of the grave without a court ruling. "My understanding is that it is wrapped up in tremendous bureaucracy," lamented Stefansson. "Now this is in the hands of all kinds of committees and lawyers."