Icelanders have a problem few experience elsewhere in the World. With an isolated population of only 300,000, Icelanders face the very real threat of accidental incest. The concern may be more urban legend than not, then again, it seems to be a real enough fear that Íslendigabók, a genealogical information website for Iceland’s inhabitants, plays on the legend in their commercials. Read more in the following article from the Global Post:
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — The television commercial for a local mobile phone company here wouldn’t work in many places outside Iceland.
It portrays a curly-haired couple who just woke up next to each other after what appears to be a one-night stand. (That isn’t the scandalous part in this famously liberal society.)
The two are pictured lingering in bed, on their smart phones, checking out a genealogical website called Íslendingabók. Their smiles freeze when they find out they are related. Closely.
While other nations might find the commercial funny — mainly for its “as if” value — Icelanders can relate on levels unimaginable in larger countries. The commercial works here because, in this isolated island country of 300,000 people, these situations actually happen. Regularly.
Most Icelanders have heard a story of somebody, who knew somebody, who found out a bit late in the game that the subject of their romance is actually an estranged cousin.
A collaborative effort between medical research company deCODE genetics and Friðrik Skúlason, an anti-virus software entrepreneur, Íslendigabók looks to create an complete genealogical picture of the entire country. The database is a collection of “church records, national censuses, inhabitants registers and other public documents, but in addition to these sources there are chronicles, books of convictions, various publications on genealogy, books about individuals within specific occupations, lists of descendants and ancestral records as well as memorial articles to name but a few.” The site includes information dating more than 1,200 years back
The only downside to the site is the database is in Icelandic, often considered to be one of the most difficult languages learn. The good news is, if you are of Icelandic descent, you probably still have relatives living on the Island who could help you translate