Heri Joensen (Tyr) extols the virtues of The Faroe Islands

Posted September 17 by Chris D.

By Heri Joensen (Týr)

The Faeroes are 18 small islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, covering 1,400 square kilometers (540 square miles) all together. Norwegian Vikings settled The Faeroes about 1,300 years ago, and the people who now live there are mainly their descendants.

Most of the headland is very steep and inaccessible, but between the islands and inside the fjords and bays you may find some green and tranquil spots, like Saksun, of a very kind and welcoming nature. At least in the summer.

The Faeroes have some quite spectacular scenery. For example Beinisvørð, the west side of Suðuroy, the southernmost island, Vestmannabjørgini, the west side of Streymoy, the largest and central island, and Enniberg, the northernmost tip of the Faeroes. Very steep and impressive cliffs, towering straight out of the ocean and teeming with sea fowl. Enniberg is, at 754 meters (2474 feet), the highest vertical wall out of the sea in the world.

But there is not only wild nature in the Faeroes. The charming (and world’s smallest) capital Tórshavn on Streymoy island [is] practically dead center of the Faeroes. [It] has the oldest parliament in the world, laid down by law by the Norwegian Vikings when they arrived here. It continues to this very day.

The Faeroese have their own language, called Faeroese, closely related to Icelandic and Norwegian, and a bit further related to Swedish and Danish. It is, as its related languages, a direct continuation of the Old Norse language that the Norwegian Vikings who settled here spoke. Today the population of The Faeroes is around 49,000 individuals, and increasing.

The main industry is fishing and all its related industries. There is some banking, IT, shipbuilding and tourism.

The thing to know about the Faeroes, should you ever come here, is that the weather is extremely changeable. However, the only extreme kind of weather in the Faeroes is the wind. It does not get very warm in the summer, the warmest month on average is below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), nor does it get very cold in the winter. The gulf current brings relatively warm waters, 4 (39 degrees Fahrenheit) to 6 degrees Celsius (42 degrees Fahrenheit), from the south. There is only moderate snow in the winter, although July is the only guaranteed snow-free month. [There’s a fair amount] of rain all year round, but the fall and winter winds can be extremely fierce.

Please visit us, and you shall be most welcome.

** Týr's new album Hold the Heathen Hammer High is out now on Napalm Records.

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