Cultural Importance
Pilot whale hunt is an integral part of Faroese social culture. As the attenders of a grindadráp usually are men, women do not actively take part in it, but are bystanders or onlookers. This is part of the traditional division of labor concerning grindadráp that is centuries old, and has not changed over time.
In Faroese literature and art, grindadráp is an important motif. The grindadráp paintings by Sámal Joensen-Mikines rank internationally as some of his most important. They are part of a permanent exhibition in the Faroese art museum in the capital Tórshavn. The Danish governor of the Faroe Islands, Christian Pløyen, wrote the famous Pilot Whaling song, a Faroese ballad written in Danish entitled “A New Song about the Pilot Whale Hunt on the Faroes”. It was written during his term of office (1830–1847) and was printed in Copenhagen in 1835.
The Danish chorus line is Raske drenge, grind at dræbe det er vor lyst. In English: Tough boys, to slay the grind that’s our desire.
These old verses are rarely sung by the Faroese today. To many in the outside world (including Denmark), they are seen as a backward cliché about the culture of the islands.
Read more about this topic: Whaling In The Faroe Islands
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