andlitsgrímum

Andlitsgrímum is an Icelandic term referring to a class of face masks described in folkloric and historical sources. The phrase combines andlit, meaning “face,” with gríma, meaning “mask,” and its plural form is used in contexts where multiple masks are discussed or depicted. The term is primarily encountered in discussions of traditional Icelandic masked imagery and ritual practice.

In its traditional sense, andlitsgrímum denotes masks that depict human faces, often carved from wood and sometimes painted or decorated with hair, pigments, or textiles. These masks were used in ritual, festive, or performance settings to conceal the wearer’s identity, to personify ancestors or spirits, or to represent social roles in a narrative or ceremonial sequence. The masks could function as symbolic intermediaries between the human and the spiritual realm and were sometimes associated with seasonal celebrations, storytelling, or processions.

Cultural context around andlitsgrímum is limited and varies across regions and periods. Icelandic folklorists note that masks of this type appear in old accounts and in later compilations of folk customs, reflecting broader European traditions of masquerade and ritual theatre. The practice declined with changes in social structure and religious culture, but the imagery and concept persist in ethnographic descriptions and in contemporary arts that draw on traditional mask forms.

Today, references to andlitsgrímum appear mainly in academic discussions of Icelandic mask imagery and in artistic works exploring ancestral or ritual faces. See also: mask in theatre, Icelandic folklore, ritual masquerade.