--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can't we make a blusterer ourselves?…" description: "\"“Can't we make a blusterer ourselves? asked Jón Hreggviðsson. Can't we scratch that damned sign with the ax-point onto the chopping block and get a bea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/halld-r-laxness-6935_animal-kingdom_can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-aske_256370.png" --- # Can't we make a blusterer ourselves? asked Jón… ![“Can't we make a blusterer ourselves? asked Jón Hreggviðsson. Can't we scratch that damned sign with the ax-point onto the chopping block and get a beautiful, chubby woman in here tonight, right now-or preferably three? It was no easy matter to create such a sign, because in order to do so the two…” quote by Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/halld-r-laxness-6935_animal-kingdom_can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-aske_256370.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/halld-r-laxness-6935_animal-kingdom_can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-aske_256370.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/halld-r-laxness-6935_animal-kingdom_can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-aske_256370.png) > ““Can't we make a blusterer ourselves? asked Jón Hreggviðsson. Can't we scratch that damned sign with the ax-point onto the chopping block and get a beautiful, chubby woman in here tonight, right now-or preferably three? It was no easy matter to create such a sign, because in order to do so the two men required much greater access to the animal kingdom and the forces of nature than conditions in the dungeon permitted. The sign of the Blusterer is inscribed with a raven's gall on the rust-brown inner side of a bitch's skin, and afterward blood is sprinkled over the skin - blood from a black tomcat whose neck has been cut under a full moon by an unspoiled maiden. Where'd you find an unspoiled maiden to cut a black tomcat's neck asked Jón Hreggviðsson.”” [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Characters seek to create a powerful, forbidden sign using brutal rituals, reflecting desperation and the dark lengths they will go to achieve desire, highlighting moral decay. **In simple terms:** Desperate people may resort to cruel acts for desire. Key Takeaway Beware of moral compromise for personal gain. Themes desire morality desperation Mood dark intense Type literary cautionary When to use this quote - conflict resolution - ethical decision making - creative problem solving Key Concepts ritualistic violence power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What ethical lines are crossed in pursuit of desire? - How does desperation shape moral choices? A Different Perspective It glorifies violent symbolism and may be unsettling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal kingdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-kingdom/) [Folklore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folklore/) [Full moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/full-moon/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Witchcraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witchcraft/) ## Related quotes > [In giving us dominion over the animal kingdom God has signified His will that we subdue the beast within ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/in-giving-us-dominion-over-the-animal-kingdom-god-has-signified-his/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [I was 'alone' amongst the animal kingdom and I required of myself to see what was truly going on inside me so that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-treadwell/i-was-alone-amongst-the-animal-kingdom-and-i-required-of-myself-to/) [Timothy Treadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-treadwell/) > [In the animal kingdom, one of the keys to survival is to outwit your enemies. And when you're surrounded by carnivores, one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-animal-kingdom-one-of-the-keys-to-survival-is-to-outwit-your/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“We can always be human Meeting each day a wise new man But the Animal Kingdom to which we belong Animals we are; this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/we-can-always-be-human-meeting-each-day-a-wise-new-man-but-the-animal/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [“If we put aside the self-awareness standard -- and really, how arbitrary and arrogant is that, to take the attribute of consciousness we happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/if-we-put-aside-the-self-awareness-standard-and-really-how-arbitrary/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [Expedition EVEREST adds a new dimension to our storytelling in Disney's Animal Kingdom. It's a thrilling adventure themed to the folklore of the mysterious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rohde/expedition-everest-adds-a-new-dimension-to-our-storytelling-in-disney/) Joe Rohde > [I am still passionate about Grizzly bears as well as the rest of the animal kingdom and I understand now how precious people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-treadwell/i-am-still-passionate-about-grizzly-bears-as-well-as-the-rest-of-the/) [Timothy Treadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-treadwell/) > [Shame doesn't exist in the animal kingdom. It's a human conception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/shame-doesn-t-exist-in-the-animal-kingdom-it-s-a-human-conception/) [Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/) > [The progress of dynamic ideals will not be eternally blocked. Through general, moral and intellectual advancement... shall the latent aspiration of justice for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-isaac-kook/the-progress-of-dynamic-ideals-will-not-be-eternally-blocked-through/) [Abraham Isaac Kook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-isaac-kook/) > [The logical outcome of evolution is that it makes monsters. We turn into monsters because evolution takes away everything that makes us human in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-peretti/the-logical-outcome-of-evolution-is-that-it-makes-monsters-we-turn/) [Frank Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-peretti/) > [I placed myself in amongst the animal kingdom so that I would be able to confront myself actually. It did not start out as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-treadwell/i-placed-myself-in-amongst-the-animal-kingdom-so-that-i-would-be-able/) [Timothy Treadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-treadwell/) > [ “\[Materialism\] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-simple-state-of-matter-and/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Sometimes, humanity surprises me with all its lack of control over the primordial urges. These innate urges are the biological traits that make us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/sometimes-humanity-surprises-me-with-all-its-lack-of-control-over-the/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [I consider the differences between man and animals in propensities, feelings, and intellectual faculties, to be the result of the same cause as that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-william-lawrence-1st-baronet/i-consider-the-differences-between-man-and-animals-in-propensities/) Sir William Lawrence, 1st Baronet > [Boys complain about Girls, Girls complain about boys, I honestly believe that we are privileged to be at the top of the food chain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-mark-limn/boys-complain-about-girls-girls-complain-about-boys-i-honestly/) [Jeremy Mark Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-mark-limn/) ## More by Halldór Laxness > [Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows live there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/where-the-glacier-meets-the-sky-the-land-ceases-to-be-earthly-and-the/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“A new generation forgets the specters that may have tormented the old… And yet, always, to all eternity, it is the same specter assailing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/a-new-generation-forgets-the-specters-that-may-have-tormented-the-old/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“People don't have the imagination to understand politicians. People are too innocent”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/people-don-t-have-the-imagination-to-understand-politicians-people/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“Somewhere, out in the infinite distance, lay the spring, at least in God's mind, like babies that are not yet conceived in the mother's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/somewhere-out-in-the-infinite-distance-lay-the-spring-at-least-in-god/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“Townsfolk have no conception of the peace that mother nature bestows, and as long as that peace is unfound the spirit must seek to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/townsfolk-have-no-conception-of-the-peace-that-mother-nature-bestows/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“Sin - sin is God’s most precious gift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/sin-sin-is-god-s-most-precious-gift/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [A free man can live on fish.Independence is better than meat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/a-free-man-can-live-on-fish-independence-is-better-than-meat/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“He did not know what to say in the face of such sorrow. He sat in silence by his sister's side in the spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/he-did-not-know-what-to-say-in-the-face-of-such-sorrow-he-sat-in/) [Halldor Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“Man is more perfect than god. Although this woman's doctrine, in which she was brought up from childhood, told her than all men were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/man-is-more-perfect-than-god-although-this-woman-s-doctrine-in-which/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [When a man has a flower in his life he builds a house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/when-a-man-has-a-flower-in-his-life-he-builds-a-house/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“Pastor Jón Prímus: Do you remember when Úa shook her curls? Do you remember when she looked at us and laughed? Did she not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/pastor-j-n-pr-mus-do-you-remember-when-a-shook-her-curls-do-you/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [This was the first time that he has ever looked into the labyrinth of the human soul. He was very far from understanding what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/this-was-the-first-time-that-he-has-ever-looked-into-the-labyrinth-of/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“...nothing is true that cannot be proven--and therefore, it's not true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/nothing-is-true-that-cannot-be-proven-and-therefore-it-s-not-true/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“We Danes have always been charitable in our trading operations with Iceland. And when our deceased Highness monopolized trade with the island it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/we-danes-have-always-been-charitable-in-our-trading-operations-with/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) > [“In his contradictions he was as much an enigma as the country itself: a religious devotee out of spite at the soullessness of men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/in-his-contradictions-he-was-as-much-an-enigma-as-the-country-itself/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) [Explore all 87 Halldór Laxness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) ## More Animal kingdom quotes > [In giving us dominion over the animal kingdom God has signified His will that we subdue the beast within ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/in-giving-us-dominion-over-the-animal-kingdom-god-has-signified-his/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [I consider the differences between man and animals in propensities, feelings, and intellectual faculties, to be the result of the same cause as that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-william-lawrence-1st-baronet/i-consider-the-differences-between-man-and-animals-in-propensities/) Sir William Lawrence, 1st Baronet > [“Sometimes, humanity surprises me with all its lack of control over the primordial urges. These innate urges are the biological traits that make us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/sometimes-humanity-surprises-me-with-all-its-lack-of-control-over-the/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [ “\[Materialism\] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-simple-state-of-matter-and/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [I placed myself in amongst the animal kingdom so that I would be able to confront myself actually. It did not start out as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-treadwell/i-placed-myself-in-amongst-the-animal-kingdom-so-that-i-would-be-able/) [Timothy Treadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-treadwell/) > [The logical outcome of evolution is that it makes monsters. We turn into monsters because evolution takes away everything that makes us human in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-peretti/the-logical-outcome-of-evolution-is-that-it-makes-monsters-we-turn/) [Frank Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-peretti/) > [The progress of dynamic ideals will not be eternally blocked. Through general, moral and intellectual advancement... shall the latent aspiration of justice for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-isaac-kook/the-progress-of-dynamic-ideals-will-not-be-eternally-blocked-through/) [Abraham Isaac Kook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-isaac-kook/) > [Shame doesn't exist in the animal kingdom. It's a human conception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/shame-doesn-t-exist-in-the-animal-kingdom-it-s-a-human-conception/) [Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/) > [I am still passionate about Grizzly bears as well as the rest of the animal kingdom and I understand now how precious people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-treadwell/i-am-still-passionate-about-grizzly-bears-as-well-as-the-rest-of-the/) [Timothy Treadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-treadwell/) > [Expedition EVEREST adds a new dimension to our storytelling in Disney's Animal Kingdom. It's a thrilling adventure themed to the folklore of the mysterious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rohde/expedition-everest-adds-a-new-dimension-to-our-storytelling-in-disney/) Joe Rohde > [“If we put aside the self-awareness standard -- and really, how arbitrary and arrogant is that, to take the attribute of consciousness we happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/if-we-put-aside-the-self-awareness-standard-and-really-how-arbitrary/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [“We can always be human Meeting each day a wise new man But the Animal Kingdom to which we belong Animals we are; this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/we-can-always-be-human-meeting-each-day-a-wise-new-man-but-the-animal/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [In the animal kingdom, one of the keys to survival is to outwit your enemies. And when you're surrounded by carnivores, one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-animal-kingdom-one-of-the-keys-to-survival-is-to-outwit-your/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I was 'alone' amongst the animal kingdom and I required of myself to see what was truly going on inside me so that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-treadwell/i-was-alone-amongst-the-animal-kingdom-and-i-required-of-myself-to/) [Timothy Treadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-treadwell/) > [Boys complain about Girls, Girls complain about boys, I honestly believe that we are privileged to be at the top of the food chain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-mark-limn/boys-complain-about-girls-girls-complain-about-boys-i-honestly/) [Jeremy Mark Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-mark-limn/) [Browse all 144 Animal kingdom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-kingdom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Can't we make a blusterer ourselves? asked Jón Hreggviðsson. Can't we scratch that damned sign with the ax-point onto the chopping block and get a beautiful, chubby woman in here tonight, right now-or preferably three? It was no easy matter to create such a sign, because in order to do so the two men required much greater access to the animal kingdom and the forces of nature than conditions in the dungeon permitted. The sign of the Blusterer is inscribed with a raven's gall on the rust-brown inner side of a bitch's skin, and afterward blood is sprinkled over the skin - blood from a black tomcat whose neck has been cut under a full moon by an unspoiled maiden. Where'd you find an unspoiled maiden to cut a black tomcat's neck asked Jón Hreggviðsson.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Halldór Laxness" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-asked-j-n-hreggvi-sson-can-t-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal kingdom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-asked-j-n-hreggvi-sson-can-t-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/halld-r-laxness-6935_animal-kingdom_can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-aske_256370.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/halld-r-laxness-6935_animal-kingdom_can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-aske_256370.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/halld-r-laxness-6935_animal-kingdom_can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-aske_256370.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Can't we make a blusterer ourselves? asked Jón Hreggviðsson. Can't we scratch that damned sign with the…” — Halldór Laxness", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Halldór Laxness", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Can't we make a blusterer ourselves?...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-asked-j-n-hreggvi-sson-can-t-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/can-t-we-make-a-blusterer-ourselves-asked-j-n-hreggvi-sson-can-t-we/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```