All Things Iceland

During this part of the interview, Andri provides some great insight into the current literature landscape in Iceland and the impact of literature from this country on the world. We start off this interview talking about Reykjavík being a UNESCO City of Literature. Andri is a great person to talk about this because he is the chairman of the board for the Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature.

Andri also shares he favorite pieces of Icelandic literature, his environmental advocacy work, his run for Presidency and, of course, his favorite Icelandic word or phrase. If you have not listened to part one, I highly recommend that you do so that you learn more about Andri.

Some of the people the Icelandic authors that Andri recommend are Halldór Laxness, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, Sjón, Krístin Omarsdóttir and Neil Gaiman. He also recommended reading Njáls Saga and the Poetic Edda.

1. Reykjavík has been designated as a UNESCO City of Literature, and it is the first non-native English-speaking city to receive this title. Why is it that Reykjavík received this prestigious title?

2. What makes the literary culture in Iceland is so strong?

3. Can you provide some insight on the current literature landscape in Iceland? Are Icelanders still eager to publish and read Icelandic literature, especially in this age of social media and other technological distractions?

4. What are some places in the city that you recommend for people to check out if they are visiting, or live here, and want to learn more about Iceland’s rich literary history?

5. If a person wants to dive into Icelandic literature, where do you recommend that they start?

6. What are your favorite pieces of Icelandic literature?

7. Your book Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation was the best-selling book in Iceland in 2006 and won numerous awards. It helped to raise Icelander’s interest in environmentalism in the country, specifically about the impact foreign aluminum smelting plants would have on Icelandic nature. Do you think that Icelandic writers today still have the ability to influence the nation in a way that you did with this book?

8. This is slightly off topic, but I think is a fascinating bit of information for the listeners of this podcast to know. You ran for Presidential office in Iceland in 2016. What motivated you to do that and what were the key issues you ran your campaign on?

10. What is your favorite Icelandic word or phrase?

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Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

The history of the Icelandic government, also known as Alþingi (pronounced “Althingi”), dates back to the 900s. This episode breaks down the evolution of the government in this country from the very beginning to present day.

In previous episodes, I have mentioned the Alþingi, which is the the Icelandic parliament. It was founded in 930 at Þingvellir, which is now part of the Golden Circle and is one of the most historically important sites in the country. Iceland claims that the Althingi is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. Because of the history and unique geology in the area, Þingvellir became a National Park on the 1000th year anniversary of the Althingi in 1930. In 2004, the site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Because most of the settlers in Iceland during the 900s were Norwegian, their heritage greatly influenced the creation of their government. It seems that their main goal was to avoid a centralized authority or King, especially since that is what some of them had fled. Additionally, they wanted to integrate the Norwegian tradition of laws and legal assemblies (aka Þing). This resulted in Iceland forming a unique government.

The gathering of Parliament members in Iceland from 930 to 1800 was an open air assembly on the plains of Þingvellir. While all free men could attend the assemblies, it was Iceland’s most powerful leaders, known as goðar or chieftains, that decided on legislation and providing justice for any law related claims brought before them. While legislation was top of mind during these assemblies, they were also the main social event of the year. Farmers, craftsmen, travelers, storytellers, traders, and the families of many of these people attended. Temporary camps, called búðir, were set up in Þingvellir for these assembly events.

Lögberg, which translates to Law Rock, was the center of the assembly gatherings. An interesting fact is that the exact location of the lögberg is unknown today. You might be thinking, how is that possible? It is not as if this huge rock just moved. But in reality, that might have happened. Some of you that have visited Þingvellir or have heard about it on this show, are aware that this is one of the areas in Iceland where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are slowly shifting a part by 2cm each year. This area is known as a rift valley. Over the more than 1000 years of shifts in the geography have made it difficult to pinpoint exactly where the Lögberg was located. There are two possible locations but this will remain a mystery until someone is able to prove it.

The lögsögumaður or lawspeaker had a seat on the Law Rock and this person was the official of the assembly. The assemblies were called to order and dissolved at the Law Rock. The lawspeaker, 39 Cheiftains that had their own districts and nine other members made up the Lögrétta, which was the legislative part of the assembly. Not surprisingly, this section of the Althingi was very powerful. They adopted new laws, dealt with legal conflicts, and granted exemptions to existing laws.

The Althingi of the past also had a judicial function that listened to legal disputes. As the parliament evolved, judges were appointed by the chieftains in the Lögrétta (Court of Legislature).

When the Althingi was formed, Iceland was set up as a commonwealth or a free state. In 1262, that came to an end because Icelanders submitted to the authority of  Haakon IV, King of Norway. This happened under the terms of the gamli sáttmáli or Old Covenant. Like you, I wondered why would Icelanders give up their free state to be ruled by a monarch, so I dug a little deeper to find out. Before the signing of the covenant, there were civil disputes happening in the country.

For about 44 years in the 13th century a family called the Sturlungs were one of the powerful families causing wars and violent conflicts among Chieftains. The main reason this was happening was because behind the scenes, the Norwegian King was trying to exert his influence through Icelandic family clans. The Sturlungs and Gissur Þorvaldsson were essentially agents of the Norwegian monarch and they were wreaking havoc on Icelandic society. This time period came to be known as the Age of the Sturlungs. The tales are so epic that a saga called the Sturlunga Saga was written. The end of this treacherous age happened when the Old Covenant was signed. Iceland thus became unified with Norway.

Under the Old Covenant, goðars no longer ruled the country and all of the executive power was shifted over to the Monarch. However, the Lögrétta, or Court of Legislature, continued to function and it shared legislature power with the king. Any laws that were adopted had to be approved by the Monarch. If the Monarch decided to initiate legislation, the Lögrétta (which is pretty much a revised Althingi) had to approve it. Two legal administrators called lögmenn replaced the Lawspeaker.

Under this new set up, Icelanders had to pay taxes to the monarch. In return, they received a code of laws, transportation, shipping between Iceland and Norway, as well as peace. Additionally, Norwegians and Icelanders received equal rights in each other’s countries. Another positive aspect to this union is that it strengthened the trading between the two countries and the settlement of Iceland expanded.

This union eventually led to Iceland and Norway being united with Denmark towards the end of the 14th century. The reason for this is that the death of Olav IV of Norway meant that the male royal line had ended. Norway then became part of the Kalmar Union with Sweden and Denmark. Because Denmark had the dominant power, Iceland lost all of its autonomy to the Danish crown, including the legislation powers it had when it united with Norway. The most unfortunate part of this change was that Denmark didn’t need Iceland’s homespun wool or fish, a huge deficit in Icelandic trade was created. Sadly, Iceland became one of the poorest countries in Europe at the time.

The Alþingi was reduced to only acting as a court of law until 1800. That same year, a royal decree dissolved the Alþingi and a new High Court was created in Reykjavík. It took over the function of the former Lögrétta, which is a court of legislation. It was the predecessor to the Supreme Court in Iceland, which was established in 1920.  

While it seemed that the Alþingi was gone forever, like a phoenix it rose from the ashes. 43 years after it had been dissolved, another royal decree was handed down to establish a new Althingi in 1843. After elections were held in 1844, the 26 members met on the first of July 1845.

Twenty of the electoral districts had elected one member each and the remaining six were “royally nominated members” that the king had selected.

A session of the Icelandic parliament lasted four weeks but, if necessary, it could be extended. Unfortunately, the group was not more than a consultative body for the Danish monarch. Some of their tasks were looking over proposed legislation. Any proposals that were adopted were called petitions. Even with these restrictions, the new Althing made improvement to legislation in the country.

In the 19th century, many Icelanders that had been educated in Denmark came back to their home island and sparked an independence movement. The demand for more civil rights was also spreading in mainland Europe. While the Danish tried to pass legislation that basically ignored requests by Icelandic people, the king of Denmark was eventually forced to meet the demands of the nationalists and liberals in the country.

At the National Assembly in 1851, the absolute monarch was repealed and a constitutional monarchy was established. Iceland was granted six seats in the Danish Parliament. The Danes put forth a bill that would have made the Danish Constitution from 1849 valid in Iceland. This meant that the elected Danish parliament would take power over the most important issues.The Icelanders were not happy with this.

While Iceland had been under Danish rule, Icelandic people had pretty much been ruling themselves when it came to domestic matters. Now, all matters would fall under the parliament. Jón Sigurðsson, the leader of the Icelandic Independence Movement, and the other Icelandic members protested against this at the assembly. The issue of Iceland’s constitution remain unresolved for decades following this event.

1874 was the millennial anniversary of the settlement of Iceland and festivities were held. The Danish King at the time, Christian IX attended the celebrations. During his visit, he granted Iceland its own constitution. That constitution is what the current constitution in the country is based on today.

Under the constitution, the Alþingi had joint legislative power with the monarch regarding Icelandic matters. Additionally, Iceland’s National Treasury took over taxation and financial allocation. The king still had the right to veto, and he often used it.

The Alþing members increased to 36. While six were still appointed by the crown, the other 30 were elected in general elections. Eight were elected from single member districts and 22 were elected from 11 double member districts. The parliament was also divided into an upper chamber (efri deild) and a lower chamber (nedri deild). The upper chamber consisted of the six elected officials and the six members appointed by the crown. The remaining elected members sat in the lower chamber. The highest representative of the government at the time in Iceland was the General Governor (landshöfðingi).

Between 1880 and 1881, the Parliament House at Austurvöllur in Reykjavík was built. That same building is where the Alþing meets today.

On the 1st of December in 1918, Iceland became a state in personal union with the Danish king. This agreement was called the Icelandic-Danish Act of Union. After 25 years, the agreement would expire and either state had the choice to leave the union at that time. Under this act, unrestricted legislative power was granted to the Althingi. Over time the number of members of the Althingi increased to 52.

World War II marked a time for change in Iceland. Due to Denmark being occupied by Germany in 1940, the union was no longer in effect. The day after the occupation happened, the Althingi passed two resolutions. One was that the Icelandic cabinet now had the power of the Head of State. The other was that Iceland accepted full responsibility for coastal surveillance and foreign policy.  On June 17, 1944 The Republic of Iceland was established.

In the decades following many changes happened. The number of members was increased to 63 and the system of electoral districts was drastically changed. The voting age was lowered to 20 years old in 1969, but in 1984 it was lowered again to 18 years of age. Another major change is that the assembly now only has one chamber, which is known as a unicameral legislature, and twelve standing committees. That change was introduced in May 1991.

Today the Icelandic government is a constitutional republic with a multi-party system. Most people know that Iceland has a President but what they might not know is that the position makes that person the head of state. While the President does have legislative power, it is shared with Parliament, who exercises executive power. Parliament is led by the Prime Minister. The judiciary is independent of the legislature and the executive.

Anyone that is eligible to vote can run for a seat in parliament. The only exemptions are the President and the judges of the Supreme Court. While the President is determined by popular vote every four years, the legislature are elected by proportional representation every four years.

The President formally appoints the Prime Minister. After the election, a leader of a political party is given authority by the President to form a cabinet, which is made up of different party members. Even though Iceland has a multi-party system, it is set up so that no one party can gain power alone. The parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.

The cabinet of ministers stays in power until the next election in four years or if a new government is formed.

It has happened that new governments were formed before the four year term was up, especially following the economic meltdown in 2008.

The following parties are represented in the Althingi as of right now:

The Independence Party

The Left Green Movement

The Social Democratic Alliance

The Centre Party

The Progressive Party

The Pirate Party

The People’s Party

The Reform Party

While there is a lot more to talk about regarding the Icelandic government, including scandals, I will leave that for another episode. However, now that you have a pretty thorough background of the history of the Icelandic government and political landscape.

The current Prime Minister is Katrín Jakobsdóttir. She is the second female Prime Minister in Icelandic history. The first was Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir. Additionally, she was the first openly lesbian head of government in the world.

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was the first elected female president in the world.

Stjórnarskrá – constitution

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta og sjáumst fljótlega

Ásatrú, an Old Norse paganism, has become the fastest growing non-Christian religion in Iceland. When most people think of this country, religion is not normally what pops into their minds. However, over 75% of the Icelandic population are registered as members of a religious organization.

Later, in the random fact of the episode, I share the number of Icelanders belonging to the top five religious organizations in the country.

Paganism was once the norm in Iceland. In fact, the majority of the settlers that came to Iceland in the 900s were members of Ásatrú. However, the spread of Christianity drastically diminished its members and Christianity became the official religion of the country in the year 1000. While the Alþingi declared that Christianity would be the only religion in Iceland, people were still allowed to practice the old religion, just as long as they did it in secret.

The re-recognition of Ásatrú in Iceland came about in 1973 and the journey to that recognition is quite fascinating. Four men named Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, Jörmundur Ingi Hansen, Dagur Þorleifsson and Þorsteinn Guðjónsson met in a cafe in Reykjavík during winter in 1972. That is when they came up with the idea to found a folk religion. It is believed that the start of this religion was due in part to the counter cultural and religious sentiments at the time. Additionally, nationalism, and interest in spiritism and elves created a near perfect environment for the resurgence of Ásatrú.

Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, who later became the first high priest of the re-emerged Ásatrú, believed that the religion was based on a belief of hidden forces in the land. He also felt that Icelanders had a desire to have their own religion and that they should support it just as much as they do imported religions. Ásatrú, in many ways, was a movement back to nature in a time where the negative effects of being an industrialized civilization were rearing their ugly head.

To gain recognition of Ásatrú as an official religion in Iceland, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson and Þorsteinn Guðjónsson met with Ólafur Jóhannesson, the minister of justice and ecclesiastical affairs, in Iceland, right before Christmas in 1972. At first, the minister thought they were joking but once he realized that they weren’t, he requested more paperwork. A funny occurrence that goes along with this story is that when Sveinbjörn and Þorsteinn left the minister, a thunderstorm caused the lights in the center of Reykjavík to go out. According to an article in Vísir at that time, the paper joked that Þór, the God of Thunder, was showing his dissatisfaction with the vague answers that Sveinbjörn and Þorsteinn had received.

The most notable opposition to the re-recognition of the religion came from the Bishop of Iceland, Sigurbjörn Einarsson. He went on to publish his opinion in Morgunblaðið, which pointed out that the Icelandic constitution did grant everyone the right to “found organizations to serve god but that this assumed a monotheistic outlook.” The Bishop also criticized the organization for having vague teachings and no house of worship.

He took his criticism even further by trying to connect the Ásatrú to the racial ideology of Nazi Germany and the re-emergence in the belief of German folklore during that time. The Bishop was essentially calling into question the moral teachings of the organization. Lastly, he felt that since there were only 21 people seeking recognition, they were quite small. Morgunblaðið, the country’s biggest newspaper agreed with him and put out a very bold statement. They stated that Christianity was the “basis of Icelandic society” and that “Christ is enough, though he was not enough for Hitler, Stalin or their followers”.

The members of Ásatrú replied to the bishop’s criticism by saying that Christianity has some polytheistic elements and that their religion could include a belief in a Supreme Being. They also expressed that it was highly improbable that a member of Ásatrú had been associated with the Third Reich. However, they know for a fact that many Christian sects had cooperated with the Nazis.

In the end, the Bishop and Morgunblaðið’s opinions did not prevent Ásatrú from being officially recognized. They were granted the title of a religious organization by the Icelandic government in May 1973. With this recognition, they have the legal right to perform marriages and other ceremonies. They are also entitled to a share of church tax, which is calculated based on the number of adult members.

Unfortunately, the drama didn’t end there. Two members of the Independence Party, also known as Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn, requested an explanation as to why Ásatrú had been given legal recognition. Ólafur, the minister that granted the recognition, defended his decision by saying that the constitution granted freedom of religion and freedom of association.

According to Independence party members, recognizing a polytheistic religion and idol worship was in direct opposition to the constitution because freedom of religion only applied to monotheistic religions. The minister essentially stated that the constitution’s stance on this particular matter had been up for debate by legal scholars. Because it was not crystal clear that the Icelandic constitution only applied to monotheistic religions, the recognition of Ásatrú as a religion was upheld.

A couple of years later in 1975, the Alþingi, or parliament in Iceland, changed the law so that it became more difficult for new religious organizations to gain recognition.

Now that you have a little backstory on when and how Ásatrú was created, I think it is interesting to share why this religion is unique. Besides being the religion of the Vikings and polytheistic, there are other aspects to the religion that set it apart from Christianity.  

One thing that I was pleasantly surprised by while learning about this religion is that it is one of peace and tolerance. They do not believe in glorifying heroism, battles, blood or militarism. As you can tell, it is quite different than the Viking version of this religion that was practiced during the settlement times.

Because it is so open and philosophical, some people feel it is similar to Unitarian Universalism. However, Ásatrú focuses on keeping harmony with nature and the search for harmony in one’s life. Unlike most religions, they don’t have a prescribed scripture or dogma. If you feel the need to read something, they will encourage you to read the Poetic and Prose Eddas written by Snorri Sturluson. There is no praying to gods and the gods are not seen as perfect or divine. In fact, the gods don’t judge you and could even be seen as friends.

What is also fascinating is that Ásatrú’s growth has not been from members trying to directly convert others to follow. The high priest of the religion believes that people will want to join if they learn about the organization and see their ceremonies.

Here is what the current high priest Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson said about his faith in an interview in 2003:

I believe in a higher power which appears to us in the multiplicity of nature and of human life. We have manifestations of certain primal forces which we regard as gods and we have a division in the roles of the gods. These are powers that are visible, half-visible and sometimes invisible. One could have a long scholarly discussion on the role of individual gods, but in the end this is a question of a feeling for the different aspects of life.

Hilmar Örn hilmarsson

In 2010, he was quoted as saying:

“ Monotheism is one truth for the masses, but polytheism is many truths for the individual. ”

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson

The setup of the organization is that it has one high priest, called a Allsherjargoði or The Goði of All, and there are 10 Goðar, which are priests that oversee congregations in different geographical regions of the country. The second highest office in the religion is Kjalnesingagoði, which is “The Goði of Kjalarnesþing”. If you’ve had the chance to listen to my podcast episode about Ingólfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland, you might recall that he owned Kjalarnes, which is basically what is known as the greater metro area of Reykjavík. A Goði can perform all religious ceremonies, including marriages, funerals and blót.

So far, there have been four Allsherjargoðar or High Priests. As mentioned earlier, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson was the first. In the beginning the organization had a lot of ambition and some pretty big goals. Some of their goals included building a temple and getting a burial ground. However, enthusiasm waned due to slow growth in membership. From 1973 to 1985, it had only grown by 16 members. Fortunately for them, by 1992, membership had risen to 119.

When Sveinbjörn died in 1993, elections were held for a new Allsherjargoði. Jörmundur Ingi Hensen won against Haukur Halldórsson with 59 votes vs 34. Under Jörmundur Ingi the religion saw major growth in membership. In 2002, the membership number reached 628. During this time, the percentage of female members rose from 13% in 1994 and 21% in 2002. The religion also achieved its biggest goal of gaining a burial ground in 1999. Jörnumdur Ingi designed it and the first burial took place that year.

Unfortunately, with growth came internal disputes. In 2002, Jörmundur Ingi was fired by the board of directors. They installed Jónína Krístin Berg as the temporary replacement. Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was chosen in 2003 and is currently the high priest of Ásatrú. Under his leadership, membership numbers grew to 4126 in 2018, making it the fastest growing non-Christian religion in Iceland.

The different congregations of Ásatrú hosts meetings every week, which are open to the public.  However, their big ceremonies are called blót. In previous episodes, specifically episodes 23, 25 and 28, I brought up Þórrablót, which is the Icelandic mid-winter festival. While that festival is one that the religion holds, there are four main ones each year. Jólablót (Yule blót) is held on the winter solstice. Sigurblót (Victory blót) is held on the first day of summer, also known as sumardagurinn fyrsti. Lastly, veturnáttablót (winter nights blót) is held on the first day of winter. There are local blóts that goðar, or priests, hold for their individual congregations for various occasions.

According to data from 2018, Iceland has five religious congregations where the number of members includes 1% of the population or more. The largest religious congregation is the National Church, which has 233,062 or about 66% of the population. The second is the Catholic Church of Iceland, which has 13,799 members or about 4% of the population.

The third is the Free Church of Reykjavík, which has 9,866 members or 2.8% of the population. The fourth is the Free Church of Hafnarfjörður, which has 6,946 members or 2% of the population. Lastly, is Ásatrúarfélagið, which has about 4,349 or 1.2% of the population. None of the other religions in Iceland have more than 1% of the population as its members.

Ásatrúarfélagið – The Ásatrú fellowship. Ásatrú means faith of the Æsir.  Æsir is a group of gods, and some of them include Odin, Frigg, Þór, Baldur and Týr.

I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode of All Things Iceland. I upload a new episode every week, so make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss them. If you want to connect with me, see when new episodes are published and check out my adventures in Iceland and abroad, check out the links to my social media channels below.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta og sjáumst fljótlega

After most visitors to Iceland arrive at Keflavik international airport, they quickly grab their bags and set their sights on traveling to downtown Reykjavík. Unfortunately, the don’t give any thought to visiting the rest of the Reykjanes Peninsula.

 Little do they know that a beautiful, less crowded and completely underrated place waits just outside of the airport. I was delighted when I found out that this peninsula had been designated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015.

I have been fortunate to travel to this area on several occasions. When there, I am always pleasantly surprised by how amazing and diverse the landscape is. While I don’t want this peninsula to become overcrowded with visitors, I do think it is a shame that more people do not explore this place. It is literally brimming  with geothermal activity, mud pools and lava fields. It is also home to so many hiking trails and fascinating Icelandic history.

Most notably, it is one of the best places to see the separation of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.   After learning more about this place, I decided it was worth it to dedicate this episode to the Reykjanes Peninsula.

During one of my visits to the area I found the geology to be quite interesting. After looking up how the area was formed, I found the following quote from Visit Reykjanes brochure. Just a heads up, there is some science lingo in the quote but I still think it is worth sharing,

“Reykjanes Peninsula is an important region from a geological standpoint. It is a geologically young section of Iceland and is a land born and highly volcanic counterpart of the North Atlantic Ridge where the tectonic plates diverge at an average rate of 2.5 cm/ yr. The peninsula contains late Quaternary volcanic palagonite tuff and pillow lava formations as fells and mountains from the last glacial periods. Widespread basaltic lava flows and volcanic structures from interglacial periods, especially from the last 11,500 years (the Holocene Era) characterise the area. Four elongated volcanic systems and fissure swarms line the peninsula from SW to NE. They contain open fissures, normal faults, high temperature geothermal fields and numerous volcanic fissures that are lined with monogenetic craters.”

Whether you care about the science behind how this area was formed or not, the beauty and the uniqueness of the landscape can’t be denied.

Before jumping into what to see and do in this part of south Iceland, I think it is important to go over where it is and how to get there. As I mentioned in the beginning, this peninsula is in the south of the country, specifically the south-west.

The towns and villages that make up the Reykjanes Peninsula include Suðurnesjabær, Grindavík, Vogar, and Reykjanesbær. If it is relatively clear when you are flying into Iceland, you can get a glimpse of the stark black sand beaches along the coastline and the jagged lava rock that dominates this part of the country.

By car, it is very easy to drive around the peninsula. Whether you rent a car on your own or take a tour. However, the real fun begins when you get out of the car and explore on foot.

Each of the towns of the peninsula that I mentioned above have unique features that attract visitors. For instance, Reykjanesbær, which is the municipality that is home to Keflavik international airport is made up of three districts: Keflavík, Hafnir and Njarvík. With a population of a little over 15,000 people, it is the largest town on the peninsula. There you will find different types of accommodations, stores, bars and museums.

Suðurnesjabær is a fairly new municipality in Iceland. In 2018, it was created by merging Garður and Sandgerði and it has a population of about 3,000 people. There are a plethora of outdoor activities to do in this part of the peninsula.

In addition to having spectacular sea views and two awesome lighthouses to experience, this area is brimming with bird life and seals. There is even the possibility of seeing dolphins swim near the shore. Surprisingly, there are white sand beaches here, which you will only present in certain areas of the country. If you have a motorhome, want to camp or have a trailer, there is a local campsite with amenities like toilets, running water and electricity.

Within this municipality is the northern tip of the peninsula. In addition to bird watching and golfing, there is a unique souvenir shop called Listatorg that sells a variety of handmade goods. Additionally, the Suðurnes Science and Learning Center is located there. If you have an interest in exhibitions about Icelandic nature, sea creatures, wildlife and any research related to those topics,I recommend taking time to visit the center.

Vogar has a population of a little over 1,100 and the town is an old fishing village. What is absolutely fascinating about this place is that even though it mainly has lava fields that span from the ocean to the mountains, it is the largest agricultural area on the peninsula.

In this municipality, you can take a stroll along the pond Vogatjörn, visit the old harbor and check out the íslands Hrafnistumenn monument, which was erected in memory of local fisherman. There is a golf course in this area as well. Even if you don’t care much for the sport, you might still be interested in visiting to check out one of the largest timber churches in Iceland. It just so happens that the golf course encircles that building.

If you are anything like me, you’re probably interested in knowing where the hiking trails are in Vogar. Mount Keilir is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the area. While it looks quite steep, it is not a difficult hike. You can also check out Hrafnagjá, a normal fault and tension fracture that is the longest on the peninsula. This 12 meters long and 30 meters high set of fractures forms a valley rift. There is an easily accessible hiking trail to it from the parking area.

The third municipality that makes up the Reykjanes peninsula is Grindavík. This place is home to the world famous Blue Lagoon. So many visitors that have gone to the Blue Lagoon were not aware of the other activities in the area. Just to give you a little background about Grindavik, it has a population of about 3,300. Most of the people that live there base their lives around fishing or the fishing industry.

This small town provides more than 40% of Iceland’s salt fish production. It is still one of the most active harbors in the country. The landscape surrounding the town looks eerily like the moon and there are lovely hiking trails there. It is worth noting that this southwestern town is home to one of Iceland’s best golf courses. Kvikan, which is a house of culture and natural resources, is also located here.

Because there are over 50 spots on this peninsula to check out, I decided to give you the top 10. However, here is a link to the brochure from Visit Reykjanes that has a plethora of information about this fascinating part of the country.

Of course there are plenty of other places to visit. Some of them include lovely churches, museums and natural wonders. However, I think the ones on my list are for sure worth a visit.

However, they returned in 1951 and were labeled the Iceland Defense Force. It was operated as a NATO base. The naval air station closed on September 8th, 2006 and the Icelandic Defence Agency took over the facilities until 2011. At the time, the agency stopped operation and the base was given to the Icelandic Coast Guard, which still has control over it. The base has been visited by the American military and other NATO allies for military exercises. The barracks that the troops used to live in have since been converted into housing for students. You can easily spot the old barracks near the main road that leads to the Keflavík airport because they have been painted with very bright colors.

In 2017 the U.S. announced that it wanted to modify the largest hangar on the airbase so it can accommodate a new Boeing P-8 Poseidon. Some people have wondered if that means U.S. troops would come back to occupy the area, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. However, you never know what can happen in the future so I am not ruling out the possibility.

Bláa Lónið – Blue Lagoon

I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Hélène Magnússon is a very talented and passionate knitter living and working in Iceland. She is well known in the knitting world as the Icelandic knitter.  While she originally hails from France, Iceland has been her home for over 25 years. We had a lively conversation that touched on why she moved to Iceland, her experience learning Icelandic, how she became interested in traditional Icelandic knitting patterns, and so much more.

I hope you enjoyed listening to this interview. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

In the last episode, I went over Iceland’s noteworthy traditions, holidays and celebrations. I recommend checking it out, if you haven’t already. This week, I am expanding on the Christmas holiday celebrations that I spoke about in that episode. While most countries that celebrate Christmas only have one Santa that comes to town, Iceland somehow ended up with 13! During this episode, I will talk about where these 13 Santa Clauses or Yule Lads come from, when they come to town, what they do while in town and include some other interesting characters that show up during Christmas.

While Yule lad is the most appropriate term for these 13 mountain dwellers, Santa is a term that has continuously been used throughout the years, so I will use them interchangeably in this episode. In fact, they are called Jólasveinn in Icelandic, which translates to Yule Lad or Santa Claus.

When it is not Christmas time, Iceland’s 13 Santas live in a cave in the mountains with their mother Grýla, as well as a gigantic black yule cat and their mother’s 3rd husband, Leppalúði. This might sound cozy but Grýla is a giant troll that has an insatiable appetite for bad children and her husband shares the same pleasure in eating misbehaved kids. Grýla likes to make stew out of the bad children that she collects.

Additionally, their yule cat is a vicious monster that eats people that have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve. I think anyone growing up in a household like that would be kind of strange, and the 13 Yule lads are certainly not an exception. They each have their own personality and a specific mischievous act that they do when visiting houses in Iceland during Christmas. In fact, their names describe the special thing that they do while visiting.

As I mentioned in the episode about Icelandic holidays, traditions and celebrations, the first Yule Lad comes to town on December 12th and the last one arrives on December 24th. Back in the day, they weren’t that nice but as the years have passed, they have become milder in nature and have even started to leave gifts for children.

When it is time for the Santa Clauses to start coming to  town, Icelandic children leave one of their shoes in the window before going to sleep on each of the 13 nights. Good children will find a little gift in their shoe when they wake up in the morning. However, misbehaved children will receive a potato, which could be rotten. Below, you can see the spelling of the names of the Yule Lads in Icelandic. I have also included the days that each lad arrives and the day when they leave town.

Ok, now let’s jump into the names of each of the 13 Icelandic Santa

1.Stekkjarstaur – Sheep Cote-Clod or also known as “stiff legs” – He is said to have such stiff legs that he walks as if they are peg legs. He harasses sheep, and steals milk by suckling the ewes on a farm. (12 December to 25 December)

2. Giljagaur – Gully Gawk-  Hides in gullies, waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the cowshed and steal milk. (13 December to 26 December)

3. Stúfur – Stubby – Abnormally short. Steals pans to eat the crust and leftovers in them. (14 December to 27 December)

4. Þvörusleikir – Spoon-Licker Steals Þvörur (a type of a wooden spoon with a long handle) to lick. Apparently, he Is extremely thin due to malnutrition. (15 December 28 December)

5. Pottaskefill – Pot-Scraper – Steals leftovers from pots and licks them clean. (16 December to 29 December)

6. Askasleikir – Bowl-Licker – Hides under beds waiting for someone to put down their “askur” (a type of bowl with a lid used instead of dishes), which he then steals and licks clean (17 December 30 December)

7. Hurðaskellir – Door-Slammer – Likes to slam doors that are left open, especially during the night. This usually results in waking people up people in the house. (18 December 31 December)

8. Skyrgámur – Skyr-Gobbler –  He really loves skyr, which is a type of yogurt made in Iceland that is packed with protein. Not surprisingly, he steals skyr whenever he gets a chance. (19 December to 1 January)

9. Bjúgnakrækir – Sausage-Swiper – He hides in the rafters and snatches sausages that are being smoked. (20 December 2 January)

10. Gluggagægir – Window-Peeper – He looks through windows in search of things to steal. (21 December 3 to January)

11. Gáttaþefur – Doorway-Sniffer – Has an abnormally large nose and an acute sense of smell which he uses to locate laufabrauð, cakes and cookies. As a side note, laufabrauð, translated as leaf bread in Icelandic. It is a traditional thin Icelandic bread eaten at Christmas time. The bread usually has a geometric or leaf life pattern cut into it. It is fried in hot oil or fat. It is delicious and I highly recommend trying some if you are in Iceland during the Christmas season. (22 December to 4 January)

12. Ketkrókur – Meat-Hook – Uses a hook to steal meat that is hanging. This meat is called hangikjöt in Icelandic.. (23 December 5 January)

13. Kertasníkir – Candle-Stealer – Follows children in order to steal their candles. Many candles in earlier times were made of tallow  , which is rendered beef fat, so they were technically edible. (24 December  to 6 January)

You might have noticed that many of the mischievous things that the Yules lads do are associated with stealing food. I have a theory that after spending 11 months in the mountains eating their mother’s stew made of bad children and whatever else they could find, they probably just want something delicious to eat. However, that is purely my opinion, so take it with a big grain of salt.

Now that you have learned more about Iceland’s 13 Santa Clauses, I am going to move on to the next segment of the show, which is a random fact about Iceland. Kertasníkir or Candle stealer was voted as the most favorite of the Yule Lads in Iceland. It seems that he is the most generous of his brothers. It probably helps that he is the last to arrive and leaves a gift on the morning of Christmas Eve.

Gleðileg jól – Happy Christmas. You can hear how it is pronounced at the end of the podcast episode.

I hope you enjoyed this episode that is chock full of information about Icelandic holidays, traditions and celebrations. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

This episode might be short but it gives you a good overview of Icelandic foods to try while in Iceland. Before I jump into this list, I have to inform you that I have been a plant based eater, usually referred to as vegan, for the last five years. However, I did taste all of these foods before I made the transition. The foods on this list are very much a part of the Icelandic food culture and it would be difficult to talk about Iceland without mentioning them.

I just want all of my vegetarian and vegan listeners to know that there are a lot options for you in Iceland and I am working on putting together a video and podcast episode about those options.

Even though a lot of produce is imported, Icelanders can grow carrots, kale, salad, potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers in greenhouses. A lot of these products can be found in local grocery stores. However, it bugs me that these Icelandic foods are normally wrapped in plastic, while the imported vegetables are not.

I hope you enjoyed this episode that is chock full of information about food to try in Iceland. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Christmas in Iceland is a lovely time. Everyone is merry and there are lots of fun events happening. I purposefully decided not to include Christmas activities that not holiday related on this list. You won’t hear me say, hunt for Northern Lights, go on a Glacier Walk, ride an Icelandic horse and so on  during this episode. While those activities are awesome, they can be experienced when it is not Christmas in Iceland.  Because the Christmas season in Iceland lasts for about a month, you will have lots of time to tick off some of the activities on  this list.

I am a big fan of tasty beers and Iceland has a thriving craft beer culture. In fact, one of my favorite episodes of this podcast is my interview about Iceland’s complicated and fascinating beer history with Óli the brewmaster at Ægisgarður brewery. Icelandic brewers start to offer their special Christmas brews around mid November. It is a glorious time and there are such tasty varieties. My two favorite are Egill’s Malt Jólabjór and Einstök´s Icelandic doppelbock. I highly recommend trying those and others while you are. I know that some Icelandic companies are exporting their beer, so you might find some Icelandic Christmas beer at a  distributor near you.

Next up is eating Laufabrauð, or leaf bread. Some people even call it snowflake bread. It is at type of bread that looks like a thin, flat cake. Geometric or leaf like patterns are cut into it and it is then fried quickly in fat or oil. It is only served during this time and it is yummy. Some people make it at home and many buy them from bakeries. Many of the supermarkets in Reykjavík carry them, but if you can get your hands on some fresh, homemade laufrabrauð, you are in for a treat.

Ice skating, in general, is an activity that you can do in Iceland at any time of the year at the Laugadalur sports center. However, ice skating outside in Ingólfstorg or Ingólfs Square is only reserved for the Christmas season. It kind of reminds me of ice skating in Rockefeller Center in NYC, expect it is not as extravagant and it might even be a smaller rink.

It wouldn’t be Christmas for me in Iceland if I didn’t eat some piparkökur or pepper cookies. I know it might sound strange to want to eat cookies with pepper in them but don’t let that deter you. They taste similar to gingerbread cookies. Hopefully, that helps anyone that is on the fence with trying them. Boxes of them are sold in the supermarkets in Iceland. They are seriously delicious. I probably gain a few pounds during the holidays just because of these cookies.

Like many communities that celebrate Christmas, Iceland has Christmas markets that feature locally made crafts and food. They are great places to find a unique gift for yourself or someone else.

Many restaurants in Iceland prepare special Christmas buffet menus. It is a tradition for most Icelandic people to get together with friends and family to chow down at a Christmas buffet. While the traditional fare, such as potatoes prepared in different ways, lamb, pickled herring, red cabbage, green peas and so on are served at the buffet, some modern dishes do show up as well.

As I had mentioned in my Icelandic traditions, holidays and celebrations episode, December 23rd is one of the smelliest days of the year in Iceland. Many Icelandic people are enjoying their once a year indulgence in skatta, or fermented skate. The putrid smell wafts through air, crawls up your nostrils and pokes your brain. It is a smell that lingers in people’s clothes and is one you won’t forget easily. Many  people don’t eat it in their house because they don’t want the smell in their furniture and any other items in their house that might hold onto smells. I’ve never tried Skatta but I have heard that it can feel like it is burning your mouth. Even if I were not vegan, I wouldn’t be interested in trying it. However, to each their own and this is a very popular Christmas activity among Icelanders. So, feel free to give it a try if you plan to be in Iceland on December 23rd.

Every year, Icelandic hunters go out to shoot rjúpa, also known as the Rock ptarmigan. This game bird changes the colors of its feathers with the season. It is brown in the summer and white during the winter. Many Icelandic people eat this bird for Christmas. My mother in law cooks the bird for Christmas and then saves the bones to make a soup for New Years eve dinner. I know that having this bird for Christmas is quite important for many people here. It is quite expensive to get it in Iceland. If you are in town and want to try, it seems that a restaurant called 3 Frakkar serves it. There might be others as well. A quick Google search of ptarmigan in Icelandic restaurants could provide more options.

Celebrating the New Year, like in most places, is a big deal in Iceland. There are a ton of fireworks. Some of professionally blown up but most of the fireworks are set off my ordinary Icelanders. There are also bonfires and lots of partying. It is one of the best places to ring in a new year. If you are curious to learn more about this holiday, you can check out my episode on Icelandic traditions, holidays and celebrations. I highly recommend coming to Iceland for the New Year.

While the rest of the world that celebrates Christmas has one Santa Claus, Iceland somehow ended up with thirteen. I go into detail about the Icelandic Yule Lads in episode 24, which is linked in the show notes of this episode. That episode is a great intro into these mischievous Yule lads. However, I think being in Iceland gives you the joyful expectation of Christmas and seeing these scraggly Santa Claus come to town kicks the holiday season into high gear. There are different events where the Yule Lads show up, such as a Christmas Market or a children’s holiday event.

This open air museum in the neighborhood of Árbær, also known as Árbærsafn, showcases different periods of Reykjavík’s history. You can see vintage car displays, the type of crafts that traditional Icelandic people did, turf houses and more. Every year, the museum has Christmas exhibitions, which are worth seeing. Some of the exhibitions include seeing how candles are made from sheep fat, women dressed in clothing from a century ago who are making laufabrauð and see how Christmas cards were made with a hand press. The Icelandic Yule Lads have a tendency to show up at the museum during the holiday season. I have a link to the museum in the show notes, if you would like to learn more.

Hafnarfjörður is a fun and somewhat eclectic seaside town that is part of the Reykjavík area. During the Advent, the downtown turns into a cheery and festive Christmas Village every Saturday and Sunday. There are horse-drawn carriage rides and shops that sell different crafts from local Icelandic designers, snacks and drinks. Of course, the Icelandic Yule Lads usually show up.

If you have small kids, the Children’s Christmas workshop at Reykjavík City Hall is a fun activity for the whole family. Everyone gets to create holiday decorations, as well as meet the Icelandic Yule Lads and other characters.

Harpa is a gorgeous concert and conference hall made of glass that sits on the harbor in downtown Reykjavík. During the Christmas season, Harpa hosts close to 30 concerts. There are Christmas performances from the Icelandic symphony orchestra and Icelandic music legends, like Bubbi Morthens. It is a fun way to hear Icelandic Christmas songs. Plus, it is one of the Christmas activities where you can hear Icelandic sung and spoken.

Every year in November, new books from Icelandic authors are published. It is called Jólabókaflóðið or the Christmas Book Flood. It is a tradition for Icelandic people to give each other a book for Christmas. There are plenty of authors to choose from and you can find plenty of books to choose from at the bookstore chain Eymundsson.

Last but certainly not least, is the decades long tradition of lighting the Oslo tree in Austurvöllur, which is Parliament Park downtown. It is the official opening of the season in Iceland and is one of the Christmas activities that many Icelanders attend.

I hope you enjoyed this episode that is chock full of information about activities to do in Iceland during Christmas. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

Akureyri, also known as the capital of the north in Iceland, is the fourth largest municipality in Iceland. Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður and Kopavogur are larger. This town of about 18,500 people is small in comparison to Reykjavík, but it is bustling with life.

This area that Akureyri is located was originally settled in the 9th century by a Norse Viking named Helgi magri (the slim) Eyvindarson. However, you don’t see the name Akureyri mentioned in any court records until 1562. That year a woman was sentenced there for committing adultery. During the 17th century, Danish merchants set up their trading operations in the town  during summer because the town has an amazing natural harbor and the surrounding area is quite fertile.

Even though, this area was being used by merchants and people were living there, it wasn’t granted its municipal charter by the Danish king until 1786. This act by the king was intended to help the town grow into an urban area. However, it was deemed unsuccessful because the population didn’t grow beyond the 12 people that lived there. In 1836, Akureyri lost its municipal status, but did get it back in 1862. The town’s great port conditions and agricultural region helped it to grow its population.

Most people assume that the farther north you go in Iceland, the colder the weather. That is not necessarily the case for Akureryi. It is located at 65 degrees North and 18 degrees West. Even though, the Arctic Circle is only about 60 kilometers north of the town, the climate there is still quite mild and is classified as subarctic.  Surprisingly, the temperatures in the summer can reach up to 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The average temperature in the winter is 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The relatively warm climate, at this latitude, allows for the botanical gardens to flourish without greenhouses.

It is in one of the longest fjords in the country and is surrounded by beautiful mountains that reach between 1000 – 1500 meters high. The high mountains shield the town from strong winds. Akureyri is quite a cloudy place and it barely sees any sunshine between November and February. However, it has much lower precipitation than in the south of Iceland. On average, it gets about ⅕ the amount of rain that Vík in Mýrdál, the popular town in the south, gets throughout the year.

Akureyri was one of the three air bases used by the Norwegian-British squadron that flew Northrop N-3PB bombers during World War II. The other two air bases were in Reykjavík and Budareyri. The squadron flew from Akureyri from April 25th, 1941 until April 5th, 1943. They also operated Catalina flying boats from the town. These boast protected convoys between the U.S., the U.K., and Murmansk in northern Russia from attack by German submarines.

As I mentioned in the All Things Iceland podcast episode about Halldór Laxness, many Icelandic people started moving from the countryside in Iceland to urban areas. While commerce and service industries were the most popular employers in the Akureyri in the 20th century, the fishing industry started to dominate in the early 21st century.

As I had mentioned earlier in this episode, Akureryi has amazing port conditions. What I mean by that is that their harbour remains ice free all year long, which is incredible and convenient for fishing merchants. This town is home to two out of the five largest fishing companies in Iceland. The ice free port certainly has played a role in that. Additionally, the largest brewery in Iceland Vílfilfell and Sjúkrahús Akureyrar, one of the two major hospitals in Iceland, are in Akureyri.

If you are planning to visit Akureyri, I highly recommend it. I had the pleasure of going there in December and it was absolutely lovely.  You might be wondering what is the best way to get there, and the good news is that you have a few options.

If you own or rent a car in Iceland, you can easily drive there on route 1, the main road that goes around the country. It takes about five hours to get there by car from Reykjavík. However, you can take a flight, a bus or get there by boat. The town is home to one of the four international airports in the country. Air Iceland Connect has several flights per day from Reykjavík to Akureyri, and it only takes about 30 minutes.

During the summer, you will see cruise ships docked there and a decent amount of tourists roaming around. Bus number 57 operated by Strætó goes from Reykjavík to Akureyri. SBA Norðurleið also has buses between these two places in the summer.

Whether you go in the summer or winter,  there are plenty of things for you to do. I have split up my lists of what to do into summer, winter and all year, because I think it is the best way to help you plan your visit.

“The villagers are dressed in medieval costume and can be seen demonstrating medieval crafts; spinning wool, wood carving, tanning, blacksmithing and much more. Shows of medieval sword fighting are held each day and members of the public can join in with medieval ball games and archery.”

“AK Extreme is a four day festival with events scheduled at Mt. Hlíðarfjall and in downtown Akureyri.For the main event we construct a terrifying Big Jump set up out fifteen shipping containers from Eimskip, smack dab in the middle of town.This winter, alongside the traditional BURN Jib Session in downtown Akureyri, we have the Origo Downhill Competition at Mt. Hlíðarfjall on Thursday. Last year’s edition saw over 7000+ spectators turn out to enjoy the sketchy huck-fest that is the Eimskip Big Jump competition in the center of Akureyri.”

To participate in such an event, you have to be invited. It normally takes place in April.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it is certainly a great start for planning a visit during any time of the year.

Akureyri recently changed its name. As of January 24th, 2019, the town’s official name is Akureyrarbær, or Town of Akureyri. It used to be Akureyrarkaupstaður, which is essentially Akureyri buying place. It was given the latter name by the Danish king because it was selected as a official place for merchant business. The funny part is that everyone has been calling the town Akureyrarbær for a long time but it is now officially the name. Also, this won’t have an effect on anyone visiting because most people just call the town Akureyri when speaking in English.

Akureyri – sandbank field

I hope you enjoyed learning about Akureyri. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. Also, don’t forget to enter to win the All Things Iceland podcast giveaway. The link is below.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

During this week’s episode, I give an overview of the rich history of Icelandic literature and  culture. Before I jump in, I have two announcements.

The first is that today, February 20th, 2019, is the last day for you to enter the All Things Iceland podcast giveaway.  If you haven’t entered already, you can do so by clicking on the image that says the All Things Iceland podcast giveaway below. I will pick the winners at random tomorrow and contact them

The second announcement is that I am taking a little break from podcasting, but only for a little while. I get so much joy from doing this and I definitely plan on continuing to do it. One of the main reasons is that I am taking a pause is because I will be traveling for about 2 months.

It will be difficult to find the space and time to record, edit and publish weekly episodes. During that time, I will have some vacation time, my mother will have surgery, and I will start a new job. The show will restart again on April 24th, 2019. I know it sounds like a long time away but time passes by so quickly. It is hard to believe that I have been doing this podcast weekly for the past 8 months! Also, I have been reading your survey results and I am so excited to create shows and conduct interviews based off of your suggestions.

Ok, now let’s jump back into to the topic of Iceland’s literary culture.

Icelandic literature is just as unique as its language, which I talked about in episode two of this show. I’ll start out with lcelandic literature from Medieval times and end with the modern day literary environment in the country.

As I have mentioned in previous episodes, the sagas, which were written between the 9th and 13th centuries, are the most revered pieces of Icelandic literature. They were written in Old Norse tell tales of the people that migrated to Iceland, Viking voyages to unknown lands and the history of settlers. The sagas have withstood the test of time. They have been inspirational sources for shows, movies, plays and books that depict life in Scandinavia during those times.

For instance, Njáls Saga, which takes places between 960 and 1020, is full of drama. There is betrayal, murder, ongoing feuds, omens and prophetic dreams. It is teeming with excitement. It also gives insight into the culture during that time. While all of the sagas are fascinating, I specifically point out this one because its Iceland’s longest and most developed saga. If you want to check it out, I have a link to the  saga database that has free versions of the popular sages in Icelandic and English.

While it hasn’t been confirmed, there is a theory that the sagas served as a way of hiding and preserving the view of pagans, which was threatened by the onslaught of Christianity in the country

Most of the authors of the sagas are unknown, but they are thought to be somewhat true accounts that were passed on orally until they were written down. Some people theorize that women might have been some of the authors. However, there is no evidence to support that. Plus, all of the known saga writers are male.

However, many poetry verse stanzas are attributed to Icelandic and Norwegian women, such as Gunnhildr konungamóðir, and Þórhildr skáldkona.

Eddaic and skaldic poetry were also written during medieval times.  These types of Icelandic literature helped to influence the country’s appreciation of poetry. The main difference between the two types of poetry is that skaldic refers to poetry written by Norwegian and Icelandic poets, who known as skalds. While the Eddas mentioned mythical events or told stories, skaldic poetry was used to honor nobles or kings, as well as to commemorate or satirize important events.

It is helpful to know that there are two types of Edda poems. The Elder or Poetic Edda are Old Norse poems and stories that originated in the 10th century. They were first written down in Iceland in the 13th century. The Younger Edda, or the Prose Edda (Snorri’s Edda), was written by Snorri Sturluson in the early 13th century. Stories about the Norse Gods and other mythical creatures are featured in these poems.

While the sagas hold a special place in Icelander’s hearts, and for many around the world, poetry started to dominant just a few centuries later. One famous poet during this time was Hallgrímur Pétursson. He was a priest and poet that wrote the Passion Hymns during the 1600s. The hymns are 50 poetic texts that follow Christ entering the Garden Gethsemane to his death and end with his burial. Because Christianity was quite popular in Iceland during this time, the hymns became an important part of Icelandic religious expression. The famous church Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavík is named after him.

Romanticism began to dominate at the beginning of the 19th century in Icelandic literature. Jónas Hallgrímsson is credited with being the first writer of Icelandic short stories. He is one of the country’s most beloved poets. He used stunning imagery to write about Iceland’s beautiful landscape. On November 16th each year is Icelandic Language Day. That day was specifically chosen because it Jónas’ birthday. On that day, an award named after him is given to an individual for their outstanding contribution to the Icelandic language.

Jón Thoroddsen published the first Icelandic novel in 1850 and he is considered the father of the modern day Icelandic novel

Following romanticism was realism and naturalism. Authors like Þórberg Þórðarson and Gestur Pálsson stirred the pot in Iceland society with their satirical works. Þórberg in particular shone a light on the social injustices in the country and the church. He was not initially well received because his style was so different than the previous works in the country. However, a appreciation of his style grew over time

Einar Benediktsson aka Einar Ben, wrote poetry that contributed to the nationalistic revival in the country, which led to Iceland getting independence.

Surprisingly, the first Icelandic writer to make a living as an author was a woman named Torfhildur Þorsteinsdóttir, but she went by Torfhildur Hólm. She lived in Canada for many years before returning to Iceland. She was the first woman to receive a writer’s pension by the Alþingi.

There is a great story that involves the Icelandic writer Gunnar Gunnarsson and Walt Disney. Gunnar wrote most of his works in Danish in order to reach a wider audience. He ended up becoming quite popular.

One particular novel, The Good Shepherd, which is about the epic adventures of a shepherd collecting sheep in the Lake Mývatn area, interested Walt Disney. Disney called Gunnarsson about making the tale into a cartoon. Gunnar inquired about how much he would get paid. Walt replied that he normally did not pay authors a commission. Gunnar swiftly hung up the phone.

There are two random facts that I was surprised to learn about when researching Gunnar Gunnarsson. The first is that he was a Nazi sympathizer. In 1940, he traveled to Germany, for an extensive lecture tour and met Adolf Hitler. The second fact is that he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature seven times but did not win. The Gunnarsson Institute believes that,

instead of basing its decision on the novelist’s contribution to world literature, the Swedish Academy was swayed by unjust considerations. Now that half a century has passed since Iceland gained its first Nobel Prize winner in literature, it is time for the truth to be revealed. Hopefully this will happen when the Academy’s documents are declassified.”

Gunnarsson institute

Of course we can’t talk about the Nobel prize or Icelandic literature without mentioning Halldor Laxness. If you would like to learn more about him, I dedicated a whole podcast episode to talk about his life and contributions to Icelandic literature. I recommend checking that out through the link I have provided in the show notes of this episode on my website.

If we fast forward to modern day, there are a decent amount of Icelandic writers that have introduced different genres into Icelandic society. Arnauldur Iriðason, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, and Ragnar Jónasson have become well known for their murder mysteries, also known as Scandinavian noir.

While crime novels have been become popular, Icelandic people still have a soft spot poets. In fact, many poets become novelist. Some include Sjón, Andri Snær Maganson, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, and Gerður Kristný.

It is true that Icelandic people like deep, thought provoking literature. They also like to laugh at really inappropriate jokes.  Comedic writers like Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir and Hugleikur Dagsson have carved out names for themselves in Iceland with their crude and potentially offensive jokes.

There are many more Icelandic authors that are less known. In fact, a BBC article stated back in 2013 that 1 in 10 Icelandic people will publish a book. I’m not sure if that is still true today but the publishing and consumption of books in Iceland continues to be quite high.

If you’ve listened to my episode about Icelandic holidays, traditions and celebrations, you would have heard me mention the Icelandic Christmas Book Flood or Jólabókaflóðið. This is the annual release of new books that are available to Icelandic people to order to give to their friends and family as gifts for Christmas. There are hundreds upon hundreds of new books published each year. I think it is a lovely tradition.

Surprisingly, the first and original manuscript of the Codex Regius (Book of Kings when translated from Latin), a Poetic Edda, was found in the south of Iceland in the 1600s. The artifact is an Icelandic codex in which many Old Norse poems are preserved. It is made up of 45 calfskin pages and is thought to have been written in the 1270s. The codex inspired J.R.R. Tolkien, painters, poets and authors of children’s books.

It essentially preserves Nordic mythology. It is pretty incredible to think that if the codex not been preserved, that some of the works of art and literature that we enjoy today might not have come to be. Some literature enthusiasts consider it to be the most important of all Icelandic manuscripts. Right now it is safely stored in a building in Reykjavík, but it might be on display one day.

Bókmenntir – literature

Bók – book

Mennta – educate

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I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode. The next episode will be available on April 24th. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you in April!