The Settlement Exhibition 871±2 in downtown Reykjavik is small but fascinating. The museum’s main attraction is the ruins of a longhouse from the 10th century. The Longhouse at...Read More
December 23 is both the last of Christmas preparations for Icelanders as well as the beginning of the holidays. The day is called Þorláksmess or St Thorlak’s Day...Read More
We have told you before that it is believed elves move house in the New Year or around Christmas. They are also known to enter people’s homes to...Read More
It seems that every town and city has had its own great fire. The most famous ones are probably the Great Fire of London and the Burning of...Read More
Icelanders are famous for their love of fireworks, and foreigners have described New Year’s Eve as sounding like a war zone. New Year’s Eve is Gamlárskvöld in Icelandic,...Read More
Icelanders love baking Christmas cookies; it is a great family tradition to get together and bake a few types. Some of the most common ones are chocolate chip...Read More
We have stories of how many places in Iceland got their name. Reykjavik – Smokey Bay – was supposedly named by Ingólfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland....Read More
November 16 every year is the Day of the Icelandic Language. The day is special for Icelanders as it is the birthday of Icelandic poet, naturalist, and author...Read More
Some folktales tell the tales of people we know to have existed, such as Sæmundur the Learned. The following story falls into that category. Aud The Deep-Minded is...Read More
Elves or hidden people are often quite mean in Icelandic folktales. You can never take them for granted, and being the capricious creatures they are; you should never...Read More
