**Never Miss a Blog Post: Subscribe to Icelandic Roots!**

Are you eager to stay informed about all things Icelandic? Look no further than the Icelandic Roots newsletter! Our dedicated team of authors and guest writers brings you insightful and engaging content on various topics related to Icelandic culture, history, travel, famous people, language, genealogy, and upcoming events.

Subscribe Today!

The Snorra Edda is more than a collection of myths—it is a map of the night sky, where stories serve as constellations and the heavens become a mnemonic for the world of the gods. In this webinar, Professor Gísli Sigurdsson explains how Gylfi’s Illusion ( Gylfaginning ) in the Prose Edda transforms what can literally be seen above us—the movements of stars, sun, and moon—into a mythological cosmos. By taking Snorri’s metaphor at face value, we can read the sky as a kind of ce

By Bryndís Víglundsóttir Photo Credit: Börkur Sigurbjörnsson from Barcelona, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Jól have been celebrated in Iceland as long as people have lived here. Our ancestors, the early immigrants to Iceland celebrated the returning of the sun at winter solstice, around December 20th (jólmánuður/ mörsugur). It is simply not possible for people of the present generation to imagine or understand what the dark season of this region was like. People had to continu

by Ken Barr   Reprinted with permission from Icelandic Connection  v67(1): pp12–13, 2015. Living in caves out of town, They wait all year for their chance, For mischief in December, To dance their holiday dance.   The thirteen sons of Grýla, ýla, Their father Leppalúði, Each yuletide season they come, For mischief, wait and you’ll see.   Each one is so different, In at the antics that they choose, But they’re brothers after all, Each one with nothing to lose.   So starting De

The story is based on Jón Árnason's Icelandic Folktales and taken from the book Hildur, Queen of the Elves, and Other Stories: Icelandic Folk Tales retold by J. M. Bedell. Story is used with permission. Hildur, Queen of the Elves And Other Stories: Icelandic Folk Tales, retold by   J. M. Bedell, Interlink Books, 2007. amazon.com Around the middle of the 7th century, on a poor farm in the Kelda district, there lived two sisters, Sigrídur and Geirlaug. For reasons no one else

Join Us for the Icelandic Roots mini-conference, Friday Forum, on August 1, 2025 with a fabulous lineup of speakers at the Mountain Community Center.

Sumardagurinn Fyrsti - Celebrating the First Day of Summer in Iceland.

Note: The story is based on Jón Árnason's Icelandic Folktales and taken from the book Hildur, Queen of the Elves, and Other Icelandic...

Celebrating the end of Christmas season with bonfires and elves dancing.

A ghostly nuisance in the mid-1800s Iceland.

This ghost story or folktale about The Deacon of Myrká is well known though we do not know the original author. This story takes place in...

A gruesome autumn folktale from the island of Hrísey not for the faint of heart. It's full of wizards, spells, spirits, charms, and a...

By Sharron Arksey Over the last decade, Icelandic Roots members have learned about the lesser-known holidays celebrated in Iceland...

At the beginning of time, God paid a visit to the first of his creations, Adam and Eve. They received him with great joy and showed him...

By Becky Byerly-Adams Iceland boasts a rich literary legacy with the Icelandic Sagas being hailed as a global treasure. Additionally,...

Special Icelandic Events - Please share by Romayne Kilde, Nordic Culture Clubs Scandinavian Festival The Nordic Culture Clubs and the...

Editors Note: The most iconic creatures from Icelandic and Faroese folklore are probably Huldufólk, or “hidden people.” The term...

Hildur, Queen of the Elves an Icelandic Legend

All folklore is distinguished by its motifs, whether they be big bad wolves or trolls or vengeful ghosts. But there is one motif that...

According to the old Norse calendar, the year is made up of Winter and Summer. January is the halfway point of winter, and several...

Editor's note: Laura Hackney wrote this report to give a sense of the valuable background information that is a part of the Snorri Plus...