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Jun 8
3 min

What Are You Doing on Jón Sigurðsson’s Birthday?

By Rob Olason Editor's Note: Icelandic Roots is encouraging everyone to jot down a quick diary entry to document their day on June 17,...

Apr 25
4 min

April’s Interesting Icelander: Halldor Laxness, Iceland’s Literary Icon

By Doreen (Borgfjord) McFarlane For its small size and population, Iceland is a giant when it comes to literary accomplishments as well...

Apr 12
3 min

Wasteland with Words

By Jason Doctor “One can see... in the Icelanders’ obsession with literacy, an urge to impose order on the desolation of the Icelandic...

Apr 12
2 min

Book Club - May 2024

The Icelandic Roots Book Club for Thursday May 2, 2024 will feature Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night. It is important to note that...

Apr 12
6 min

Reconstructing Old Iceland from North America - Part Two

Jakob Sigurðsson and his Melsted Edda by Jason Doctor and Cathy Josephson Editor’s Note: You will recall Part One addresses the life,...

Mar 27
8 min

Reconstructing Old Iceland from North America - Part One

Jakob Sigurðsson and his Melsted Edda by Jason Doctor and Cathy Josephson Today if you want to see pictures of the Norse gods, an...

Mar 15
3 min

Ari the Wise: Our Interesting Icelander for March 2024

By Gay Strandemo This month we continue learning about interesting Icelanders that were important to the settlement era of Iceland. As a...

Mar 15
3 min

Nineteenth Century Education in/of Iceland: A Journey of Learning for Pliny Miles - 1852

By Brian Borgford “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue.” People of a certain age will remember the little...

Feb 16
7 min

Saga of the Golden Curse - Part Two

Introducing Part Two of The Saga of the Golden Curse. You may recall in Part One that Odin and two friends, Loki and Heinir, journeyed to...

Feb 3
7 min

The Saga of the Golden Curse - Part One

Icelandic Roots is pleased to help introduce a new book: A Viking Legend: The Descendants of Odin written by Ainsley Bloomer. We present...

Jan 6
2 min

The Power of the Word: The Mead of Poetry

By Karen Gummo A poet, dancer, and visual artist, Karen Gummo has been performing as a storyteller for almost 40 years in schools,...

Nov 24, 2023
2 min

November's Interesting Icelander

Árni Magnússon (I41634) 13 November 1663 – 7 January 1730 By Brian Borgford "And that is the way of the world, that some men put errors...

Nov 24, 2023
2 min

The Fourth Annual Icelandic Roots Jólabókaflóð (Book Flood)

Iceland is one of the most literate countries in the world and has a long literary history going back to the Icelandic Sagas. The love of...

Oct 1, 2023
4 min

Edda - From Ashes to Majestic

This post is twofold. Enjoy the photos, history, and Ainsley Bloomer’s article. #1 - A short post with pictures about the new EDDA House...

Sep 17, 2023
3 min

Mundi, the boy from the West Fjords

By Bryndís Víglundsdóttir Editor's Note: Bryndís Víglundsdóttir is the beloved story-teller and author of Guðríður’s Saga. She has just...

Sep 17, 2023
4 min

The Fire Priest - September's Interesting Icelander

Jón Steingrímsson IR#I71175 10 September 1728 – 11 August 1791 For September we are profiling Jón Steingrímsson also known as The Fire...

Sep 2, 2023
6 min

Icelandic Roots Online Book Club is Back - October 5

Join Heather online for the upcoming season of the Icelandic Roots Book Club. The first book this Fall is Burial Rites by Hannah Kent....

Sep 1, 2023
1 min

Drawing Mundi

By Gay Strandemo Bryndís Víglundsdóttir is a superb storyteller and my job is to keep up with her as an illustrator. After we...

Jul 8, 2023
9 min

Torfhildur Hólm

The story of Torfhildur Þorsteinsdóttir Hólm (2 February 1845- 14 November 1918) is the third in a three-series article of famous...

Jul 8, 2023
4 min

Mother of Light: A Novel

The Journey of an IR Volunteer from Genealogist to Author By Elin de Ruyter Writing a book is no easy feat, and though it appears from...