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Celestial Bodies & Norse Myths-January Webinar

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

Jan 32 min read

Sæmundur the Wise: The Priest Who Outsmarted the Devil

by Sunna Olafson Furstenau As Icelanders, we honor and love to share our Sagas and Stories. One of our ancient heroes is Sæmundur the Wise. He outsmarted the devil not once, but twice! This story has been told for nearly a thousand years and is preserved in several ancient texts. It blends history, faith, and just the right amount of mischief. Sæmundur fróði Sigfússon (I136284) lived from 1056 to 1133 in south Iceland. Even though none of his personal writings have survived,

Nov 22, 20253 min read

The Sjöundá Case: Part II

By Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir Professor of Archaeology, University of Iceland See Part I One of the most famous murder cases in Iceland´s history is that of Bjarni Bjarnason and Steinunn Sveinsdóttir (I87649), who were sentenced to death in 1802 for killing their spouses while living as tenants on the farm Sjöundá in Rauðisandur, Western Iceland. Given its connection to this farm, it is commonly known as the “Sjöundá Case.” Guðmundur Scheving´s misconduct Right after the trial

Oct 24, 20256 min read

Kvennaárið 1975 - The Year of Women 1975

By Bryndís Víglundsdóttir Photo Credit: Magnus Fröderberg/norden.org, CC BY 2.5 DK, via Wikimedia Commons ; The United Nations General...

Oct 11, 20257 min read

They Dared. They Could. They Did.

by Becky Byerly-Adams This article is a tribute to the women in Iceland who fought for gender equality 50 years ago. They showed us it...

Oct 11, 20253 min read

The Sjöundá Case: Part I

By Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir Professor of Archaeology, University of Iceland One of the most famous murder cases in Iceland´s history is that of Bjarni Bjarnason and Steinunn Sveinsdóttir (I87649), who were sentenced to death in 1802 for killing their spouses while living as tenants on the farm Sjöundá in Rauðisandur, Western Iceland. Given its connection to this farm, it is commonly known as the “Sjöundá Case.” This is part I of II. Bjarni was born in the parish of Saurbær

Oct 11, 20257 min read

Kvennafrídagurinn

By Gunnar Birgisson As part of honoring the 50th Anniversary of the women's strike in Iceland, guest writer Gunnar Birgisson describes...

Oct 11, 20252 min read

Celebrating Bólu-Hjálmar: A Journey Through Icelandic Heritage

This month’s Interesting Icelander profiles Bólu-Hjálmar, one of Iceland’s notable folk poets, whose sharp wit and satirical views were often received with mixed reviews. He was most noted for his mastery of rimur , a short poetic narrative. He was also an accomplished woodcarver. Life for Bólu-Hjálmar was far from easy and not without strife. Despite these challenges, he lived a colorful life for 80 years. It is my privilege and honor to write this post. Whatever he was to s

Sep 26, 202510 min read