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Jan 22
3 min

The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey’s Godi

The Icelandic Roots Book Club for Thursday, February 2, 2023, will feature The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey’s Godi, with Jason Doctor as our...

Jan 8
4 min

Iceland's January Holidays

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

Jan 8
2 min

2023: The Journey is Just Starting...

2023 is shaping up to be a momentous year for Icelandic Roots. On November 12th, we will celebrate our tenth anniversary as an official...

Dec 25, 2022
8 min

Snorri Plus Program - Lectures in Reykjavík, 2022

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...

Dec 11, 2022
3 min

How Iceland Changed the World: The Big History of a Small Island

The Icelandic Roots Book Club for Thursday, January 5, 2023, will feature How Iceland Changed the World: The Big History of a Small...

Dec 11, 2022
2 min

A Brief Look Inside Reykdæla Saga

This month's newsletter is about Suður Þingeyjarsýsla and there is no better saga to represent this region than Reykdæla saga ok...

Nov 26, 2022
2 min

Christmas at Árbær Open-Air Museum (Árbæjarsafn)

Located just south and east of Reykjavík city center, along Route 1 (the Ring Road), and east of the River Elliðaá, lies the Árbær...

Nov 26, 2022
2 min

Cataloging the Icelandic Roots Library

by Angela Beaton, IR Librarian: This is a quick update on the Icelandic Roots Library Hello! My name is Angela Beaton and I have had the...

Nov 10, 2022
1 min

Gullbringusýsla

Historic Gullbringusýsla isn't the largest county by land mass in Iceland, but it certainly holds great significance in the present day....

Nov 10, 2022
6 min

My War Years

By Sverrir Sigurdsson Friday, May 10, 1940, was a momentous day in the world’s history. Nazi Germany unleashed blitzkrieg attacks against...

Nov 10, 2022
5 min

The Bachelor Invasion

By W.D. Valgardson The Royal Navy and Royal Marines, who occupied Iceland on May 10, 1940, weren’t invited. They just appeared like...

Oct 30, 2022
2 min

Happy Birthday, Icelandic Roots!

Nine years ago, Icelandic Roots was a dream shared by a group of Western Icelanders who wanted to connect with others across North...

Oct 30, 2022
4 min

What about Guðríður?

Guðríður who??? A very good day to you! The majority of the people who left Iceland for America did so because the story traveled from...

Oct 14, 2022
10 min

Snorri Plus Program Tour August 8-22, 2022

By Judy Dickson This August I was fortunate to be a participant in the Snorri Plus Program which had been forced to cancel plans in 2020...

Oct 14, 2022
4 min

The Viking Immigrants: Icelandic North Americans

The Icelandic Roots Book Club Nov 3 Featuring: The Viking Immigrants: Icelandic North Americans with L.K. Bertram By Heather Goodman...

Oct 14, 2022
1 min

Borgarfjarðarsýsla

The historic Borgarfjarðarsýsla may not be one of the largest geographic areas in Iceland, but many of the historic sagas feature this...

Sep 4, 2022
3 min

2022 IR Fitness Challenge Completed

The Icelandic Roots Fitness Challenge 2022 officially ended on August 6th. Altogether there were 14 teams ranging from 2 to 10 people and...

Aug 20, 2022
1 min

Write Your Family Story

Coming fall 2022 - Icelandic Roots Members Only Writing Seminars We believe your life story is important and deserves to be written down...

Aug 20, 2022
3 min

Walking Tour of Reykjavik Public Sculptures

As visitors to Reykjavik quickly discover, the city loves its public sculptures. Whether in parks, squares or adorning public buildings,...

Jul 31, 2022
2 min

Connecting Yore to Yonder

By Sam Hodge My time in Iceland is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Not in the sense that it will cast a shadow over my soul,...