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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

The Icelandic Roots Newsletter Team’s Favourite Posts of 2025

Every year the Icelandic Roots Newsletter team considers the articles contributed to the newsletter by IR members and others. These are not the "best" posts, but they appealed to us for various reasons. We have compiled a short list of our favourites for your consideration: The 50th anniversary of the Women’s March was the most inspirational event in 2025 for me. We featured several articles as a tribute to the women in Iceland who fought for gender equality back in 1975. The

Jan 34 min read

Interesting Icelander for October 2025: Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval

Interesting Icelanders Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval, artist

Oct 24, 20257 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

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