The Settlement of Iceland

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Illustration

Emma Groeneveld
by Max Naylor
published on 10 January 2019
The Settlement of Iceland Download Full Size Image

Map depicting (to the best of the author's imagination following the accounts) the possible exploration journeys of three of the earliest Vikings to come to Iceland, whose stories are considered semi-legendary. According to the Landnámabók, the first settler of Iceland was Naddodd the Viking (c. 830 CE) who established a settlement on the east coast at the site of present-day Reyðarfjörður but left within a year to return to Norway. He was followed by Gardar the Swede (also known as Garðarr Svavarsson, c. 860’s CE) who circumnavigated the landmass and determined it was an island, as well as establishing a small settlement, this one on the shore of the bay of Skjálfandi (modern-day town of Húsavík) in the north. The third and best-known Scandinavian explorer to Iceland was Flóki Vilgerðarson (also known as Hrafna-Flóki, c. 868 CE). Unlike the first two, Flóki set out deliberately to reach the island and establish a settlement there, at Borgarfjord (Borgarfjörður, at which the modern town of Borgarnes is located) on the west coast.

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Cite This Work

APA Style

Naylor, M. (2019, January 10). The Settlement of Iceland. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9847/the-settlement-of-iceland/

Chicago Style

Naylor, Max. "The Settlement of Iceland." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified January 10, 2019. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9847/the-settlement-of-iceland/.

MLA Style

Naylor, Max. "The Settlement of Iceland." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 10 Jan 2019. Web. 21 Dec 2024.

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