Stories of Iceland

Everyplace has stories of fools. In Iceland those are Gísli, Eiríkur and Helgi.

On December 1st 1918 a new political entity was established - The Kingdom of Iceland. But a virus had just swept through the capital and the country was on lock-down. There was also a volcanic eruption in Katla. So, it was a hard year.

Sæmundur \"the learned\" Sigfússon was a teacher, scholar, and writer but in folklore he became something else.

For most Icelanders the year 1995 is the year of avalanches.

It is a liminal period and all sorts of creature make their presence known.

Iceland is in the North-Atlantic but where does it fit into the world around it?

Tales travel around the world. Here is a story you might have heard before but not like you\'ve heard it before.

My great great grandfather was a simple and poor man who tried to do his duty while facing overwhelming odds.

In 1936 the British poets W.H. Auden and Louis MacNeice traveled around Iceland and wrote this rather odd book. In this episode I talk about their impressions of Iceland and Icelanders and shed a little light on how the people of Iceland view their writings.

Just to start with, that is not a house for elves. It is just a model house.\r\n\r\nThis episode was inspired by a \"fact\" from the British panel show QI. Here I talk about believe in the elves in Iceland, misconceptions about those beliefs and I also tell two folk tales about the origin of the elves.

The tale of Goldie and Beardie is about the early settlement and Christianization of Iceland.

After the Crash of 2008, Iceland began to rely heavily on tourism.

In 1596 Björn Pétursson was executed for murder. In the following centuries a legend formed, mixing folklore and fact. This is the story of Iceland\'s only serial killer.

In a short episode, Óli triest to answer a question from a supporter. What do Icelanders think of Leifur Eiríksson and his discovery of Iceland in the year 1000.

The Banking Crisis of 2008-2009 is usually called \"The Crash\" in Iceland. Every Icelander was touched and this is my story.

According to folklore, the Icelandic elves were always dangerous but Yuletide was an especially dangerous period when the veil between worlds became thin.

Búkolla is one of the most famous Iceland folk-tales. It is reimagined almost every year in books, songs and art. In this episode you will hear the story and get a little context as well.

Icelanders are obsessed with genealogy. In this episode this gets traced back a thousand years. The connection we have to the settlers, foreign royalty and what the records don\'t say.

In Vopnafjörður there is a farm called Bustarfell which has long history and is connected to many stories.

The story of Haukur Hilmarsson, an Icelandic activist who tried to save Icelandic nature, asylums seekers and the Kurdish people.

As the Icelandic men\'s football team starts its first game ever at the World Cup it is fitting to look back in time at the sports of Iceland, from the sagas to the vikingclap.

A special free video episode on www.patreon.com/storiesoficeland

Ragnar Loðbrók (furry pants) is one of the most famous heroes of Icelandic literature. Today he is more famous as the lead character of the television series Vikings but here is the original story.

A episode devoted to the folktale The Deacon of Dark-River - including a reading of the tale.

The patronymic naming system used in Iceland is rather perplexing and we have unusual laws dealing with both first names and last names.