Icelandic culture is shaped by isolation, nature and the word. For a thousand years a small nation has preserved its language, stories and customs on the edge of the habitable world. To understand Iceland is to understand how past and present weave together in daily life — in people's names, in a belief in hidden life within the lava, and in a nation's deep love of books.
The sagas and the language
The Sagas of Icelanders, written in the 13th century, are one of the great literary treasures of the Middle Ages. They tell of settlers, feuds, revenge and love in clear, unsentimental prose. Njáls saga and Egils saga are still read in schools today.
Icelandic has changed remarkably little since the age of the Vikings. Modern Icelanders can still read the ancient sagas in the original. A language committee coins new native words for modern concepts rather than borrowing foreign ones — tölva (computer), sími (telephone) and þyrla (helicopter) are examples.
Hidden folk and elves
Many Icelanders still show respect for the huldufólk — the hidden people said to live in rocks and lava fields. Roads have reportedly been rerouted to avoid an elf rock. Whether or not people believe literally, the tradition reflects a profound connection to the land itself.
Christmas — the thirteen Lads and Grýla
An Icelandic Christmas has its own cast of characters. Instead of one Santa there are the thirteen Yule Lads (jólasveinar), who arrive one by one over the thirteen nights before Christmas. Their names include Stekkjarstaur (Sheep-Cote Clod), Giljagaur (Gully Gawk), Stúfur (Stubby) and Kertasníkir (Candle Beggar), and each plays his own mischief. Children leave a shoe on the windowsill and receive a small gift — or a potato if they have been naughty.
Their mother is Grýla, an ogress said to snatch misbehaving children, and the household is guarded by the Yule Cat, which is said to eat those who do not receive a new piece of clothing before Christmas.
Þorrablót — the midwinter feast
During the old month of Þorri, Icelanders hold Þorrablót, feasts of traditional food, song and cheer that light up the darkest time of year. It is a moment of community, kinship and shared identity.
Names and the lopapeysa
Icelanders use patronymics, not family surnames. Jón's child becomes Jónsson or Jónsdóttir. For this reason the phone book is ordered by first name and everyone, even the president, is addressed by their given name.
The lopapeysa, knitted from Icelandic wool with a patterned yoke, is the national garment. It keeps out rain and wind and is worn with pride both at home and in the mountains.
Hot pots and music
Swimming-pool culture is at the heart of society. Every town has a heated pool with hot pots where people gather, chat and relax — the nation's informal community centre.
Despite its tiny population, Iceland has given the world extraordinary music: Björk, Sigur Rós and Of Monsters and Men are known worldwide, carried by a creativity that seems to rise out of the land itself.
The Christmas book flood
Icelanders read more than almost any other nation and publish more books per head than anyone. Before Christmas comes the jólabókaflóð — the Yule book flood, when a wave of new titles is published and given as gifts. On Christmas Eve many settle down with a new book and chocolate. Few traditions capture the nation so well.
Turf houses and craft
In earlier centuries Icelanders lived in turf houses, dwellings of turf and stone that held warmth through harsh winters. A few still stand as museums. That craft heritage lives on in knitting, wood carving and a design tradition that blends simplicity with the raw materials of nature.
The horse and the verses
The Icelandic horse, small and hardy, arrived with the settlers and has stayed a pure breed for a thousand years. It has a unique smooth gait, the tölt. In the turf farmhouses of old, rímur were chanted — long, alliterative verse sung during work, an ancient tradition still practised today.
New Year elves
Folklore holds that on New Year's Eve and Twelfth Night the elves are abroad and cows speak. On Þrettándinn, the thirteenth and last day of Christmas, elf bonfires and torchlit processions are held across the country — a magical close to the festive season.
To travel through Iceland is to step into a living culture where the past is never far away. You are welcome to get to know it.