Yule Lad Stories You’ve Never Read

yule lads door opening

By Heidi Herman-Kerr | Anyone familiar with Icelandic holiday mythology has probably heard of Jolasveinar-the Icelandic Yule Lads. One folklorist and crafter brings us new stories unique to each of these mischievous fellows. This story is shared from an original post on Tales of Yngiwulf. Thorulfr finds the first Yule Lad in the barn with…

Read More

Authors Q&A on Icelandic Yule Lads

Yule Lads book covers photo

Join us Monday, November 25th as we welcome two INLUS Founding Members, each has authored of books about Iceland’s Yule Lads. With the Christmas holidays just around the corner, Gay Strandemo and Heidi Herman will share with us insights and holiday traditions of mischief and gift-giving surrounding the Icelandic Yule Lads. The webinar will be…

Read More

Iceland Writers Retreat

Iceland Writers Retreat logo

The INLUS is hosting an informational webinar you don’t want to miss! Join us Tuesday, November 19th at 1PM Eastern (Noon Central, 11AM Mountain and 10AM Pacific) for the INLUS inaugural webinar! Free and Open to All To kick off the series, we will be joined by the founders of the Iceland Writers Retreat, Iceland’s…

Read More

Lara of the North

Lara of the North book cover photo

By Amy Henrickson | When I think about my first visit to Iceland, I remember riding a stocky Icelandic horse along a meandering fjord framed by mountains in Akureyri. I also recall spending a sunny but chilly morning in Isafjordur at an outdoor café eating delicious cake and drinking coffee while watching a lively, happy…

Read More

12 Famous People You (Probably) Didn’t Know Were Icelandic

Viking swordsman

By Heidi Herman-Kerr | When you hear the word “Icelanders,” what comes to mind? The Vikings, longboats, long beards, and glaciers, right? The names, besides being tough to pronounce, typically end with -son or -dottir. Icelandic surnames are different from most other naming systems in the modern Western world by being patronymic or occasionally matronymic:…

Read More

The Ghost and the Farmer’s Daughter

Deacon of Dark River drawing

By Heidi Herman-Kerr | Iceland’s history is filled with folklore stories of trolls and hidden people, but also legends of magic, ghosts, and mysterious happenings. Once such story comes from North Iceland, although its exact origin and author are unknown. In this story, a ghost speaks to a girl named Guðrún, but calls her Garún.…

Read More