Arts
Lara of the North
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 More12 Famous People You (Probably) Didn’t Know Were Icelandic
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 MoreThe Ghost and the Farmer’s Daughter
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.…
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