The Age of Settlement

"Ingólfur founds Reykjavik" by Johan Peter Raadsig

Unsettled until the IX century, the settlement of Iceland by Norse migrants arriving from Scandinavia began with very little and shy attempts by intrepid adventurers which spent some months in the rough and solitary territory for later to get back to their countries. A source of controversy among scholars is the claim found in Ari Thorgilsson´s "Islendingabók" about the presence of some monks of probable Gaelic origin already dwelling in Iceland at the time when the first settlers began to arrive, and known and described by the word "Papar". Nevertheless, archaeologists have not been able to find any evidence that could prove the existance of such individuals. Even so, the Islendingabók as well as the "Landnámabók" (both documents beig of a medieval origin) are the only sources available when it comes to try to understand and know about the first years of the settlement. Landnámabók even lists the name of the first 435 settlers, something that not that much countries can presume about.

Olaus Petri´s "Carta Marina" depicting "Thule" whose waters were surrounded by terrible monsters.

Except from the dark mention of the Monks, it can be assumed that Iceland was a completely unsettled land until the arrive of the Norse inmigrants. The period between the arrive of the first ettlers until the foundation of some institutions like the Thingvellir that would led to the origin of the future Iceland is thus named and known as the "Age of Settlement" in the history of Iceland.

If we assume Landnámabók as a reliable source, then the first man ever who visited Iceland was a viking named "Naddoddr" who spent just a short time in there but that gave a name to the territory: "Snæland" . Just a little time afterwards, the Swede Garðar Svavarsson was the first man to stay over a winter in Iceland and the first in circumnavigating the country. Later during the IX century, Flóki Vilgerðarson sailed to Iceland in order to settle himself in the virgin territory. He left from Norway arrived to the Faroe Islands, where, according to the legend, three ravens helped him in find his way to Iceland. Flóki landed in Iceland and noticed it was a very rough and cold territory that would be quite difficult to settle in. It is claimed that he was the one who gave the country its name “Island” as most of the surface was covered by ice. It is true that Flóki returned to Norway very disappointed, but it is considered to be the first man that deliberately attempted to dwell for good in the Island.

When watching the icy landscape that covers a big surface of Iceland is quite easy to understand why Flóki chose the name for the Future country, "The Land of Ice"

Ingólfur Arnarson

Landnámabók claims Ingólfur to be the first permanent settler of Nordic origin in Iceland. According to this source, he left Norway after being involved in some troubles with rival families. He knew about the land described by Svavarsson and Flóki and sailed with the intention to built a settlement. The legend claims that when he saw land, he threw some logs into the sea and promised to settle where they were brought ashore. After 3 years, the logs were found in a small bay that later would be the city of Reykjavik (roughly translated as “Bay of Smoke” perhaps because of the presence of hot springs) This deed marked the beginning of the Age of the Settlement.

Just after Ingólfur´s succesfull settlement, many other Norsemen followed him, so all the useful land had been taken in just a period of 60 years. Many theories have been exposed for explaining such an explosive migration but the most widely accepted is that which claims that the difficult conditions during the reign of King Harald Fair-Haired, a period of civil strife and scarcity, prompted many farmers and their families to left the territory of the modern Norway looking for a new life in the new country. Soon some inhabitants of the Faroe Islands joined the trend. The Landnámabók mention the name and location of 1500 farms and the owners. According to scholars, the estimated population of Iceland during the Age of Settlement could be of ca. 20000 people. As mentioned earlier, for academic and historical purpouse, the Age of Settlement is considerd to have come to an end by the year 930, when the first Althing was founded, and almost all of the territory had been occupied by the inmigrants. Just a century after the first attempts by some bold adventurers, the founds for the raising of a new nation had been stablished, however, Iceland got to wait until the XX century for finally claim its full sovereignity and independence after centuries of Norwegian and later, Danish dominion.

"The Althing" by W.G. Collingwood

All pics by wikicommons