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Þorgils Gjallandi
Þorgils gjallandi (1 June 1851 – 23 June 1915) was an Icelandic author born in the hamlet of Skútustaðir by Mývatn, a lake in the Skútustaðahreppur rural municipality. His name at birth was Jón Stefánsson, but he adopted the name "Þorgils gjallandi" as his ''nom de plume''. The name is taken from the epic Egils Saga. The original Þorgils gjallandi was a servant in the household of Þórólfr, who was the elder son of Kveldúlfr and the paternal uncle of Viking poet Egill SkallagrÃmsson;Þorgils gjallandi færir skatt ("Thorgils goes to the king"), chapter 13 of Egils Saga, English transl. by W.C. Green, 1893, at th Icelandic Saga Database ''gjallandi'' is not a proper name but an epithet meaning "the yell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most list of countries and dependencies by population density, sparsely populated country. Its Capital city, capital and largest city is ReykjavÃk, which is home to about 36% of the country's roughly 380,000 residents (excluding nearby towns/suburbs, which are separate municipalities). The official language of the country is Icelandic language, Icelandic. Iceland is on a rift between Plate tectonics, tectonic plates, and its geologic activity includes geysers and frequent Types of volcanic eruptions, volcanic eruptions. The interior consists of a volcanic plateau with sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, and many Glacial stream, glacial rivers flow to the sea through the Upland and lowland, lowlands. Iceland i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mývatn
Mývatn () is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, near Krafla volcano. It has a high amount of biological activity. The lake and the surrounding wetlands provides a habitat for a number of waterbirds, especially ducks. The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption 2300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars and rootless vents ( pseudocraters). The effluent river Laxá is known for its rich fishing for brown trout and Atlantic salmon. The name of the lake ( Icelandic (" midge") and ("lake"); "the lake of midges") comes from the large numbers of midges present in the summer. The name Mývatn is sometimes used not only for the lake but the whole surrounding inhabited area. The river Laxá, the lake Mývatn and the surrounding wetlands are protected as a nature reserve (the Mývatn–Laxá Nature Conservation Area), which occupies . Since 2000, a marathon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skútustaðahreppur
Skútustaðahreppur (, regionally also ) is a former rural municipality located in East Iceland, in Northeastern Region. Its seat was in the village of ReykjahlÃð. In 2022 the municipality merged with Þingeyjarsveit under the name of the latter. Geography Skútustaðir was one of the largest Icelandic municipalities. Its southern borders were represented by the northern site of the glacier of Vatnajökull. Its territory included the lakes of Mývatn (in front of ReykjahlÃð) and Öskjuvatn; and the volcanoes of Hverfjall, Askja, Krafla Krafla () is a volcanic caldera of about in diameter with a long fissure zone. It is located in the north of Iceland in the Mývatn region and is situated on the Iceland hotspot atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which forms the divergent boundary ... and Herðubreið. Gallery Blue Lagoon in Mývatn (1).jpg, Mývatn Nature Baths Askja - Drekagil (canyon of dragons).jpg, The Drekagil (canyon of dragons) in Askja Aerial View of Krafla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egils Saga
''Egill's Saga'' or ''Egil's saga'' ( ; ) is an Icelandic saga (family saga) on the lives of the clan of Egill SkallagrÃmsson (Anglicised as Egill Skallagrimsson), an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald. The saga spans the years c. 850–1000 and traces the family's history from Egill's grandfather to his offspring. Its oldest manuscript (a fragment) dates back to c. 1250 AD. The saga comprises the sole source of information on the exploits of Egill, whose life is not historically recorded. Stylistic and other similarities between ''Egill's Saga'' and '' Heimskringla'' have led many scholars to believe that they were the work of the same author, Snorri Sturluson. The work is generally referred to as ''Egla'' by Icelandic scholars. Synopsis The saga begins in Norway around 850, with the life of Egill's grandfather Ulf ( Úlfr) aka Kveldulf or "Evening Wolf", and his two sons Thorolf (Þórólfr) and Skallagrim ( Skalla-GrÃmr). Strife with the royal house drive the family o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9–22. They also voyaged as far as the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, Greenland, and Vinland (present-day Newfoundland in Canada, North America). In their countries of origin, and some of the countries they raided and settled in, this period is popularly known as the Viking Age, and the term "Viking" also commonly includes the inhabitants of the Scandinavian homelands as a whole. The Vikings had a profound impact on the Early Middle Ages, early medieval history of Northern Europe, northern and Eastern Europe, including the political and social development of England (and the English language) and parts of France, and established the embryo of Russia in Kievan Rus'. Expert sailors and navigators of their cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egill SkallagrÃmsson
Egil SkallagrÃmsson ( ; Modern Icelandic: ; 904 995) was a Viking Age war poet, sorcerer, berserker, and farmer.Thorsson, 3 He is known mainly as the anti-hero of '' Egil's Saga''. ''Egil's Saga'' historically narrates a period from approximately 850 to 1000 AD and is believed to have been written between 1220 and 1240 AD. Life Egil was born in Iceland, to Skalla-GrÃmr Kveldúlfsson and Bera Yngvarsdóttir; he was the grandson of Kveld-Úlfr (whose name means 'evening wolf'). Another of his ancestors, Hallbjörn, was Norwegian- Sami. Skalla-GrÃmr was a respected chieftain, and mortal enemy of King Harald Fairhair of Norway. He migrated to Iceland, settling at Borg where his father Kveld-Úlfr's coffin landed after being ritualistically set adrift as Skalla-GrÃmr's boat approached Iceland. Skalla-GrÃmr and wife Bera had two daughters, Sæunn and Þórunn, and two sons, Þorolfr and Egil. Egil composed his first poem at three years old. He exhibited ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mývatn Near Skútustaðir
Mývatn () is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, near Krafla volcano. It has a high amount of biological activity. The lake and the surrounding wetlands provides a habitat for a number of waterbirds, especially ducks. The lake was created by a large basaltic lava eruption 2300 years ago, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by volcanic landforms, including lava pillars and rootless vents (pseudocraters). The effluent river Laxá is known for its rich fishing for brown trout and Atlantic salmon. The name of the lake ( Icelandic ("midge") and ("lake"); "the lake of midges") comes from the large numbers of midges present in the summer. The name Mývatn is sometimes used not only for the lake but the whole surrounding inhabited area. The river Laxá, the lake Mývatn and the surrounding wetlands are protected as a nature reserve (the Mývatn–Laxá Nature Conservation Area), which occupies . Since 2000, a marathon around ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Counties Of Iceland
Iceland was historically divided into 23 counties known as ''sýslur'' (), and 23 independent towns known as ''kaupstaðir'' (). Iceland is now split up between 24 sýslumenn (magistrates) that are the highest authority over the local police (except in ReykjavÃk where there is a special office of police commissioner) and carry out administrative functions such as declaring bankruptcy and marrying people outside of the church. The jurisdictions of these magistrates often follow the lines of the historical counties, but not always. When speaking of these new "administrative" counties, the custom is to associate them with the county seats rather than using the names of the traditional counties, even when they cover the same area. Composition Independent towns (''kaupstaðir'') were first created in the 18th century as urbanisation began in Iceland; this practice continued into the 1980s. The last town that was declared an independent town was ÓlafsvÃk in 1983. Since then, the l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hreppur
A hreppur () is a type of rural municipality in Iceland. These administrative units primarily consist of small rural villages, often with few or no towns, and are overseen by a . The ''hreppur'' is one of Iceland’s oldest administrative units, likely dating back to before 1000 AD, when each ''hreppur'' was required to have at least twenty freeholders. Smaller units could be established with permission from the Lögrétta. The term (from Old Norse ''hreppr'') is referenced in Icelandic legal texts such as the Gray Goose Laws (Grágás) and Law of Iceland (Jónsbók). Unlike the chieftain-þing A thing, also known as a folkmoot, assembly, tribal council, and by other names, was a governing assembly in early Germanic society, made up of the free people of the community presided over by a lawspeaker. Things took place regularly, usu ... structure, the ''hreppur'' operated independently, collecting and distributing tithes and mandatory contributions designated for the poor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ReykjahlÃð
ReykjahlÃð () is a village situated on the shores of Lake Mývatn in the north of Iceland. It is the seat of the municipality of Skútustaðahreppur. It has 227 inhabitants as of 2021. ''With an elevation of 292 meters above sea level it ranks as the highest situated town in the nation.'' Overview During the so-called Mývatn fires, caused by the eruption of the nearby volcano Krafla in 1729, the village was destroyed by a lava stream. However, the inhabitants were saved when the lava flow stopped in front of the village church on higher ground, allegedly as the result of the prayers of the village priest. The church is still there, although the present building dates from 1972. Main sights From ReykjahlÃð, it is possible to go to many sights in the area, most notably Krafla. The volcano last erupted in 1984, but the vapour of a warm lava field and of sulphur springs can still be seen. Not far from there is the crater VÃti (meaning "hell" in Icelandic), but looking today ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
