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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 Skallagrímsson;Þorgils gjallandi færir skatt ("Thorgils goes to the king"), chapter 13 of , English transl. by W.C. Green, 1893, at th [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its surrounding areas) is home to over 65% of the population. Iceland is the biggest part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that rises above sea level, and its central volcanic plateau is erupting almost constantly. The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains, and glaciers, and many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence keep summers chilly, and most of its islands have a polar climate. According to the ancient manuscript , the settlement of Iceland began in 874 AD when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mývatn
() is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, not far from 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 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 is sometimes used not only for the lake but the whole surrounding inhabited area. The river , the lake and the surrounding wetlands are protected as a nature reserve (the – Nature Conservation Area, which occupies ). Since the year 2000, a marathon around the lake takes place in the ... [...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 is in the village of Reykjahlíð. In 2022 the municipality merged with Þingeyjarsveit under the name of the latter. Geography Skútustaðir is one of the largest Icelandic municipalities. Its southern borders are represented by the northern site of the glacier of Vatnajökull. Its territory includes the lakes of Mývatn (in front of Reykjahlíð) and Öskjuvatn; and the volcanoes of Hverfjall, Askja, Krafla Krafla () is a volcanic caldera of about 10 km in diameter with a 90 km 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 ... and Herðubreið. Photogallery 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'' ( non, Egils saga ; ) is an Icelandic saga (family saga) on the lives of the clan of Egill Skallagrímsson (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 1240 AD, and 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 (Kveldulf Bjalfason, Úlfr) aka Kveldulf or "Evening Wolf", and his two sons Thorolf (Þórólfr) and Skallagrim (Skalla-Grímr). Strife with the royal h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to 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, Volga Bulgaria, the Middle East, and Greenland, North America. In 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 collective whole. The Vikings had a profound impact on the Early Middle Ages, early medieval history of Scandinavia, the History of the British Isles, British Isles, France in the Middle Ages, France, Viking Age in Estonia, Estonia, and Kievan Rus'. Expert sailors and navigators aboard their characteristic longships, Vikings established Norse settlem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egill Skallagrímsson
Egil Skallagrímsson (Old Norse: ; 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 ''Egils saga, 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 is born in Iceland, to Skalla-Grímr, Skalla-Grímr Kveldúlfsson and Bera Yngvarsdóttir; he is the grandson of Kveld-Úlfr (whose name means "evening Wolf"). Another of his ancestors, Hallbjörn, is Norwegian-Sami people, Sami. Skalla-Grímr is a respected chieftain, and mortal enemy of King Harald Fairhair of Norway. He migrates to Iceland, settling at Borg á Mýrum, Borg where his father Kveld-ulfr, Kveld-Úlfr's coffin lands after being ritualistically set adrift as Skalla-Grímr's boat approached Iceland. Skalla-Grímr and wife Bera had two daughters, Sæunn and Þórunn, and two sons, Thorolf Skallagrimsson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mývatn Near Skútustaðir
() is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, not far from 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 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 is sometimes used not only for the lake but the whole surrounding inhabited area. The river , the lake and the surrounding wetlands are protected as a nature reserve (the – Nature Conservation Area, which occupies ). Since the year 2000, a marathon around the lake takes place in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hreppur
A hreppur () is a rural municipality in Iceland. These administrative units are primarily made up of rural villages, with few or no towns, and are headed by the . It is one of the oldest Icelandic administrative units, probably dating back to before 1000 AD, when a hreppur had at least twenty freeholders, although smaller units could be established if the Lögrétta gave permission. The term (Old norse ''hreppr'') is mentioned in the Gray Goose Laws (Grágás) and the Law of Iceland Law of Iceland during the Commonwealth (930—1262) was decided by the Althing. It has changed over the years but the legislative body is still called Althing. History Prior to 1262 the law-code was ''Grágás''. Following the '' Gamli sáttmá ... (Jónsbók). The "hreppr" was independent of the chieftain- Þing structure. It collected and distributed the tithes and mandatory contributions designated for the poor, which were assigned to various households for different lengths of time accordi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reykjahlíð
Reykjahlíð () 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. 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 Reykjahlíð, 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 Víti (meaning "hell" in Icelandic), but looking today rather harmless with a blue lake at its bottom. Its apparent tranquility belies the fact that its last erupt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
