The Icelandic Order of Freemasons ( is, Frímúrarareglan á Íslandi) ( abbr.: FaI), in English also known as the Grand Lodge of Iceland, is the governing body of regular

Freemasonry in Iceland The Icelandic Order of Freemasons ( is, Frímúrarareglan á Íslandi) ( abbr.: FaI), in English also known as the Grand Lodge of Iceland, is the governing body of regular Freemasonry in Iceland. The history of Freemasonry in Iceland began when ...

. The history of

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

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 s ...

began when a "society of brothers“, Edda, was established in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik in 1913. Edda became a lodge of instruction in 1918. The following year, on January 6, 1919, it became a fully warranted lodge. Since 1919, there have been a total of twelve warranted lodges and six lodges of instruction established in Iceland. Membership in the Order was at 3,379 as of March 15, 2011 Icelandic Freemasonry was under the jurisdiction of the

Danish Order of Freemasons The Danish Order of Freemasons ( da, Den Danske Frimurerorden, abbr.: ''DDFO''), in English also known as the Grand Lodge of Denmark, is a governing body of some Masonic Lodges in Denmark. The Danish Order of Freemasons was founded on 16 November ...

( da, Den Danske Frimurerorden) until 1951 when the Grandlodge of Denmark constituted the Grand Lodge of Iceland as a sovereign Order. Icelandic Freemasonry operates according to the

Swedish Rite The Swedish Rite is a variation or Rite of Freemasonry that is common in Scandinavian countries and to a limited extent in Germany. It is different from other branches of Freemasonry in that, rather than having the three self-contained foundati ...

which is the dominant system in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

. Unlike other forms of Freemasonry, the Swedish Rite consists of eleven degrees, all of which are recognized by regular Freemasonry. As part of the Swedish Rite, the Icelandic Order of Freemasons requires its members to profess a belief in Christianity. The Order additionally requires its members to be over the age of twenty-one, to have a clean criminal record, and to have received the sponsorship of at least two members of the Order. There are 17 lodges in Iceland.

Notable Members

Ásgeir Ásgeirsson Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (; 13 May 1894 – 15 September 1972) was the second president of Iceland, from 1952 to 1968. He was a Freemason and served as Grand Master of the Icelandic Order of Freemasons. Early life and education Educated as a the ...

- second President of Iceland, Grandmaster *

Sveinn Björnsson Sveinn Björnsson (; 27 February 1881 – 25 January 1952) was the first president of Iceland (1944–1952). Background, education and legal career Sveinn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark as the son of Björn Jónsson (editor and later minister) ...

- Regent and first President of Iceland, Grandmaster. *

Vilhjálmur Þór Vilhjálmur or Vilhjalmur is an Icelandic masculine given name and may refer to: * Vilhjálmur Árnason (born 1953), professor of philosophy at the University of Iceland * Vilhjálmur Þórmundur Vilhjálmsson (born 1946), mayor of Reykjavík 20 ...

- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Manager of the Central Bank of Iceland. * Magnús Jónsson - Minister of Finance of Iceland. *

Ludvig Kaaber Ludvig is a Scandinavian given name, the equivalent of English ''Lewis'' or ''Louis''. People with the name include: * Ludvig Almqvist, Swedish politician * Ludvig Aubert, Norwegian Minister of Justice * Ludvig Bødtcher, Danish lyric poet * Ludv ...

- Businessman, Grandmaster

References

{{Freemasonry in Europe Freemasonry by country Swedish Rite Social movements in Iceland Organizations based in Iceland

Notable Members

See also

References