(, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of

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 ...

by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE.

is divided into five parts and over 100 chapters. The first part tells of how the island was found. The latter parts count settlers quarter by quarter, beginning with west and ending with south. It traces important events and family history into the 12th century. More than 3,000 people and 1,400 settlements are described. It tells where each settler settled and provides a brief
genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
. Sometimes short anecdote-like stories are also included. lists 435 men (' or ) as the initial settlers, the majority of them settling in the northern and southwestern parts of the island. It remains an invaluable source on both the history and genealogy of the Icelandic people. Some have suggested a single author, while others have believed it to have been put together when people met at things (assemblies).

Surviving versions

The first copy has not survived; the oldest surviving examples are copies made in the 13th and 14th centuries. The initial settlement of Iceland largely took place during the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

between 870 and 930, but mentions descendants significantly later than the actual settlement period, at least into the 11th century. There are five surviving medieval versions of . *'' Sturlubók'' by

Sturla Þórðarson Sturla Þórðarson ( ; ; 29 July 1214–30 July 1284) was an Icelandic chieftain and writer of sagas and contemporary history during the 13th century. Biography The life of Sturla Þórðarson was chronicled in the Sturlunga saga. Sturla was th ...

* by Haukr Erlendsson, based on ''Sturlubók'' and a lost version by Styrmir Kárason *'' Melabók'' *'' Skarðsárbók'' *'' Þórðarbók'' is one of the main sources of information on the heathen religion of the settlers. According to Sveinbjörn Rafnsson, a tendency to overemphasize the role of Christianity is seen in the ''Sturlubók'' and ' versions of but less so in the ''Melabók''.

Notes

External links

Online publication of ''Landnámabók''
northvegr.org (archived) Viking Age in Iceland Medieval Iceland 9th century in Iceland 10th century in Iceland {{iceland-stub

Surviving versions

See also

Notes

External links