Þistilfjörður (; sometimes anglicised as Thistilfjördur) is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

in northeast

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 regi ...

, between the

Rifstangi The Rifstangi () is a small peninsula in northeast 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 c ...

and

Langanes Langanes () is a peninsula in northeast Iceland. The name literally means "long peninsula". It is long from southwest to northeast, ending in a thin strip of land called Fontur (regionally also ) where there is also a suggestive lighthouse calle ...

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

s, near the town of

Þórshöfn Þórshöfn () or Thorshofn is a small fishing village in northeast Iceland, located on the northern coast of the Langanes peninsula on the Þistilfjörður bay. The village has a population of 380 people. It is the administrative centre of Lan ...

(Thorshofn). The name also refers to the region immediately to the southwest of the bay, roughly corresponding to

Svalbarðshreppur Svalbarðshreppur () is a former municipality in northeastern Iceland, between Norðurþing and Langanesbyggð. The municipality was administered from Þórshöfn in the neighbouring Langanesbyggð municipality. The area is known for its salmon ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

. The fjord is named after the settler Ketil þistill ("thistle") but the ''

Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and ov ...

'' does not say much about him and does not mention from where in Norway he came.

References

Bays of Iceland {{iceland-fjord-stub