Exploring Iceland’s Unseen History
Myth, Mysticism, and Magic
Once you walk the path of magic, you will never look back. – Neil Gaiman
When most people think of Iceland they picture majestic glaciers, volcanoes, mystical waterfalls, and the dancing green of the aurora. Drone footage of colorful canyons and black sand beaches flood Instagram, along with pictures of the otherworldly highlands and blue ice caves of the south. It all leaves the viewer wondering is this place real?
Believe it or not, I was unaware of Iceland’s beauty when I booked my first trip there in 2021. Imagine my surprise when I began planning my vacation and photos of the picturesque diamond beach landed in my search results.
During my first visit in July of 2021, I was awestruck. I remember this feeling like it was yesterday. I love watching old video clips of my reaction as I toured the South Peninsula, giddy with excitement. This awe continued for my entire trip, as an eight-day south coast trip unexpectedly became a circumnavigation of the entire country via camper van.
Most days I was up at 4:30 AM, exploring way into the hours of the midnight sun, too enthralled to care how sleep-deprived I was. I will never forget hiking across the green pastures of Skógar. Every turn revealed a new waterfall to admire. Then the sight of the Myrdalsjökull glacier sparkling in the midday sun brought me to my knees.
Throughout all of this I had a strange sense of familiarity, as if I had arrived home. It felt like I had been here before, as if these places were all part of a long lost memory. Since my travels I have met many others from all over the world who have experienced the same thing in Iceland and I wonder, is this magic?
During my last trip, I accompanied a friend of mine on one of his tours to Thorsmork. On the way there I couldn’t help but share stories with the guests about Thor and why it is called Thor’s Valley. People often say my face lights up when I talk about Iceland, and it really does when I talk about its mythos.
So here is my attempt (my best effort!) at capturing all that has intrigued, mystified, and inspired me through the years in Iceland. Please come along for the ride as I tempt you to feel the same.
Gods, elves, and the nine realms
My fascination with Iceland begins with nothing I could see.
One winter afternoon I had picked up my first book in Norse mythology. I can recall devouring the book at a blazing pace, enthralled with stories of dwarves, gods, an eight legged horse, and the gigantic ash tree that connected them all. Next came rune lore, an old alphabet believed to have magical powers that was used as a form of communication by the norse people’s.
This fascination even led me to publish my own books in the genre.
In 2020, when the world was on lockdown, I spent my days doing the only thing I could do, writing. Any spare time I had was spent going for walks and helping my elderly parents with grocery shopping. I am incredibly grateful for this experience and that myself and my family made it through those unprecedented times healthy and safe.
This isolation led me down a creative rabbit hole. I spent hours every day locked up in a room writing, only to emerge for the occasional meal, walk, or family time.
I went on to publishing my first novella in 2021 in the Icelandic folklore/ Norse mythology genre, a little book called Father of Monsters. This book followed Loki, the Norse trickster through some of his escapades in the nine realms and beyond. Little did I know this book would change my life. ( I will reveal more about this in another post!!)
Following its publication I continued to research Norse mythology and folklore. Stories of a god who rides an eight-legged horse across the nine realms; a monstrous wolf bound by a magical ribbon awaiting when he will seek his vengeance; a race of beings known as dwarves who are the greatest smiths, goddesses with magical powers- all suspended in one gigantic ash tree. How could this not be interesting!?!
These are the stories that inspired my writing. It was only natural that I would desire to see the place where they were birthed. Little did I know I would go on to fall in love with the island returning now SIX times to explore it.
When I began crafting the Nine Realms of Norse mythology for my second book, I returned to Iceland. This time I was on a mission to be inspired by her landscapes, specifically ones with folktales attached to them.
Somewhere along my visits, I stumbled upon the folklore surrounding a supernatural race of beings who live in Iceland, known as elves. Elves, or Hidden Folk, are an important piece of Icelandic culture and creed.
My visits became more about finding these “mysterious places” versus seeing the photogenic ones. I recall one day driving up and down a quiet road in Laxdaela searching for the Tungastapi cliff face, a well-known elf church. I even went on to publish a short story about the tale surrounding it!
Places like the trolls on Vik beach, or the haunted gorge on Snaefellness or the elf churches in Tunga fascinated me, and perhaps scared me a bit too!
I returned with a plethora of imagery, as my memory held its stronghold on the places I had been. So much, they even crept into dream.
For Jotunheim, I imagined the black sand beach of Vik with its curious rock formations believed to be trolls frozen in time. When imagining Asgard, I took myself back to the emerald green hills with mystical waterfalls and grazing sheep above Skógar.
When I had a map drawn up for the book, I had the artist name landmarks on it after places in Iceland I was touched by. It was my little way of honoring the place that inspired the story itself.
During that trip, I paid a visit to the Icelandic Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft in Holmavík. There I purchased several books on Icelandic magic and learned about the life of an Icelandic sorcerer as I toured the museum.
That summer I published my second book in the Norse mythos genre complete with authentic magical spells I had read about in the books.
I am not the only one inspired by Iceland’s past. It all begins with a 13th-century historian and chieftain by the name of Snorri Sturluson.
A Little Book That Made a Big Impact
How an Icelandic historian saved Norse Mythology
When Iceland’s first Scandinavian settlers arrived in the 9th century they brought with them the religion of Norse paganism. Gods like Odin and Thor and Freyja as well as a belief in land spirits and other supernatural beings were engrained in the Icelandic culture. Thor, the Norse god of the sky, was so significant to the people, that his name became a key elemental piece of Icelandic names.
Iceland held onto their pagan beliefs until the year 1000 when they chose peace over bloodshed and converted to Christianity due to mounting pressures from the Norwegian King. Icelanders were allowed to honor the old gods, as long as they did so in private.
In the 13th century, the Icelandic chieftain and historian, Snorri Sturluson, published what is known as the Prose Edda. This collection of stories featured the trials and tribulations of the Norse gods from the formation of the cosmos to their ultimate doom, a time known as Ragnarok.
According to my research, Snorri was a questionable individual, and much controversy surrounds the stories he recorded. However, if it were not for this work, the tales of Norse gods and the worlds in which they lived might have been lost forever.
The Prose Edda is noted for being the most extensive source for Norse mythology and has inspired many other notable writers such as JRR Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, and even comic book legend Stan Lee as well as many others.
Many of the stories in the Prose Edda have counterparts that became a series of ancient verses known as eddic poetry compiled in the Poetic Edda. Both Eddas were written in the 13th century and based on oral traditions which originated from the Viking era.
Although Iceland uprooted their beliefs in the old gods during the conversion, these stories are still preserved as a part of Icelandic cultural heritage, rather than a creed. It is also still a very active religion to this day. A temple dedicated to gods like Odin and Thor was recently erected outside of Reykjavik.
Another place of interest is The Arctic Henge, a sundial in Raufarhofn. This manmade work in progress is said to become a place of pilgrimage for those who follow the old gods. I visited it last year and you can read more about my incredible and magical experience here.
Iceland is also the home of other supernatural beings. Tales of trolls, a hidden race of people known as elves, and land spirits known as wights which are attested to in another literary work by Snorri called the Heimskringla.
The most notable of these stories is the tale of the four guardians of Iceland. These four protectors of Iceland (landvættur) are depicted on the Icelandic coat of arms.
This story begins when Danish King Harald Bluetooth sends a wizard to Iceland. Using magic, the wizard transforms himself into a whale but his plans are thwarted when he is chased away from shore by protective spirits in the forms of a eagle, a giant, a bull, and a dragon. Thus these spirits are adopted as the four protectors of Iceland.
Another race of beings known as elves or Hidden Folk has played a huge part in Icelandic culture. During my research, I discovered many places in Iceland marked as “elf churches” or known locations where the Hidden Folk reside.
This belief may seem silly to some, however, it contributes heavily to the creed Icelanders pride themselves on; to respect nature and live in harmony with the elements. In fact, it is believed if one litters or defaces the land, they may face serious consequences from the Hidden Folk! More on this soon as well as “elf etiquette” when you visit!
These are just a handful of the many folktales, traditions, and beliefs Iceland treasures that I will be exploring on this page under the tab “Not in your Iceland guidebook.”
If you are interested in reading the Prose Edda I would recommend this one by Penguin House. For the Poetic Edda, I would recommend the edition translated by Jackson Crawford. You can purchase this one here.
You may just fall in love with these tales as much as I have, and who knows where this will take you. Perhaps on a quest to find an elf church on your next visit, or a search for one of the four guardians. Whether you believe or not, it is in your best interest to be respectful to the land during your visit. You never know who is watching.
My Vision
The most powerful things are not always what we see, but what we feel.
I have been fortunate enough to experience some really epic places in Iceland, including the Katla ice cave this last trip which blew my mind. There are landscapes so grand, so stunning, you swear you have stepped into another world.
This is all lovely and makes for some amazing photographs, however, some of my most special moments in Iceland were just standing on a lava field and admiring its vastness.
No matter how impressive what I see is, it is no match for what I feel. There is something undeniably moving and special about simplicity here. Perhaps this is what some would call magical because I have no other words to describe it.
When I started An Owl in Iceland I knew I wanted it to be more than just photographs and travel tips. I wanted a place to share all the things about this country that have touched me. I knew somehow I would weave the mythos into the page, but I didn’t know where to start. There is just so much!
So I decided to dedicate an entire page to it that you will be able to access from my main page. It is titled “Not in Your Iceland Guidebook” and I will be adding to it as time goes by.
It will begin with the fundamentals of Norse mythology, how the cosmos were formed, and then a basic introduction to the main gods and goddesses of this pantheon. This page will also feature an introduction to Icelandic elves, trolls, wights, and magic, including rune lore which I get allot of questions about. My source texts will be the Eddas, as well as other reputable books I have purchased through the years about Iceland.
Each section will include book recommendations as well as places of interest related to the topic in Iceland.
Expect to the page to feature the following:
Norse mythology, gods, goddesses, the cosmos and more
Places of interest in Iceland associated with folklore
Stories of supernatural beings such as elves, trolls, and wights.
Rune lore
Icelandic Magic
Creative short fiction based on lore
Sagas! ( I get to expand on my obsession with Guðrun here!)
In April I will be attending the first-ever Iceland festival for sorcery and witchcraft hosted by the Museum of Sorcery and Witchcraft in Holmavik. I am so excited to share with you what I learn from the presentations on history, rune lore, Icelandic magic, and more. I will be going live on Tik Tok from the event so look out for the details! The festival is from April 19th -21st and you can purchase tickets to attend here.
This is not an attempt to convince you magic exists, it is a space to preserve the very things that first brought me to the country, and offer more incite to those interested.
And if your travels take you to this special place, keep your eyes and heart open, you may never know what you may see or feel.
I hope you enjoy.
