Folklore Friday

The Icelandic Waterfall of the Gods – Folklore Friday

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024. Back in the year 1000 AD Þorgeir, the Law Speaker in Althingi or Icelandic Parliament, made the decision that Iceland would become a Christian nation. This was a huge decision for him to make considering…

Read More

Iceland’s Tragic Ghost Children – Folklore Friday

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024. Who are Iceland’s Ghost Children? with what’s known as a child ghost. The tale begins when a maid at a local farm gives birth to an unwanted baby. During Iceland’s pagan era, it was common…

Read More

The Mysterious Hot Spring Bird – Folklore Friday

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024. What is a Hot Spring Bird? This is a relatively short folklore story but is one that might interest anyone who plans to visit or take a dip into a hot spring while in Iceland….

Read More

Sæmundur the Wise Outsmarts the Devil – Folklore Friday

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024. Who Was Sæmundur the Learned? Back in the 1100s, Sæmundur Sigfusson was the pastor at the well known ancient manor of Oddi in South Iceland. What was different about Sæmundur is that he had an…

Read More

Hallbera the Trickster Ghost – Folklore Friday

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024. Who is Hallbera the Icelandic Ghost? There is an old Icelandic folklore tale about a ghost named Hallbera. It is said that she resides in the Scouts Cabin. She specifically occupies one of the bunks….

Read More

The Man with 18 Children Among the Elves – Folklore Friday

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024. The Toddler’s Transformation One summer on a farm when everyone else where collecting hay, a woman and her child, a toddler, were in the house because she was doing chores. The child was well behaved,…

Read More

Nykur – A Deadly Icelandic Water Horse – Folklore Friday

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024. What Makes a Nykur Different than a Normal Icelandic Horse? Nykur is a water horse that is a gray color but it can shape shift into other things, living or dead. However, it’s said that…

Read More

The Man & The Polar Bear – Folklore Friday

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024. A Tale from Grímsey Island I’m sharing about a man and a polar bear in Grímsey, which is the northernmost inhabited island in Iceland. It is the only part of Iceland that is the Arctic…

Read More

The Four Protectors of Iceland – Folklore Friday

This is part of my Folklore Friday Series, where I am sharing an Icelandic folklore story every Friday in 2024. A King’s Decree Leads To Iceland’s Land Spirits Being Discovered In the Heimskringla saga of King Olaf Tryggvason, there is a captivating tale of King Harald Bluetooth’s failed attempt to invade Iceland. According to the…

Read More

Bickering Icelandic Siblings Seal Their Fates With Magic – Folklore Friday

This is part of my Folklore Friday Series, where I am sharing an Icelandic folklore story every Friday in 2024. A Magical Woman from Norway Migrates to Iceland In the book of the Icelanders, or Landnámabók, is a person named Þuríður syndafyllir and her son Völu-Steinn. They immigrated from Northern Norway and settled in Bolungarvík…

Read More