Ingólfur Arnarson
Ingólfur Arnarson is traditionally regarded as the first
permanent settler of Iceland and one of the most significant figures
in the nation’s early history.
According to medieval sources, he settled in Iceland
around the year 874 at the site that later became
Reykjavík.
Ingólfur was a Norwegian chieftain who left his homeland
following political unrest and the rise to power of
King Harald Fairhair.
Like many settlers of the time, he sought independence,
freedom and new opportunities in an uninhabited land to the west.
One of the most famous stories associated with Ingólfur
concerns his high-seat pillars.
He cast them into the sea upon approaching Iceland
and vowed to settle where they came ashore.
They were later found in a bay he named Reykjavík,
meaning “Smoky Bay,” after the steam rising from nearby hot springs.
Ingólfur’s settlement marked the beginning of permanent habitation
in Iceland and inspired further migration from Scandinavia
and the British Isles.
Within a few decades the island was fully settled,
forming the foundation of Icelandic society.
Today, Ingólfur Arnarson is remembered as a symbolic founder
of the Icelandic nation.
His legacy endures through monuments, place names,
and the enduring stories of Iceland’s settlement age.