Best Icelandic

The Codex Regius of the Poetic Edda is a 13th-century Icelandic manuscript containing a major collection of Old Norse mythological and heroic poems. Written around the latter part of that century, it preserves works about gods such as Odin and Thor alongside poems drawn from Germanic heroic traditio...

Björk is an Icelandic musician recognized for innovative art-rock compositions. Her work frequently incorporates elements of opera, minimalist electronica, and experimental music. Known for complex arrangements and atmospheric soundscapes, she appeals to listeners interested in avant-garde music and...

Flateyjarbók, catalogued as GKS 1005 fol., is a large Icelandic vellum manuscript compiled between 1387 and 1394. Its Old Norse texts include sagas of Norwegian kings, shorter narratives, poetry, genealogical material, and accounts connected with voyages to Vinland. Preserved in Reykjavik by the Árn...

Flateyjarbók is a large Icelandic vellum codex compiled between 1387 and 1394 and catalogued as GKS 1005 fol. It preserves Old Norse kings' sagas, shorter tales, poems, genealogies, and narratives concerning Norse voyages to Vinland. The manuscript is held in Reykjavik by the Árni Magnússon Institut...

Björk is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, and composer born in Reykjavík in 1965, known for her distinctive voice and genre-spanning approach to music. She first gained international attention as the vocalist of the alternative rock group The Sugarcubes before launching a solo career with the album...

Gudbrand Vigfusson was a 19th-century Icelandic scholar based at Oxford University. He is primarily known for his extensive work on the Old Norse language. His most significant contribution was co-editing the Cleasby-Vigfusson Icelandic-English Dictionary, a foundational resource for understanding a...

Breaking the Waves, released in 1996, was directed by Lars von Trier and featured Emily Watson in her first leading role. The film is a psychological romantic melodrama alongside Stellan Skarsgård, a recurring actor for von Trier. It explores intense relationships and emotional struggles within a sp...

Söngvar elds og óreiðu is the debut full-length album by the Icelandic black metal band Misþyrming, released in 2015. The record's title translates to "Songs of Fire and Chaos," reflecting its aggressive and atmospheric musical approach. It is widely recognized for playing a significant role in brin...

Richard Cleasby was a 19th-century British lexicographer renowned for his pioneering work on Old Norse and Icelandic languages. His initial efforts to create an Icelandic-English dictionary laid the foundation for a comprehensive resource. This project, notably finished with Gudbrand Vigfusson, rema...

AM 468 4to is a 14th-century Icelandic vellum manuscript preserving Njáls saga, one of the major medieval Icelandic family sagas. The narrative concerns interlocking feuds, legal disputes, marriages, killings, and reconciliations centered on Njáll Þorgeirsson and Gunnar Hámundarson. The manuscript b...

*Flesh Cathedral* is the debut full-length studio album by the Icelandic black metal band Svartidauði, released in 2012. The album is characterized by its dissonant guitar work, complex song structures, and a dark, oppressive atmosphere, drawing heavy influence from the chaotic Icelandic black metal...

Omnom Tanzania 70% is a bean-to-bar chocolate made primarily with single-origin Tanzanian cocoa beans, resulting in a dark chocolate boasting notes of fruit and spice due to the region’s unique terroir.

Codex Upsaliensis, catalogued as DG 11 at Uppsala University Library, is a 14th-century Icelandic manuscript containing a version of Snorri Sturluson's Edda. It is one of the principal medieval witnesses to the work, alongside the Codex Regius, Codex Wormianus, and Codex Trajectinus. Its arrangement...

Skyr is an Icelandic cultured dairy product with roots in Norse foodways dating back over 1,000 years, classified technically as a fresh cheese but consumed like yogurt, notable for its very high protein content.

Valdís Óskarsdóttir is an Icelandic film editor whose work includes productions from Iceland and the wider international film industry. She edited Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the 2004 romantic science-fiction drama whose nonlinear structure moves through altered and collap...

Codex Wormianus, commonly identified by the shelf mark AM 242 fol., is a fourteenth-century Icelandic vellum manuscript preserved in the Arnamagnæan Collection in Copenhagen. It is one of the principal medieval witnesses to Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda. The codex is especially important because it...

Reyka Vodka originates from Iceland utilizing unique volcanic filtration through lava fields. This process imparts a distinctive mineral character to the wheat-based spirit. The vodka is notable for its Icelandic provenance and unusual purification method. It’s primarily appreciated by consumers see...

Omnom Nicaragua 73% is a dark chocolate bar produced by a Nicaraguan bean-to-bar company, utilizing 73% cacao from the country’s renowned Jalapa region for a rich, intense flavor profile.

Omnom Lakkrís + Sea Salt is a Danish bean-to-bar chocolate maker that utilizes locally sourced licorice beans and Icelandic sea salt to create intensely flavored dark chocolates with a complex sweetness and savory balance.

Icelandic pönnukökur are thin, crêpe-like pancakes that are a staple of Icelandic home cooking. The batter is traditionally seasoned with cardamom and cooked in a specialized flat copper pan designed specifically for making these delicate pancakes. Once cooked, they are typically folded or rolled an...

Debut full-length (2016) by Icelandic black metal band Zhrine, formerly known as Gone Postal, released on Season of Mist.

Aphotic Womb is the debut album by Icelandic black metal band Sinmara, released in the mid-2010s as part of the internationally recognized wave of Icelandic extreme metal.

Egil Skallagrimsson is the central figure of Egils saga, one of the major prose works of medieval Icelandic literature, composed in the 13th century. Set in the 9th and 10th centuries, the saga portrays Egil as a warrior, farmer, and one of the most accomplished skaldic poets of the Viking Age. His...

Erling Blöndal Bengtsson (1928–2013) was a Danish cellist and pedagogue of Icelandic descent. He performed as a soloist with major international orchestras and dedicated much of his career to teaching. He served on the faculty of the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen for over three decades...

Sigurd Stefánsson was a late 16th-century Icelandic teacher notable for creating the Skálholt Map, an important early cartographic depiction of the North Atlantic region.

Grettir the Strong is the central figure of Grettis saga, one of the medieval Icelanders' sagas. Renowned for exceptional physical strength, he fights human opponents and supernatural beings but is later declared an outlaw and survives for nearly twenty years outside ordinary legal protection. His s...

"Whale Valley" is a 2013 Icelandic live-action short film written and directed by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson. The narrative centers on the complex emotional dynamics between two brothers growing up in a remote fishing community in rural Iceland. It explores themes of masculinity, brotherly love, an...

Anna Thorvaldsdottir is a prominent Icelandic contemporary classical composer widely recognized for her highly atmospheric and texturally detailed orchestral works. Her compositions often feature large sonic spaces and extended instrumental techniques designed to evoke the stark, natural landscapes...

Katla is a Nordic-noir thriller television series set in Iceland. It centers around a volcanic eruption that unearths a decades-old crime, forcing detectives to confront secrets within their community. The show’s atmospheric setting and intricate mystery appeal to viewers interested in suspenseful d...