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11 minutes ago4 min read

Interesting Icelander for February 2025

Welcome to our Interesting Icelander series for 2025, with a focus on Icelandic Art and Culture. Our June profile explores the life and...

Jan 187 min read

Interesting Icelander for January 2025

Edgar Holger Cahill remarkable and compelling life story and legacy.

Jan 34 min read

Rikkard (Richard) Hansson Beck 1897-1980

Richard Beck noted Icelandic-American scholar, teacher, writer and poet

Dec 7, 20244 min read

Interesting Icelander for December - Rósa Guðmundsdóttir

Welcome to the last instalment of our Interesting Icelanders for 2024. We hope you enjoy the story about a poet who is revered today for...

Nov 21, 20244 min read

Interesting Icelander for November: Vilhjálmur Stefánsson

Interesting Icelander for November 2024

Oct 25, 20245 min read

Interesting Icelander for October - Skalla-Grímur

Interesting Icelander for October 2024 is Skalla-Grímur Kveldúlfsson.

Sep 14, 20243 min read

Interesting Icelander for September: Jón Árnason

Jón Árnason, an accomplished wealthy landowner and farmer, a parliamentarian, a sheriff, and father of many.

Jul 20, 20243 min read

Interesting Icelander for July: Helgi “magri” Eyvindarson

Helgi, one of the “most excellent settlers” in the Northern part of Iceland.

Jun 29, 20246 min read

Secrets Beneath the Earth in an Icelandic Cemetery

We’ve been working on a mystery, and for now … it remains unsolved. Where is the exact burial location? The secrets are beneath the earth.

Jun 22, 20249 min read

Interesting Icelander for June: Geirmund "Heljarskinns" Hjörsson

by Alfreda Duffy Landnámabók (The Book of Settlements) describes Geirmund as “the noblest of all settlers.” According to my Google search...

Jun 8, 20246 min read

The Viking of the 21st Century

Part Three: Gunnar Marel Eggertsson, Welcome back to our third and final instalment of the Viking of the 21st Century series. Part One...

May 25, 20245 min read

The Viking of the 21st Century

Part Two: Íslendingur and her voyage Welcome back to the second of the three-part series of The 21st Century Icelander. We will explore...

May 25, 20243 min read

Interesting Icelander for May - Gunnar Gunnarsson

By Sunna Olafson Furstenau Gunnar Gunnarsson (1889-1975 and IR Database I160778) is an Icelandic writer of over 20 novels and many other...

May 11, 20242 min read

Submit an article to Rætur Fréttir/Roots News

Do you have an idea for an interesting article? A story about your ancestor? A travel report about your latest visit to Iceland? We're...

May 11, 20244 min read

The Viking of the 21st Century

Viking Ships

May 11, 20245 min read

Bryndís & Gay Introduce Thor, the Final Book of a Trilogy

Bryndís Víglundsdóttir and Gay Strandemo share their thoughts upon completing their collaboration on the trilogy of stories Bryndís...

Apr 25, 20244 min read

April’s Interesting Icelander: Halldor Laxness, Iceland’s Literary Icon

By Doreen (Borgfjord) McFarlane For its small size and population, Iceland is a giant when it comes to literary accomplishments as well...

Mar 15, 20243 min read

Ari the Wise: Our Interesting Icelander for March 2024

By Gay Strandemo This month we continue learning about interesting Icelanders that were important to the settlement era of Iceland. As a...

Feb 16, 20246 min read

Bryndís Víglundsdóttir – February’s Interesting Icelander

This month, we honor one of our own. Bryndís Viglundsdóttir volunteers her time with Icelandic Roots as a writer, translator, and...

Feb 3, 20245 min read

A World Away from Home: The Saga of Undina

By Steve Stephens Note: Listen to Steve Stephens talk about his journey translating "The Poems of Undina" in an Icelandic Roots webinar...