By Rob Olason
Making a trip to Iceland is an inevitable “wish list” activity for many western Icelanders and other travelers who are fascinated by this unique land. Whether mesmerized by the thousands of waterfalls, breathtaking coastal scenery, or a journey through the Highlands on steady Icelandic horses, Iceland offers a myriad of choices.
Claudia Pétursson suggests another possibility to consider in an upcoming Icelandic Roots seminar: time travel.
Specifically, Pétursson extols the virtues of exploring the landscape of Iceland through the lens of the Icelandic Sagas.
Pétursson spends part of each year in Iceland, where she finds so much history underfoot throughout the country.
On Friday, March 29, 2024, Pétursson will present an online seminar on how to research, plan, and carry out a Saga-related journey in Iceland. She has chosen the perfect story to work from: the epic Njal’s Saga, which centers on a decades-long blood feud during the settlement era in Iceland. Much of the action takes place around the Icelandic town of Hvolsvöllur in South Iceland, sixty-five miles east of Reykjavík. Today the town hosts the Lava Centre which offers interactive programs on Iceland’s very active geology.
Hvolsvöllur is also the home of the Saga Centre which is where a tapestry illustrating Njal’s Saga was recently created to celebrate this important literary treasure of Iceland.
Pétursson’s presentation will weave images from the tapestry, the landscape, and Njal's Saga to inspire travelers to view a trip to Iceland through this unique perspective to gain a deeper understanding of the people who first inhabited the land.
This seminar is a special presentation for Icelandic Roots Members. To find more information about when it takes place in your time zone, check the listing on the Icelandic Roots calendar.
If you would like to support the work of Icelandic Roots by becoming a member, you can find membership information on this page.