The Settlement of Iceland

What happened

According to tradition, the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson settled at Reykjavík around 874, becoming the first permanent Norse inhabitant of Iceland. Over the next sixty years settlers claimed most of the island's usable land.

Why it matters

The settlement of a near-empty north-Atlantic island created a new Norse society — one that would produce the Icelandic sagas, our richest written window into the Viking world.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. The Legendary Settlement of Iceland · Reputable source