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History


In a hole in the ground there lived... not a hobbit but an Icelander.
Some early travelers to Iceland indeed wrote that Icelanders
lived in holes in the ground, an easy mistake to make
considering that most Icelandic houses were made of turf
and covered with grass. Modern Icelanders have a sort of love-hate
relationship with these functional buildings of their ancestors.
They are not very splendid to look at and are often taken to
symbolize the misery of former times. On the other hand, they
also represent a proud cultural heritage.
Photo: Ole Begemann

For some time, nationalism has been prevalent in interpretations of Iceland’s history. This view of history took shape as Iceland was moving towards independence from Denmark in the 19th and 20th centuries. In a nationalistic interpretation of history, it was almost self-evident that foreign rule had to be detrimental to the country and the historical ‘Grand Narrative’ that emerged reflected this closely. The result was a division of Icelandic history into three basic epochs:

1) A Golden Age of independence (until 1262), characterised by freedom, heroism, political innovation and splendid literature.
2) Long ages of misery and hardship (until the 19th century), when foreign rule held the people in bondage and stunted all initiative.
3) The Resurrection of freedom and independence, followed inexorably by economic and cultural prosperity.

In recent decades, nationalism has been declining and this interpretation is now almost universally rejected by Icelandic historians. However, many non-specialists and politicians still cling to this version and among many scholars the basic 'rags to riches' story still holds sway, even if they don’t blame foreign rule for the past hardships.

In this short introduction to Icelandic history we have tried to steer clear of such politically inspired interpretations.