Raving Ravens

He knows alone who has wandered wide

It's World Tourism Day today. I'm a traveller and have been for as long as I remember. It's in my genes. I come from pilots and sailors. Vikings and voyagers. And I follow the ancient wisdom of the Vikings who travelled from one continent to the next more than a thousand years ago.

The poem in the image is the 18th poem in Hávamál. Hávamál is written in old Norse, which is pretty much like modern Icelandic. It was written down by Snorri Sturluson, a scholar in 13th century Iceland who wrote down many of the Icelandic sagas. But it dates further back. It is said to be the words of Odin, the highest of the Nordic gods, father of Thor and Loki, and was the Vikings book of wisdom carried down from one generation to the next. 

These are words to live by. Travel wide and wise and you will understand your fellow man.

Happy World Tourism Day!

Hjörtur

ps. the photo is shot near Bláfjöll, Iceland, on an early September morning as the first rays of sun melt the frost of the night, creating this mystical steam over the lava field.

The Last Viking in America

Did the Vikings ever make to the American continent? Might there still be one left here?

Yes, Leif the Lucky had a brother who wasn't quite as lucky. Like Leif he sailed to "Vineland" in search for a place to settle. But to his bad luck, he got struck by an arrow from the natives and died from his wounds. His body was buried on a peninsula according to the sagas and left there. My mission is to find that grave.

 

Why do I want to find an old grave?
I have a personal relation to these events as Gudridur Thorbjarnardottir, one of the first settlers in America and the first European to give birth in America was my ancestor. I can trace my family directly to her. I grew up listening to the Viking sagas, not only this one, but also local ones. In the recent years archeological excavations have been proofing those sagas to be very accurate in their descriptions with graves and battlegrounds being found where they were said to be. 

This is of significant historical importance. It has been debated for a long time how far the Vikings actually did sail. The sagas tell us they sailed all the way to mainland America and in my mind there is no doubt. But physical evidence is lacking. A Viking camp believed to have belonged to Leif has been found in Newfoundland but that doesn't fit the descriptions of the settlement. So I'm going to try to find physical evidence of their arrival on the mainland.

 

What are my chances?
To increase the chance of finding the grave I will attempt to put myself into the mindset of the Vikings. To do that I will not only study the sagas from the old manuscripts, but also investigate Viking farms and graves that have been excavated in Iceland and Greenland and interview experts in the field. The descriptions of the Sagas will be followed as we sail a 60 foot ketch the same route the Vikings took from Iceland to Greenland and onwards to Canada.

Accompanying me will be the Canadian film-maker Evan Warner who worked on the award winning film People of a Feather. I have created a project on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter (http://kck.st/Lp28Km) where people can back the project by pre-purchasing the film, memorabilia or even become co-producers. You can also see examples of our earlier work.

The ketch has already left Ireland and set sail to Iceland where it will arrive June 15th. I only have 60 hours to raise the money needed so all support is very much appreciated, both financial and in spreading the word and getting media publicity. If all my readers chip in just a couple of dollars, we can make it :)

Thanks!
Hjörtur 

The Ultimate Sustainable Viking Voyage

I've been planning my dream trip around the fjord where I grew up, in the Westfjords of Iceland. It's a fjord filled with stories of Vikings and sea monsters, black magic and folklore. A trip where we go 1.000 years back in time. I've been guiding hiking tours there for years, but I've been wanting to do something really unique. So, I started planning, and here's the trip:

The Viking ship Vésteinn sailing in the fjords.

Day 1:

You fly from Reykjavik to Bildudalur airport where you leave the airport and step 1.000 years back in time - on board a Viking ship. Sail to an isolated fjord where there are no roads, electric lines or other signs of human interference, except a small cottage from early last century and Viking ruins. The tale of the Viking outlaw that lived there told and performed. Dinner at the camp by a geothermal pool with a view of the midnight sun.

A Viking in Geirthjofsfjordur bringing people 1.000 years back in time.

Day 2: 

Sailing to Hringsdalur where an archeological dig 4 years ago confirmed a 1.000 year old myth - and unearthed a Viking chief grave! The grave of his killer visited - which is on a mountain edge and still unearthed. Sailing back to camp for a Viking feast.

The guide standing by a Viking grave with a magnificent view over the fjord.

Day 3:

Sailing to the Dynjandi waterfall (Thundering), tales of sea monsters and local inhabitants told and the sea monster museum in Bildudalur visited. Finally flown back to Reykjavik at the end of the day.

Enjoying the midnight sun from the geothermal pool by the camp.

 

Mode of transport: Viking ship and by foot

Mode of accommodation: Viking tent camp

Full board made from fresh, local ingredients.

Hiking difficulty: moderate

Date: July 4th - July 6th

The estimated price for this 3 day trip including the flights from Reykjavik and all of the above is € 1.500.

So what do you think? Is this something you would love to do? I'd love to hear you feedback, your questions, your worries, before I finalize the planning and start selling the trip - if I think it's viable. Feel free to write your thoughts in the comments below. Oh, and if you really like the trip, reserve your spot. There are only 15 spots available!

Cheers
Hjörtur 

 

Arnarfjörður - My Happy Place!

 This post is inspired by today's FriFotos theme on twitter, Happy Place.

 

Standing by a Viking grave overlooking the Arnarfjörður fjord in the west fjords of Iceland, my happy place!

The first years of my life I lived in less then optimal conditions in downtown Reykjavik with my mom. There was drug abuse and alcohol. When I was six years old, my mother was offered a summer job in fishing village in the Westfjords, in the town of Bildudalur located in the beautiful Arnarfjörður - Eagle fjord. 

It was a complete change in my life in many ways. Not only was it the change my mom needed to wake up and quit using drugs and alcohol, I was also entering a fascinating fjord with beautiful mountains and white beaches, charming old houses and tales of adventure, Vikings and sea monsters.

 

Enjoying a swim in a pool that just like pops up by the road, filled with warm water from a hot spring just a few meters away, with the midnight sun in the mouth of the fjord. The perfect way to end the day.

 

I loved growing up there with the freedom of exploring the fjord, riding my bicycle 20 km in fjord to be able to swim in a geothermal swimming pool that just is there for anyone to enjoy, or ride my bike 8 km in the other direction to run on the white sandy beach and swim in the freezing ocean. Every fall I would run the mountains herding sheep and even after I went away at the age of 15 I'd come back for the sheep.

 

 

The home of the free!

For a few years I didn't come back, I was busy with work, family and university in Reykjavik. After I moved to charming, but very flat Denmark I started to crave for the mountains, the smell of arctit timian and blueberries, the fresh sea breeze and the freedom of being in the middle of no-mans land. I tried to get to Iceland and hike in the Westfjords once every year.

After I moved back to Iceland I worked on started a hiking festival, offering a week of guided hikes mixed up with cultural events, plays, poetry, food and fairytales, all for free. It never became big, but very much appreciated by all those participated. And I got to know the environment in a new way digging deeper into the stories of Vikings, sea monsters, witch trials and strange people who had lived in the area.

The sand beach in Hvesta, Arnarfjörður.

 

For one thousand years there have been stories about the Vikings that lived there, fought there and died there. Stories of where they fought and where they were buried. Archeological finds have been confirming the stories that were thought to be myth and folklore. Research have even shown that the wildlife in the see in the fjord is unique, with species that are only found in the fjord. And a sea monster institute has been opened. Those stories aren't just fairytales...

 

Yes, this is a real sign by the road!

 

This is a place of amazing natural beauty, rich history and fascinating mythology. This is my happy place!

Hjörtur

 

ps. Someone wrote "Happiness is only real when shared", so I share. This summer I'm planning a 4 day Viking hike, sailing around the fjord in a Viking ship exploring the amazing stories of Vikings and sea monsters, magic and mythology. Wan't to know more? Stay tuned!

 

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The Adventures of 2011

It has been an adventurous year. It's been a tough year fighting the consquences of the recession, illness and a death in the family, but it has also included many exciting trips and projects. This year I have travelled to the north, west and east of Iceland, and to the south and west coast of Greenland. I have even travelled to a fictive world beyond the Wall. That is one journey I can not tell you about. Not yet at least. 

Here are a few pictures from my adventures in 2011:

Akureyri theater in the snow.

The first trip of the year was to Akureyri where I was running a course in the use of social media for the travel industry. To my luck, I got a blizzard and the heaviest snow day for years in Akureyri. What a beautiful, beautiful town.

Akureyri harbour in the blizzard. Seen from Hof culture center over to Akureyri church in the distance.

 

Greenland - Vikings

In the spring I went to the Viking trails in Greenland organized by Greenland Sagalands. Exploring some of the remains like these church ruins in Hvalsey. The last thing heard from the Vikings in Greenland is a wedding that took place in this church September 14th 1408. Since then, noone has heard anything from the thousands of people that lived in Greenland, and noone knows what happened to them. 

There are no roads in Greenland. It is a huge country with just steep cliffs and glaciers, so it's no place for roads. To travel you have to use boats, dog slegdes or helicopters. Above is an iceberg with a giant polar bear and her cub that I saw while sailing from Narsaq to Qaqortoq in Greenland. 

This is the world's oldest operating Sikorsky helicopter which was my transport from Qaqortoq to Narsarsuaq.

Greenland - Nuuk

My explorations in Greenland continued and next destination was Nuuk, the capital of this amazing country. Though it is only a town of about 15.000 people, this is where you find most service in Greenland, including the only swimmingpool, the only cinema etc. 

And I highly recommend a trip to the National museum where you can look at 600 year old mummies found buried in the tundra in North Greenland, and some interesting clothing like this seal skin thong below. 

The Westfjords

 The Westfjords are a must every summer. Chosen one of the top areas to visit by Lonely Planet last year it is a truly authentic place with mountains, fjords and small fishing villages. The picture above is from the main square in Isafjordur, the biggest town in the Westfjords.

On the fjords you can find interesting things, like this Viking ship in Dyrafjordur (above) and sea monsters in Arnarfjordur (below). 

In Greenland I met a Canadian film maker and we've now started a new adventure. The quest for the first Viking grave in America. The plan is to make a documentary about the search if we manage to get it financed. We started some demo shots and the picture above is from such shootings in Arnarfjordur, over looking the fjord from a legendary Viking grave at the top of a mountain there. Who knows where this adventure may lead in the new year :)

In the summer 2012 I plan to offer Viking trips around the legendary Viking locations in Arnarfjordur in the West fjords. So stayed tuned for more info on that.

A truly unique opportunity came in November when I got offered a role as an extra in HBO's TV series Game of Thrones, which was partly shot in Iceland. It ended up being shooting for almost three weeks in various locations in the mountains and glaciers of Iceland, creating the legendary land beyond the wall. I'm not allowed to give any details or show any pictures from this adventure, so you'll just have to watch the show when it airs in April and see if you recognize me ;)

Cold Wind Tease

 

I thank everyone who made my adventures possibly in 2011 and look forward to some more amazing adventures in 2012.

Happy adventurous 2012!

Hjörtur

 

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Viking Legends - Where to go?

Vikings marching to Althing, the world's oldest parliament established in Thingvellir in AD 930. Image by Marja.

1. Thingvellir, Iceland

The birthplace of Althingi, the world's oldest present day parliament established in 930 by the Vikings. Without a superior power they created an assembly two weeks each year where all major decisions were made, including the remarkable peaceful transition from the ancient Norse paganism to Christianity in the year 1.000. A UNESCO world heritage site, not to mention the geological wonder that Thingvellir is, being a visual rift between the Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates, and the pure water of the Silfra rift that has been named one of the world's 10 best diving spots.

 

2. Birka, Sweden

On an island in Lake Mälaren, just west of Stockholm in Sweden, are the remains of Birka, one of the most important Viking age villages. From Birka, Viking expeditions to the east were planned and conducted, entering the river systems in Latvia and Russia. In Birka and the surroundings, thousands of Rune stones have been found which you can search for and try to read. Close to Birka is Hovgården, the home of the Swedish kings in the Viking age.

 

3. Jorvik Viking Festival, York, England

If you thought Vikings where only a part of the past, think again. For hundreds of years Vikings ruled Northern England from York city and in February each year Vikings from all over the Northern hemisphere gather at the Jorvik Viking Festival, fighting from dawn to dusk, drinking mead from dusk to dawn and selling their best hand craft in between.

 

4. Jarlshof, Shetland

Jarlshof  in the Shetland Islands is one of the most extensive ruins in all of the British isles, dating more than 2500 years of history. Majority of them being Norse ruins from the Viking period and the best preserved ones in the UK. One of the big mysteries there is how they got the cows through the tiny doors! While you're there, you might also like to check out their famous Shetland ponies.

 

5. Roskilde, Denmark 

Outside the town of Roskilde in Denmark an underwater graveyard for Viking ships was discovered. Many of those ships have been excavated and restored in the Viking ship museum in Roskilde. So if you want to see how the Vikings crossed the fierce North-Atlantic ocean 500 years before Christopher Columbus did, this is the place. Only a few kilometers away is Lejre, a living museum where the Kings of Denmark used to live at the times of the Vikings.

 

Yep, they still sail Viking ships in the Westfjords of Iceland. Some do at least ;) Image by Hjortur Smarason.

6. The Westfjords, Iceland

There probably isn't anywhere you can get as close to the real lives of Vikings as in the Westfjords, with the same unspoiled environment as 1.000 years ago. With almost no roads or urban development the ruins are still intact and the language and the names the same which makes it a unique experience to travel through the historical sights, getting detailed description of events from the Saga's like they just happened yesterday. Eiriksstaðir, the birthplace of Leif the Lucky; Lónfell, the mountain where Raven-Floki stood when he gave Iceland it's name; hot natural pools; untouched Viking graves and Viking ship excursions make this an exceptionally realistic Viking experience.

 

7. Eriksfjord, Greenland

Erik the Red occupied a large island in the west and gave it the name Greenland, which would have a stronger appeal to immigrants than the name Iceland. Brattahlid in Eriksfjord (Quassiarsuk) is his farm and the first church in the west was built there in the year 1.000. This is where Leif the Lucky started his journey to Vineland in the west. The Vikings lived there for over 400 years until they mysteriously dissapeared. Their original houses are still standing after 600 years, but no one knows what happened to the people. 

Inside Hvalsey church ruins. The last thing heard from the Vikings in Greenland was a wedding in this church on September 16th 1408. Image by Hjortur Smarason. 

8. L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland

The only Viking houses found so far in Canada and now a UNESCO world heritage site is L'Anse aux Meadows on the Northern most tip of Newfoundland.  Discovered in 1960 this is the first archelogical site in the new world that confirms the Saga's of Leif the Lucky and other Vikings who sailed west. If you're still in doubt, just visit L'Anse aux Meadows and see it with your own eyes.

 

9. Grettislaug, Skagafjordur, Iceland

Grettir the strong is one of the most famous Vikings for his remarkable achievements. He was an outcast, hiding in Drangey, a steep rocky island in Skagafjordur. On shore there is a hot natural pool where he could warm him self after swimming from the island. If you're not up for the swim in the Arctic ocean, there are boat trips available. After he was killed his killers were chased as far as to Constantinople (Istanbul) for revenge.

 

10. The rivers of Russia

Want to head out on a Viking voyage? The Vikings had a way with tilting their ships to drag them over land and on to new rivers. That way you can sail from the Baltic ocean through Latvia, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine following Volga to the Caspian Sea and the Daugava and Dnepr rivers into the Black Sea and further on to Constantinople. Important Viking cities along the way are Novgorod in Russia and Kiev in Ukraine. And if you look closely, you might stumble upon some rune carvings along the way.

The world's largest Viking silver treasure, found in Spillinge in Gotland. Weighing 67 kilos of bracelets and islamic coins. Image from 10ga.com.

11. The Treasures of Gotland

Gotland is an island in the Baltic Sea and was an important trading point in the Viking Age. The Vikings of Gotland became wealthy merchants with great influence in Novgorod in Russia connecting them with Eastern European and Cenral-Asian trading routes. Nowhere in the world have as many silver hoards been found, or more then 700, consisting mainly of ancient Arabic, German and English coins.

 

12. Borg in Lofoten, Norway.

In Borg in Lofoten the world's largest Viking long house has been escavated and rebuilt. It is now a living museum where you can experience the Viking lifestyle first hand. In the year 890 the house was abondened when it's last Viking chief Olaf Tvennumbruni left along many other local chieftains to settle in Iceland instead of fighting the king who was uniting Norway.  Every other year this event is brought to life again at Borg. Olaf's grave is known but still unearthed in Iceland.

 

13. The Isle of Man

Strategically located equally far from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, the Isle of Man attracted Vikings who established their still operating parliament, Tynwald in AD 979. The inhabitants still have strong ties with their Viking roots who have been a modifying element in their culture ever since.

 

Fading Viking runes on an ancient Greek lion in Venice. Image by Hjortur Smarason.

14. Rune "graffiti" around the world

The Vikings were true explorerers with routes of trading and exploring stretching far into Central Asia and America. Some say as far as Azerbajdan in the East and Minnesota in the West. Like "tourists" have done for centuries, they often left their mark - runes! Runes that have been found include places like the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the debated Kelsington stone in Minnesota and the Piraeus lion in Venice. So keep your eyes open.

Go explore, modern Viking!

Hjörtur

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Viking Navigation Tools - The Sunstone

Long before the magnetic compass reached Europe, the Vikings were sailing across oceans to both the east and west, discovering new lands in the west such as Iceland and Greenland and even discovering America. 

Many have wondered how they managed to navigate across the ocean with no land in sight. Of course they used the sun and the stars for navigation, but in the summer time you see no stars this far north, and on a cloudy day, you see no sun either. 

In the sagas you can read about something called a Sunstone, a magical stone that could help navigators find the sun even on a cloudy day. In the Hrafns Saga it says: "the weather was thick and stormy . . . The king looked about and saw no blue sky . . . then the king took the sunstone and held it up, and then he saw where [the Sun] beamed from the stone." So when the traditional methods failed, the sunstone was the magic tool good navigators used.

In 1967 Danish archeologist Thorkild Ramskou put forward a theory about the sunstone as being a natural crystal used for the polarization of the skylight. Crystals that could be used for navigation this way with 5° accuracy are found in southern Norway and in Iceland you can find a common calcite crystal called the Icelandic spar, that can be used for navigation with 1° accuracy. Ramskou's theories were widely accepted in the beginning but no evidence has though been found to support it. Crytical voices have therefore become ever more louder.

Yesterday, researchers led by Guy Ropars from the Rennes University in Bretagne, France, published a study in the journal "Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical Physical & Engineering Sciences" where they claim to have discovered what crystal they used and how.

"The Vikings could have discovered this, simply by choosing a transparent crystal and looking through it through a small hole in a screen," study researcher Guy Ropars wrote in an email to LiveScience. "The understanding of the complete mechanism and the knowledge of the polarization of light is not necessary."

I used to play with these crystals as a kid, seeing how the light polarized going through them, reading double when I laid them over text and so forth. But I never realized they could be used as a compass as well. When held up against the center of the sky, the sunlight would get polarized into an ordinary beam and extraordinary beam. By seeing how these two beams line up according to the angle of the sun, it can be used to locate the sun even though it is not visible. While there is sunlight this works, even though there are clouds blocking the sun or though it has gone a few degrees below the horizon. That would have been particularly useful as the sun goes just below the horizon during the bright summer nights, leaving no stars visible but yet no direct sun.

No evidence have yet been found in Viking settlements of the use of this crystal, but a suncompass with a an Icelandic crystal was discovered in a ship wreck from 1592 in the English channel. One thing that supports that this crystal was indeed a sun compass is that on board that ship was a large metal cannon that would have distorted a magnetic compass. 

The study group created a prototype of a Viking sun compass using this crystal, that turned out to work particularly well as a navigation tool when the sun is beyond the horizon, and even after the stars come out (see image above). 

Hjörtur

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Map from webexhibits.

Who Discovered America?

Who discovered America? Columbus? Leif Eriksson? The answer was known for almost 500 years before Columbus got there as the tales of the Viking voyages to the lands in the west were preserved in both oral tradition and written down in the Icelandic Sagas.

Written in a language still spoken here in Iceland, my native language, the sagas have preserved the knowledge of the discovery of America, the Viking voyages to the new lands in the west, Greenland, Helluland, Markland and Vineland. In the last decades, archeological finds have been confirming the sagas, proofing they are not just myths but tales of true events. Some theories say that Christopher Columbus came to Iceland and possibly Greenland as a young man and heard the stories of Leif's discovery of America long before he set sail himself to explore the new world.

This is an interesting documentary "Vikings - Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson" about the Viking voyages and Leif Eriksson's discovery of America, which I highly recommend watching.

 

Who discovered America is of course a question that isn't really important. What is important is to acknowledge that people have been able to travel over the ocean for centuries and communicated across cultures, lands and oceans even though those voyages didn't all make it to the history books. An interesting point made in this documentary is that the verification of Leif's discovery of America completes the world round trip of human mankind.

I proudly add, that I am a direct descendant of Guðríður Þorbjarnardottir, the woman who gave birth to the first European on American soil :)

Hjörtur

- Who Discovered America? -

 

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MusicMonday: Northern Lights Dancing to Eivør Pálsdóttir's "Den liuse dag forgangen er"

We had some spectacular Northern Lights dancing above Reykjavik this weekend. The season has started but you need to get the right weather - cold and clear skies. 

In pagan times we believed that the northern lights where reflections from the Valkyries' armour as they rode the black arctic sky. The Valkyries are powerful women who ride the skies searching for brave men. They were the ones who chose who would die and who would live in the battlefield and bring the bravest fighters to Valhalla, the palace of Odin, the mightiest of the Nordic Gods.  There they would become Einherjar, fight in the fields during the day and then party all night long. 

In the video below we see time lapsed images of northern lights from Salten in Norway (from National Geographic). Eivör Pálsdóttir sings her song "Den liuse dag forgangen er" (the bright day has passed) with her seductive Valkyrie like voice.

 

Hjörtur Smárason

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Why Iceland is Called Iceland

Jökulsárlón in the winter light.

 

Today, June 17th, is Iceland's national day The country got independence again on this day in 1944. Considering recent events, one might think Fire-land might have been a more appropriate name for the country, but Argentina got that later for it's southern most peninsula (Tierra del Fuego). Besides, no volcano was erupting when Flóki Vilgerðarson came to the country in the summer of 870 AD so he had no reason to think of fire. He had on the other hand a good reason to think of ice.

Flóki Vilgerðarson, better known as Hrafna-Flóki or Raven-Floki, was one of the first Norwegian Vikings to set sails for that big unsettled country in the west known at the time as Garðarshólmi. (We are much happier with the name Raven-Floki gave the country, Iceland as it's so much easier to remember and pronounce ;)

Raven-Floki stayed his first winter in a beautiful fjord in the southern West-fjords called Vatnsfjordur. It was rich of grass and wood, had a hot natural pool which you can still bath in and was a good shelter from winds and weather. Enjoying a good summer, Raven-Floki failed to prepare properly for the long, hard winter that followed. Getting desperate for spring, Raven-Floki decided to climb the highest mountain above Vatnsfjordur for a better view of the surroundings. What he saw was a big disappointment. A big fjord filled with ice. So he named the land Iceland.

Raven-Floki's view from the mountain overlooking Arnarfjordur 
 which was filled with ice in the spring of 871.

The mountain Raven-Floki climbed is thought to be Lonfell, a peak rising over 752 meters above his winter farm. From there you can see clearly over Breidafjordur to the south and Arnarfjordur to the north, a large fjord that I've never seen filled with ice. And I grew up there. There was drift ice from Greenland there for one day a couple of years ago, and that was the first time since in the sixties!

I have been giving guided tours up the mountain to experience the view Raven-Floki "enjoyed" when he climbed the mountain. At the top of the mountain you can find an ancient cairn that is believed to be the work of Raven-Floki him self. There is no documentation of the origin of the cairn and no trips are registered to the mountain top from the time of Raven-Floki and until the early 20th century. People avoided any mountain climbing that was not necessary and believed mountain peaks were inhabited by trolls and demons. No sane person would climb a mountain. 

The cairn on top of Lonfell, believed to be built by Raven-Floki, the Viking who gave Iceland its name.

 

The cairn seems to be older than since the early 20th century, considering how weathered it is and overgrown by lichens and comparing it to other cairns in the area built in the last 3-400 years. Raven-Floki was known for building cairns for navigational purposes and the oldest man made construction in Norway was for centuries Flokavarden or Ryvarden, a cairn he built on a peninsula between Hordaland and Rogaland when he left for Iceland. That cairn was torn down in the 1800's and used as a foundation for a light house. It's logical to assume he would build one at a visible place as he left Vatnsfjordur to make it easier to find his winter camp again.

If the cairn is built by Raven-Floki and his men, it is the oldest man made structure in Iceland dating back to the spring of 871 and standing at the very spot were Iceland got it's name.

Hjörtur