Want to Celebrate Icelandic Christmas – Here is the Ultimate guide
Icelanders go big on Christmas. Not only is generous gift giving a core feature of Icelandic Christmas. The festival lasts 13 days. Like elsewhere in the western world, Christmas celebrations and preparations start obnoxiously early, but we Icelanders try to extend the ancient solstice festivities...
The Icelandic Christmas Cat: Iceland’s Most Terrifying Yuletide Monster
The horrible Icelandic Yule lads were a gruesome bunch of trolls that terrorized children and stole food from hungry peasants around Christmas. Their parents were the horrible ogre Grýla, who ate naughty children, and her bedridden, lazy, no-good husband Leppalúði. And there was their pet,...
Icelandic Halloween Special: The Undead Deacon of Dark River
I am a huge fan of the imported festival of Halloween. It has become very popular here in Iceland, which is not surprising. Icelandic culture and folklore are wedded to the macabre. Since it is the spooky season, I thought it would be a good...
Songs of Longing and Love: Icelandic Soprano Hallveig Rúnarsdóttir Releases Hauntingly Beautiful Nordic Album
If you’re heading to Iceland this autumn and want to experience something truly soulful, mark your calendar for October 25th. That’s when one of Iceland’s most beloved sopranos, and my very own much better half, Hallveig Rúnarsdóttir, will take the stage in Harpa’s Norðurljós Hall...
Ugla Hauksdottir Makes History & Sci-Fi with Alien: Earth and The Fires
When I was a teenager, I saw the scariest, most riveting film ever: Aliens. The film had everything a teenage boy dreams about: spaceships, gun-toting marines, scary, slimy monsters, and Sigourney Weaver. I then watched Alien, which was just as amazing. Aliens has always been...
Echoes of the End: Myrkur Games Transforms Iceland’s Landscapes into Living Fantasy
In the world of video games, few titles feel as deeply rooted in place as Echoes of the End. This is the debut action-adventure game from Reykjavík-based studio Myrkur Games. Released in August 2025 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, the game marks...
Bieber Spotlights Iceland’s Wild North in New Music Video
So why did Bieber pick the remote hamlet of Haganesvík in the Icelandic high north to record and produce his latest video? Well, this sleepy hamlet — once home to a co-op, slaughterhouse, and fish factory — was nearly abandoned by the late 20th century....
Don’t stack rocks in Iceland– and the cairns in Iceland that matter
You’re standing at a dramatic Icelandic viewpoint, inspired by the wild beauty around you. Maybe you feel tempted to stack a few stones—a small act of presence, a quiet “I was here.” But here’s the thing: stacking rocks in Iceland is not cool—it’s harmful, confusing,...
