The Christianization of Iceland occurred in 1000 AD, after the pagan lawmaker Thorgeir Thorkelsson decided to ratify the religion by law. This decision was reached after a day and night of deliberation, culminating in the lawmaker throwing his pagan idols into the now-famous tourist attraction of Godafoss (“Waterfall of the Gods”).
His decision to side with Christianity was primarily twofold: first, Iceland was under the jurisdiction of Norway, the country whose king, Olaf Tryggvason, converted to Christianity in 998 AD. This led to a second important factor in the legislator’s decision: the king’s conversion meant that many Icelanders decided they would also convert, threatening civil war in the country.
Thorgeir Thorkelsson’s decision to renounce his own beliefs was seen as a means to avoid the aforementioned violence, with the added caveat that Icelanders could still worship the Norse gods, as long as it was done secretly. This would ultimately be declared illegal, but it underscores the strength of many Icelanders’ beliefs in the gods of Norse mythology at the time.
In practice, when the Church took over complete ecclesiastical and judicial control, radical changes took place throughout the country, and such acts as infanticide and the eating of horse meat were prohibited by law – certainly two of the best decisions made in the name of the Christian God.
Today, Iceland is still considered a Christian country, but mythological remnants, both physical and alive in the Icelandic soul, continue to demonstrate their power, influence, and historical significance in many aspects of Icelandic culture.
Who were the Norse gods?
What we, as modern cultures, know about the Norse pantheon of gods can be found almost exclusively in the Icelandic sagas, written records of an oral tradition dating back to the Germanic tribes of Scandinavia.
Of particular importance is the 13th-century manuscript “Prose Edda,” written by one of Iceland’s most famous poets and scholars, Snorri Sturluson, and the earlier “Poetic Edda,” a collection of songs, stories, and poems written by numerous authors.
Both sources are excellent examples of euhemerism, a word that describes the process by which real historical events become transmitted as mythological tales.
According to these early works, humans and deities alike possessed magic and were capable of supernatural feats, such as the ability to traverse the nine worlds of Norse mythology, such as Asgard, home of the Aesir (the main pantheon of Aesir deities). These nine worlds, as outlined below (with relevant links to further information), are united by the world tree Yggdrasil.
- Asgard
- Alfheim/Ljosalfheim
- Nidavellir/Svartalfheimr
- Midgard (Earth)
- Jotunheim/Utgard
- Vanaheimr
- Niflheim
- Muspelheim
- Hel (Heimr)
It is practically impossible in a relatively short article to list the many thousands of deities, giants, mischievous spirits, elves and monsters that illuminate the pages of these early works, as well as the sagas that followed.
However, given the enduring legacy of many of them, as well as the collective and long-standing interest in Marvel superheroes, some of these Norse gods still live on in the collective imagination. Below is a list of some of the most important deities and characters for Iceland’s pre-Christian population:
Odin, Thor, Loki, Baldr, Frigg,