Medieval Iceland
This interactive map displays the world of medieval Iceland (c.870-1537), bringing to life the landscape of Iceland’s medieval prose epics: the sagas. (As well as providing a picture of the world that produced them).
The purpose of this map is to help people learn about Iceland’s history through a visual and interactive experience. It is also meant to spread awareness of Iceland’s rich historical landscape, encouraging people to visit these sites if they happen to be visiting Iceland (so keep this map in mind when planning trips!)
Each saga site includes a brief summary of the events that are said to have happened there, as well as references (by chapter) to the sagas that include them. Other historical locations provide citations to historians by last name and relevant page number.
To search for locations relevant to a specific (primary) text, search the map for the following (without quotations):
“Land.” — Landnámabók
“Lax.” — Laxdæla saga
“Njal.” — Njáls saga
For those who seek a map for more academic purposes, see the Icelandic Saga Map being worked on by Emily Lethbridge and the University of Iceland: http://sagamap.hi.is/about-ism-project
The People of the North
This map visualizes the major ethnic populations in and around Scandinavia during the Viking Age (~750-1050 CE). Borders and regions are generalized, not exact, and naturally changed over time. These groups frequently mingled, especially in the areas near ‘borders.’
Nikulás Bergsson’s Pilgrimage
Prior to August of 1153, an Icelander named Nikulás Bergsson made a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem. This map follows the vernacular itinerary he left behind, which has since been preserved in later medieval manuscripts from Iceland. For this endeavor, three English translations have been used, since none of them cover his journey in its entirety:
- Somerville, Angus A. trans. “The Journey of Abbot Nikolas Bergsson from Iceland to Jerusalem.” In The Viking Age: A Reader (Second Edition), edited by Angus A. Somerville and R. Andrew McDonald, 416-421. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014.
- Hill, Joyce. “From Rome to Jerusalem: An Icelandic Itinerary of the Mid-Twelfth Century.” The Harvard Theological Review 76, No. 2 (1983): 175-203.
- Magoun, Francis Peabody. “The Rome of Two Northern Pilgrims: Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury and Abbot Nikolás of Munkathverá.” The Harvard Theological Review 33, No. 4 (Oct., 1940): 267-289.
