Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson facts for kids
Flóki Vilgerðarson was a brave Norse explorer. He was the first Norseman to purposely sail to Iceland. He was born around the 800s. His amazing journey is written in an old book called the Landnámabók. We don't know the exact year he arrived. When he first got there, the land was known as Garðarshólmi.
Flóki's Journey to Iceland
In 868, Flóki decided to find a new land. This land had been discovered earlier by Garðar Svavarsson far to the north. Flóki brought his family with him on this big trip. His wife was named Gró, and his children were Oddleifur and Þjóðgerður.
They started their journey from Western Norway. First, they sailed to the Shetland Islands. Sadly, it is said that one of his daughters drowned there. Flóki continued his voyage and reached the Faroe Islands. Another of his daughters got married there.
To help him find Iceland, Flóki took three ravens with him. Because of this, people started calling him Raven-Flóki. In Old Norse, this name is Hrafna-Flóki. He is still known by this name today.
Other people on the trip included Thorolf (Þórólfr), Herjolf, and Faxe (Herjólfr and Faxi). After sailing for some time from the Faroes, Flóki let his ravens go. The first raven flew back towards the Faroe Islands. The second raven flew up high, then came back to the ship.
But the third raven flew northwest and did not return. Flóki knew this meant land was close. So, they followed the direction the third raven had flown. After sailing west past Reykjanes, they saw a very large bay. Faxe said that they had found a great land. Because of Faxe's remark, the bay near Reykjavík is now called Faxaflói, which means "Faxe's bay."
Flóki and his group set up a winter camp in Vatnsfjörður at Barðaströnd. The summer had been very warm and good. Because of this, Flóki was not ready for the very cold winter that followed. While waiting for spring, Flóki climbed the highest mountain near his camp. This mountain is now thought to be Nónfell in Westfjords.
From the top, he saw a large fjord, Ísafjörður. It was full of floating ice. Because of all the ice, he named the entire land Ísland, which means Iceland. When Flóki and the others returned to Norway, people asked them about the new land. Flóki said he thought the land was worthless.
Herjolf believed the land had both good and bad parts. Thorolf, however, said that butter was spread on every straw in the new land. Because of this, Thorolf was nicknamed Thorolf Butter (Þórólfur smjör). Even though Flóki spoke badly about Iceland, he later returned. He settled there and lived in Iceland until he died.
Flóki in Modern Stories
Floki the boat builder is a character in the TV show Vikings. He is played by the Swedish actor Gustaf Skarsgård. This character is loosely based on the real Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson. In season 5 of the show, Floki arrives in Iceland. He believes he has found Asgard, the home of the Norse gods.
See also
In Spanish: Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson para niños
