Ingólfr Arnarson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ingólfr Arnarson
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Ingolf tager Island i besiddelse by Johan Peter Raadsig (1850)
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| Born | c. 849 Rivedal, Sunnfjord, Kingdom of Fjordane
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| Died | c. 910 Reykjarvík, pre-Commonwealth Iceland
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| Nationality | Norse |
| Occupation | Icelandic |
| Known for | First permanent Norse settler in Iceland |
| Children | Þorsteinn Ingólfsson (son) |
| Relatives | Örn Björnólfsson (father); Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson (blood brother) |
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Ingólfr Arnarson (born around 849, died around 910) is known as the first permanent Norse settler of Iceland. He came from Norway with his wife, Hallveig Fróðadóttir, and his foster brother, Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson. They are traditionally said to have settled in Reykjavík in 874.
Ingólfr's Journey to Iceland
Ingólfr Arnarson came from a place called Rivedal in western Norway. According to an old Icelandic book called the Book of Settlements, he built his home in Reykjavík in 874. However, some discoveries from old digs in Iceland suggest people might have started settling there a bit earlier.
The medieval writer Ari Þorgilsson said Ingólfr was the first Nordic settler. But he also mentioned that Irish monks had lived in Iceland before the Norse people arrived. These monks left because they did not want to live among the new Norse settlers, who followed pagan beliefs.
Leaving Norway
The Book of Settlements tells an interesting story about why Ingólfr left Norway. It says he had to leave after being involved in a serious conflict. He had heard about a new island in the Atlantic Ocean. This island had been found by other explorers like Garðar Svavarsson and Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson.
Ingólfr decided to sail to this new island with his foster brother, Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson. When they saw land, Ingólfr threw his special wooden high seat pillars overboard. These pillars were important parts of his home. He promised to settle wherever the gods decided to bring these pillars ashore.
Finding Reykjavík
Two of Ingólfr's slaves searched the coasts for three years to find the pillars. They finally found them in a small bay. This bay later became the site of the city of Reykjavík.
While they were searching, something sad happened. Hjörleifr, Ingólfr's foster brother, was killed by his Irish slaves. Ingólfr then hunted down these slaves. He found them and killed them in the Westman Islands. These islands got their name from this event. The Norse people called the Irish "westmen" (vestmenn in Old Norse).
Ingólfr is believed to have settled a large part of southwestern Iceland. After he settled, not much more is known about his life. His son, Þorsteinn Ingólfsson, became an important leader. He is said to have started the Kjalarnesþing, which was the first thing or local parliament in Iceland. This was a very early version of the Althingi, which is Iceland's national parliament today.
Ingólfr's Legacy
Ingólfr Arnarson is remembered as a key figure in Icelandic history. In 1924, a statue of him was put up in Reykjavík. This statue was created by the Icelandic artist Einar Jónsson. A copy of this statue was also placed in Rivedal, Norway, in 1961.
See also
In Spanish: Ingólfur Arnarson para niños
- Settlement of Iceland
- Viking expansion
