Ingólfr Arnarson

Lore & Background

Ingólfr Arnarson was from the valley of Rivedal in Sunnfjord in western Norway. According to the Icelandic Book of Settlements, he built his homestead in and gave name to Reykjavík in 874. However, archaeological finds in Iceland suggest settlement may have started somewhat earlier. The medieval chronicler Ari Þorgilsson said Ingólfr was the first Nordic settler in Iceland, but mentioned that Irish monks had been in the country before the Norsemen. He wrote that they left because they did not want to live among the newly arrived Norse pagans. The existence of the Papar in Iceland remains archaeologically unproven; excavations on Papey documented ninth-century Norse settlement but found no traces of Papar.

The Book of Settlements contains a story about Ingólfr's arrival. It claims he left Norway after becoming involved in a blood feud. He had heard about a new island which Garðar Svavarsson, Hrafna-Flóki and others had found in the Atlantic Ocean. With his blood brother Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson, he sailed for Iceland. When land was in sight, he threw his high seat pillars overboard and promised to settle where the gods decided to bring them ashore. Two of his slaves then searched the coasts for three years before finding the pillars in the small bay which eventually became the site of Reykjavík. In the meantime, Hjörleifr had been murdered by his Irish slaves. Ingólfr hunted them down and killed them in the Westman Islands. The islands got their name from that event, with westmen being a name that the Norsemen used for the Irish. Ingólfr was said to have settled a large part of southwestern Iceland, although after his settlement nothing more was known of him.

Reader's Guide

Ingólfr Arnarson is traditionally recognized as the first permanent Norse settler of Iceland, a figure central to the country's origin narrative. His settlement in Reykjavík in 874, as recorded in the Icelandic Book of Settlements, marks a foundational event in Icelandic history. However, the article notes that archaeological finds suggest settlement may have started somewhat earlier, and that Irish monks (Papar) may have preceded the Norsemen, though their existence remains archaeologically unproven. The story of Ingólfr's arrival—throwing his high seat pillars overboard and letting the gods guide him—embodies the blend of pagan tradition and exploration that characterized the Viking Age. His legacy extends beyond his own life: his son, Þórsteinn Ingólfsson, was a major chieftain and founded the Kjalarnesþing, the first thing or parliament in Iceland, a forerunner of the Althingi. In modern times, a statue of Ingólfr Arnarson, designed by Icelandic sculptor Einar Jónsson, was erected in Reykjavík in 1924, with a copy placed at Rivedal in 1961. Ingólfr remains a symbol of Iceland's Norse heritage and the beginning of its continuous settlement.

Did You Know?

• Ingólfr Arnarson is commonly recognized as the first Icelander, settling in Reykjavík in 874 with his wife Hallveig Fróðadóttir and foster brother Hjǫrleifr Hróðmarsson.
• According to the Book of Settlements, Ingólfr threw his high seat pillars overboard and promised to settle where the gods decided to bring them ashore.
• The Westman Islands got their name from Ingólfr's killing of Irish slaves there; westmen was a Norse term for the Irish.
• A statue of Ingólfr Arnarson, designed by Einar Jónsson, was erected in Reykjavík in 1924, with a copy at Rivedal in 1961.