Flóki Vilgerðarson

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Flóki Vilgerðarson (Floki son of Vilgerdur) was amongst the first Norsemen to find Iceland. His story is documented in the Landnámabók manuscript. He set sail in order to find Gardarsholm (Icelandic. Garðarshólmi -lit. hill of Garðar) and took three ravens to help him find his way. Thus, he was nicknamed Raven-Floki (Icelandic Hrafna-Flóki)- and he is commonly remembered by that name.

Floki was accompanied on his journey by a farmer named Thorolf (Þórólfur) and two men named Herjolf and Faxe (Herjólfur og Faxi). Near the Faroe Islands, Floki set the ravens free. The first raven flew back on board, the second flew up in the air and back on board, but the third flew in front of the ship. Thus, they followed the third raven. After sailing west past Reykjanes they spotted a large bay. The man named Faxe (Faxi) remarked: “This seems to be a great land that we have discovered here.” Since then, the bay has been called Faxafloi (Icelandic. Faxaflói- lit. Faxi's bay) in his name.

Floki set up a winter camp in Vatnsfjordur (Icelandic. Vatnsfjörður, lit. Lake Fjord) at Bardastrond (Icelandic. Barðaströnd, lit. Barði's beach). The summer was very good so Floki was ill-prepared for the cold winter that followed. Waiting for the spring Floki hiked up the highest mountain above his camp, believed to be Nónfell. From there, he spotted a large fjord, Arnarfjörður, full of drift ice. Thus, he named the entire country "Iceland" (Icelandic. Ísland).

When Floki and the other men returned to Norway, they were asked about the newly found land. Floki believed it to be worthless. Herjolf believed that the land had both good and bad qualities. Thorolf claimed that butter was smeared on every straw on the land that they had found. Thorolf was thus nicknamed Thorolf Butter (Icelandic. Þórólfur smjör).