Hrafna-Floki memorial (Hrafna-Flóki)
Hrafna-Floki memorial (Hrafna-Flóki)
At the turning to Flokadalur, you'll find a memorial to Viking explorer Floki Vilgerdason. Floki was credited with giving Iceland its chilly-sounding name.
The legend, as recounted in the Landnamabok manuscript, tells that Floki set sail from Norway with three ravens. He called in at the Shetland Islands and the Faroe Islands then continued towards Iceland. He let one of the Ravens go and it flew back to the Faroes. The second one flew around the boat and returned to it, while the third flew off towards Iceland. Floki followed it, found land and settled in Vatnsfjorður in the west of Iceland.
He spent his time fishing rather than harvesting hay for his livestock. Over the winter they perished and Floki was obliged to return to leave Iceland. He climbed a high mountain to check on the weather and saw fjords full of pack ice. It was this ice that caused him to name the land 'Iceland'.
Floki later returned to Iceland and settled in Flokadalur.