Icelandic Times - Land og saga

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The Þingvellir area is part of a fissure zone running through Iceland. Photos: IngóAlthingi at ThingvellirÞingvellir National Park is perhaps the most important historical site inIceland. From 930 to 1798 Þingvellir hosted „Alþingi, “a general assemblywhere many of the major events in Icelandic history took place. It isincluded on the list of UNESCO‘s world heritage sites as it is consideredgiving „a unique reflection of mediaeval Norse/Germanic culture andone that persisted in essence from its foundation in 980 AD until the18th century.“Alþingi initially was a general assemblyof the nation, where the country‘smost eminent leaders gathered toset laws and settle disputes. Alþingiwas considered the most importantsocial gathering of the year and lastedtwo weeks each time. All free menwere allowed to attend and the eventfrequently drew a large crowd offarmers, traders, storytellers, travelersand of course those who had disputesto settle. These guests would each setup their own camps during Alþingiand fragments of around 50 boothsbuilt from turf and stone can still befound there today. At the center of theassembly stands Lögberg, or Rock ofLaw, on top of which an appointedofficial would direct the events andrecite the laws of the land.Many important decisions were takenat Þingvellir and perhaps the mostimportant one was the adoption ofChristianity in the year 1000. At thattime Iceland was divided into twofactions; heathens and Christians.Each faction had its own lawmakerand refused to acknowledge the othergroup’s legislation, thus threatening todissolve Alþingi. Famously, the two44lawmakers decided that the heathenlawmaker would decide which faithshould prevail. The heathen lawmaker,named Þorgeir Ljónsvetningagoði,went to rest under a fur blanket,under which he stayed the wholenight, before he gave his verdict:Iceland would adopt Christianity,although heathens could practicetheir religion secretly. This coineda common saying in Iceland, “to liedown underneath the fur,” which issaid whenever a matter needs to begiven serious thought.Upplausn var yfirvofandi í hinuunga samfélagi þar sem þingheimurhafði skipst í tvær fylkingar heiðinnamanna og kristinna. Fylkingarnarhöfðu hvor sinn lögsögumann ogsögðu sig úr lögum hvor við aðra.Lögsögumennirnir tveir sammæltustum að Þorgeir ljósvetningagoðilögsögumaður heiðinna skyldi ákveðahvaða trú Íslendingar allir skyldu taka.Þorgeir lagðist undir feld og hafðistþar við nóttina og næsta dag. Eftir þaðgekk hann að Lögbergi og kvað uppþann úrskurð að Íslendingar skyldutaka kristna trú en heiðnir fengjuáfram að stunda sína trú þótt leyntskyldi fara.Alþingi took on a different role in thelater part of the 12th century, when theexecutive power was transferred tothe King of Norway with the adoptionof the new legal corpora of the codexJárnsíða in 1271 and Jónsbók in 1281.Now Alþingi shared formal legislativepower with the king and both the kingand Alþingi had to give its consent forlaws to be passed. Toward the end ofthe 14th century Norway and Icelandwere brought under the controlof the Danish monarchy throughroyal succession. In 1662 Alþingirelinquished its autonomy to theDanish Crown, including legislativerights. Alþingi continued to be held atÞingvellir until 1798.Today Þingvellir is a protected nationalshrine. According to the law, passed in1928, the protected area shall alwaysbe the property of the Icelandic nation,under the preservation of Alþingi.Þingvellir National Park is notonly impressive for it‘s historicalimportance, it also boastsIn the last few decades, research hasmade it clear that Þingvellir is a naturalwonder on a international scale, withthe geologic history and the biosystemof Lake Þingvallavatn forming aunique entity, a magnificent showcase.Being able to witness the evolutionand formation of new species in aplace like Lake Þingvallavatn is ofimmense value. The Þingvellir area ispart of a fissure zone running throughIceland, being situated on the tectonicplate boundaries of the Mid-AtlanticRidge. The faults and fissures of thearea make evident the rifting of theearth’s crust.Preservation measures at Þingvellirwere modelled on the national parksthat had been established somewhatearlier in the United States to stemchanges to the natural environmentthere resulting from encroachmentby settlers. National parks conservedlarge uninhabited areas, which peoplecould visit and enjoy - but not settleor develop.Iceland identified a similar need topreserve certain natural and historicalsites for future generations to enjoythem in their original state. Today,Þingvellir is one of the most frequentlyvisited tourist sites in the country.Each year, thousands of visitors gothere to become better acquaintedwith Iceland’s greatest historical siteand jewel of nature.
Around 82% of Iceland‘s energyconsumption is generateddomestically through renewablesources. Photos: IngóGeothermal NationIn recent years Iceland has rapidly been positioning itself as a leadingforce in harnessing geothermal energy for the purposes of producingelectricity. Around 82% of the energy consumption in Iceland isgenerated domestically with renewable energy sources, 67% of whichcome from geothermal sources. Despite that it is estimated that around20-25% of Iceland’s renewable energy sources have been harnessed.That fact is reaffirming to most Icelanders as the nation is the worldleader in energy consumption per capita.Heat from the earth’s core is harnessedby drilling for hot steam surging upthrough the earth at great speed. Thesteam is then used put turbines intomotion, which power a generatorwhich ultimately produces electricity.This is however only possible wherethere is volcanic activity. Whathappens is that water will seepdown the soil where it comes intocontact with extremely hot surfaceswhich then send the water back tothe surface, either naturally throughgeysers or man-made boreholes.Geothermal areas are divided intohigh and low heat areas, in low heatareas the temperature is usually underboiling, but high heat areas can reachover 200°.Iceland’s scientists and specialistshave been working adamantly indeveloping way in how to harness theearth’s heat and now rank among thetop experts in the field. An ambitious“deep drilling” project is nowunderway, which would drasticallyincrease the production of geothermalboreholes. The theory is that bydrilling 4-5 kilometers (2.5-3 miles)into the extreme temperature of 400-600° (750-1100 F) the efficiency ofboreholes could be increased tenfold.This expertise is highly sought afterby the international community.Icelandic Energy Companies havebeen involved in projects all over theworld; Asia, Africa and the Americas.The president of Iceland, ÓlafurRagnar Grímsson, is an adamantsupporter of the use of renewableenergy and has actively encouragedthat the nations of the world makeuse of the experience Iceland hasgathered.The theory is that bydrilling 4-5 kilometers(2.5-3 miles) into theextreme temperatureof 400-600° (750-1100F) the efficiency ofboreholes could beincreased tenfold.45
Page 2 and 3: A Greetingfrom thePresident of Icel
Page 4 and 5: The NationalMuseum of Iceland:Take
Page 6 and 7: A Photographer’s paradise-The Rey
Page 8 and 9: The Northern Lights can often be se
Page 10 and 11: Relaxing Stay on the Arctic Circle-
Page 12 and 13: “For those who wantto remember Ic
Page 14 and 15: Houses such as this one have been c
Page 16 and 17: The Kingdom of Vatnajökull-Home to
Page 18 and 19: Bus Tours with aPersonal Touch-Time
Page 20 and 21: its most magnificent creations. Tha
Page 22 and 23: Driving on top of a glacier is an e
Page 24: BORN AGAINA Unique Novelty in High
Page 27 and 28: Among the highlights of this season
Page 29 and 30: Enjoy Icelandwith the best* local t
Page 31 and 32: Imagine standingon top of thesame r
Page 33 and 34: The Golden Circle Super Jeep Tour o
Page 35 and 36: Inside the Volcano-Volcano Tours Of
Page 37 and 38: More Iceland For Less MoneyExplore
Page 39 and 40: The Icelandic FilmSchool is current
Page 41 and 42: Photos: IngóIceland in figuresThe
Page 43: Curious heritageIceland’s musical
Page 47 and 48: The Vikingsare ComingIceland’s ri

Icelandic Times - Land og saga

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