In the Icelandic saga Landnamabook (Icelandic: Landnámabók) says that a man named Floki Vilgerdarson (Icelandic: Flóki Vilgerðarson) set sail to find Gardarsholm (Icelandic: Garðarshólmur) and took three ravens to guide his way and by that he was nicknamed Raven-Floki (Icelandic: Hrafna Flóki). On board there was a farmer named Thorolf (Icelandic: Þórólfur) and two other men named Herjof and Faxe (Icelandic: Herjólfur og Faxi). By the Faeroe islands Floki set the ravens free, the first flew back on board the ship, the next flew up in the air and back on board but the third flew in front of the ship and they followed the bird. When they sailed west by Reykjanes they saw a big bay when they saw Snæfellsnes then Faxe (Faxi) said: “This seems to be a great land that we have discovered here” and since then the bay is called Faxafloi (Icelandic: Faxaflói).
Floki set winter camp at Bardastrond (Icelandic: Barðaströnd). Spring was rather cold and Floki hiked up mountain and there he saw a down a big valley full of drift ice (sea ice) and then he named the land Iceland (Icelandic: Ísland).
When they came back to Norway they were asked about the new found land and Floki said it worthless, Herjof said the land has its potentials “ups and downs” and Thorolf said that butter was on every straw on the land they had found by that Thorolf was nicknamed Thorolf butter (Icelandic: Þórólfur smjör).
Last updated: 06-01-2005 01:29:28