Deep North: Stories from Iceland

To the Manor Born

Observant visitors to Reykjavík may have noticed a peculiar street name: Barónsstígur, named after an eccentric aristocrat who lived in Iceland at the turn of the century.

Good Breeding

This April, sheep at Bergsstaðir farm in Northwest Iceland were diagnosed with the fatal degenerative disease known as scrapie. In accordance with regulations, the 700-some sheep were culled to prevent the spread of the disease to neighbouring farms. We revisit our 2022 article, Good Breeding, to see what's being done to fight this deadly disease.

Velvet Terrorism

Feminist punk band and political activist group Pussy Riot held their first-ever gallery exhibition at Reykjavík's Marshall House.

The Wonderer

The many digressions of Icelandic artist, Júníus Meyvant.

Full Circle

The circular economy could revolutionize how we make things and deal with our waste. A profile of the Icelandic entrepreneurs working within the circular ethos.

A New Leash on Life

When we met the beauty pageant winner, he wasn't exactly what you might expect: three years old, short, and furry. This is the story of the comeback of the Icelandic sheepdog.

Born and Bread

A history of the Icelandic flatbread: the unsung hero of traditional Icelandic cuisine.

Nothing to Speak Of

With a growing economy, Iceland is home to more foreign-born residents than ever. And although Icelandic is often described as an "impossible" language to learn, the barriers to learning Icelandic are more often social and economic. We look at the shortcomings of Icelandic as a second language education, and ask what's to be done.

A Diamond in the Rough

In the fall of 1813, a young, shy Danish man disembarked from a cargo sailing ship in Reykjavík harbour. His name was Rasmus Kristian Rask (1787-1832), but he was no merchant, nor was he a tourist. Short in stature and modestly dressed, his face was thin and fine-featured, long-nosed with round, clear eyes that burned with enthusiasm and intellect. Rask had been offered free passage to Iceland by appreciative Icelanders fascinated by the diminutive young Dane who so loved their language. He had come to the remote Danish colony for a two-year stay to master the language and test a theory he had devised; that Icelandic was the closest thing to an ancestor of all the other Germanic languages.

Making it Work

A look at the women in business who are finding solutions for workplace inequality in Iceland and the world.