10 Reasons Icelanders Are Proud of Iceland

2. The Icelandic Language

Photo from Wikimedia, Creative Commons, by Möðruvallabók. No edits made.

Newcomers often find the Icelandic language a challenge, and no wonder, since it has been preserved almost unchanged for centuries. That continuity is a source of deep pride for Icelanders, who can still read their medieval sagas in a way speakers of most other languages cannot manage with writing so old.

In practice, they usually meet those sagas in editions with modernized spelling, since the original manuscripts, with their archaic letterforms and abbreviations, take real training to decipher. If even locals lean on modernized editions, newcomers need not feel daunted. A few well-chosen Icelandic phrases will still earn a warm smile, even if true fluency takes years.

Pride in the language also shows in how carefully it is guarded. New inventions tend to get home-grown names instead of borrowed ones, which is how the computer became the tölva, a 1965 blend of tala, meaning number, and völva, an ancient seeress.

That same love of language runs onto the page. Writing in his mother tongue, novelist Halldór Laxness secured the Nobel prize in literature in 1955, and it is often said that one in every ten Icelanders will publish a book in their lifetime. This nation is utterly obsessed with books and Icelandic literature, a passion anyone can dip into for themselves.

3. Human Rights in Iceland

Photo from Wikimedia, Creative Commons, by Helgi Halldórsson. No edits made.

Icelanders take great pride in progressing human rights and values. The nation ranks among the best in the world for gender equality, freedom of expression, gay rights, and democratic governance.

With a guarantee of religious freedom, no state violence, and laws forbidding discrimination based on race, gender, disability or other factors, Iceland is by many standards considered a world leader when it comes to the rights enjoyed by its people. In recent years, equal-pay certification for employers and strong protections for LGBTQIA+ people have reinforced that reputation.

Of course, no place is perfect, and the country is far from being a utopia. But with such an impressive record, Icelanders are very proud of how far they've come, and hope for the rest of the world to follow.

4. The Fishermen of Iceland

Icelanders are very proud of their Coast Guard, and of having prevailed in the historic fishing disputes known as the Cod Wars. Those confrontations expanded Iceland’s control of fishing grounds and helped safeguard a sustainable future for coastal communities.

Furthermore, fishing has always been crucial to the survival of the people. As the country's oldest trade, fishing is and always has been tremendously important, meaning the fishermen are well respected.

Every year, on the first Sunday of June, a national 'seamen celebration day' known as Sjómannadagurinn is held throughout the country, showing the nation's gratitude for these brave men and women.

Curious visitors can read up on fishing in Iceland before setting out. Plenty of guided fishing trips are on offer for anyone keen to cast a line. 

5. The Icelandic Medal Winners

Icelanders love their athletes, especially when they win. When Vala Flosadóttir secured a shiny bronze necklace at the 2000 Summer Olympics, she instantly became the epitome of the entire nation's health and excellence.

And when the Icelandic men's handball team won the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there was no going back. The team was instantly labelled as "our boys" by the local press and were greeted as heroes when they returned home.

In Icelandic football, the national men’s team shocked the world by defeating England at UEFA Euro 2016, then qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and drew with Argentina in their opening match. The women’s national team continues to reach major tournaments and inspire the next generation across the country.

6. The Strong Men of Iceland

Icelandic men like to think of themselves as a collective of strong and sturdy Vikings. If every man in Iceland feels a little tough simply for being an Icelander, it is thanks in no small part to legends like Jón Páll Sigmarsson and Magnús Ver Magnússon.

Between them they won the World's Strongest Man title eight times across the 1980s and 1990s, turning a tiny nation into a powerhouse of the sport. It is a lineage told in full in the story of Iceland’s strongmen.

Icelanders come from a long line of hardworking men and women who survived incredibly harsh conditions for centuries. While daily life is far easier today, fitness and physical strength are still held in high regard by the nation as a whole.

7. The Trailblazing Women of Iceland

Iceland’s proudest story about its women is one of leadership. On 24 October 1975, around ninety percent of Icelandic women refused to do paid work, housework, or childcare for a single day, a protest known as Kvennafrídagurinn, the Women’s Day Off. It brought the country to a standstill and made the argument for equality impossible to brush aside.

Five years later, in 1980, Icelanders elected Vigdís Finnbogadóttir as president, the first woman anywhere to win a national presidency through a direct democratic vote. She held the office for sixteen years and became a figure known far beyond Iceland.

That thread runs straight into the present day, when both of the country’s highest offices are held by women: Halla Tómasdóttir as president and Kristrún Frostadóttir as prime minister. For a nation this small, having women at the very top of public life is a point of real and lasting pride.

8. The Music of Iceland

Again, given how incredibly few people actually inhabit Iceland, it is nothing less than astonishing how many successful musicians the country has produced. Be it the elvish melodies of Sigur Rós, the hypnotising beats of Gusgus, or the indie charms of Of Monsters and Men, Icelanders continue to amaze the world with their incredible talents.

Our ultimate national treasure is Björk, known at home since her teens as punk queen of the Sugarcubes and internationally acclaimed as a creative force since the 1990s. 

In recent years, a new generation has joined them. The rock band KALEO broke through worldwide with their 2016 single ‘Way Down We Go’, and jazz-pop singer Laufey has since won two Grammy Awards, both part of a deep bench of Icelandic artists and bands worth knowing.

Furthermore, visitors to Iceland often notice that everyone they meet is either a solo musician, a DJ, or a member of a band. Maybe it's the isolation, or perhaps the inspiration from nature, creativity isn't lacking in the land of ice and fire, as anyone who has been to one of the country’s many music festivals can attest.

9. Knowledge in Iceland

Books and learning sit close to the heart of how Icelanders see themselves. Adult literacy is near-universal, public libraries are well used, and reading runs through daily life from childhood onward. 

That devotion even has its own season in the Jólabókaflóð, the ‘Christmas book flood’, when families exchange newly published books on Christmas Eve and spend the evening reading them, a custom that took hold in the 1940s.

Higher education is strikingly accessible. At the University of Iceland, students pay an annual registration fee of ISK 100,000 rather than traditional tuition, and it is common for Icelanders to return to their studies later in life rather than treating education as something that ends in their twenties. 
From autumn 2027, the government has authorized tuition fees for students from outside the EEA and EFTA, so the picture will shift for some international students. Open, affordable access of this kind is one more reason people find themselves thinking about moving to Iceland.

10. The Inspiration of Iceland

When it comes down to it, the Icelandic nation is creative and funky, an inspiration to musicians, film-makers and artists the world over. You can trace that pull through the story of Icelandic cinema and the many film locations scattered across the country.

Thanks to the magnificent Icelandic landscape, the array of acclaimed music festivals, and the deep pool of talented locals, thousands of creatives flock here each year to get a piece of the action.

As a country that is both widely unspoilt, and yet boasting a high comfort of living, there might be no better place to feel both isolated and embraced. The capital city of Reykjavik provides modern culture, while the rural villages and uninhabited central Highlands offer an escape from it all.

Immerse yourself in the local music scene at Iceland Airwaves, and enjoy the artistic culture at the Reykjavik Fringe Festival. Up in East Iceland, the creative spirit lives on around Seydisfjordur, an artists' town and home to the Skaftfell Center for Visual Art.

The Pride of a Small Nation

For all its firsts, famous people, and dramatic scenery, Icelandic pride comes back to one idea: a small nation that treats every shared success as its own. 

Icelanders embrace how sought after their country has become, be it for art, education, or travel. The only thing left for you to do is to plan your trip to Iceland, join the party, and judge for yourself.

Which of these ten reasons speaks to you most, and is there anything you would add to the list? We hope to see you in Iceland very soon!