Icelandic culture is characterized by a vivid art scene, including literature, music and performing arts. In the capital, Reykjavík, you can find a large range of museums, art galleries, music venues and theaters. Bookstores and libraries resemble the strong literary tradition. 

The most believed theory on settlement is that Iceland was settled by Norwegian settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries. However, some believe that Irish (Celtic) monks were here before, on the islands off the coast of East Iceland.

Below we cover the different themes of Icelandic culture, divided into these categories:

• Icelandic Literature
• Icelandic Music
• Film & TV
• Sports in Iceland
• Traditions and Festivals
• Cuisine
• Language
• Religion
• People

Icelandic Literature

Icelandic literature is probably best known for the sagas, written in medieval times, starting from the 13th century. Middle Icelandic literature from the 15th to the 19th century is characterized by works such as the Passion Hymns of Hallgrímur Pétursson as well as rímur (rhymes or epic poems).

Modern Icelandic literature is rooted in the 19th century when romanticism arrived as a part of a linguistic and literary revival. Jónas Hallgrímsson was a poet and the first writer of modern Icelandic short stories. In the early 20th century, several Icelandic writers started writing in Danish, including Gunnar Gunnarsson, whose works include The Good Shepherd and The Black Cliffs. Halldór Laxness won the Nobel Prize in Literature for Independent People, but he also wrote Iceland’s Bell and The Fish Can Sing among other classic novels.

• See also: Icelandic Literature – Where to Start?

In modern day Iceland, the most popular authors include Ragnar Jónasson, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and Arnaldur Indriðason. All three mostly write crime stories. We could mention various other authors here but the list would be too long and it would be a hard choice who to mention and who to skip. Karitas Untitled by Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir is possibly the best novel ever written by an Icelandic author, even better than Independent People by Laxness. Both are classics but Independent People is too long unlike Karitas Untitled. The core strength of both novels is vivid descriptions that make the reader feel like a part of the story.

The Christmas Book Flood is an Icelandic tradition referring to the vast amount of books that are published before Christmas annually and how popular books are as Christmas presents.

Icelandic Music

For a nation of 400 thousand people, it is remarkable how many musicians have risen to fame internationally. The best known name is Björk of course, but there is also Sigur Rós, Of Monsters and Men and more recently Kaleo. The music culture is rooted in vibrant folk and pop traditions and has expanded into a variety of genres and styles. Locally, the most popular artists in recent years have been rappers such as Herra Hnetusmjör (e. Mr. Peanut Butter) and Úlfur Úlfur as well as pop singers like Bríet and GDRN.

Emilíana Torrini released the super catchy song Jungle Drum, which became a global hit in 2008 from the album Me and Armini and reached number one in the German, Austrian, Belgian and Icelandic single charts. Most of her music is more calm (and better) than Jungle Drum though, highly recommended. Gollum’s Song from Lord of the Rings, Me and Armini, and Tookah are a few of her other hits.

GusGus is an electronic music band from Reykjavík, still in full swing after over 30 years on the top. They started out in 1995 as a film and acting collective but soon evolved into a band. Membership in the band has varied and included Daníel Ágúst, Hafdís Huld, Högni Egilsson, Emilíana Torrini, Birgir Þórarinsson and Margrét Rán Magnúsdóttir. During those three decades, they have released numerous hits, including Arabian Horse and Over (2011), Crossfade and Obnoxiously Sexual (2014), Polyesterday (1996), David (2003) and Higher (2020).

Sigur Rós is a post rock band formed in 1994 in Reykjavík, known for their ethereal sound and making up a language for some of their lyrics. 

Of Monsters and Men is an indie folk/rock band formed in 2010 and winning the annual Battle of the Bands (Músíktilraunir) that same year. Their debut single, Little Talks (2011), became an international hit. 

Kaleo is a blues rock band formed in 2012. Their most popular song to date is Way Down We Go (2016), which reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in August that year and was certified double platinum in the US.

Ásgeir is a singer-songwriter and musician and his genre is folktronica (indie electronic music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica). His international breakthrough came with King and Cross and he has expanded his sound with each release.

Ólafur Arnalds is a multi-instrumentalist and producer who mixes strings and piano with loops and beats to create ambient/electronic pop. In 2021, he was nominated in two categories at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Loom (feat. Bonobo) was nominated in the Best Dance/Electronic Recording category and The Bottom Line was nominated in the Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals category.

Music festivals in Iceland include Iceland Airwaves, Secret Solstice, Aldrei fór ég suður, and Dark Music Days.

Film & TV

Englar alheimsins (e. Angels of the Universe) poster, directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson

Icelandic films and TV shows have improved in quality a lot in the past 2-3 decades and like music, this is a field where there is surprisingly high quality given the small population. A milestone film, considered by many the best Icelandic film ever made, is Englar alheimsins (e. Angels of the Universe) which came out in the year 2000. Based on a true story, it tells of Páll, who starts out as a normal young man with a girlfriend and good friends but then he starts getting seriously mentally ill and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital. It is a serious topic but the story is told with humour and warmth.

Noi the Albino from 2003 is another classic Icelandic film, about 17 year old Nói who drifts through life on a remote fjord in the north of Iceland. In winter, the fjord is cut off from the outside world, surrounded by ominous mountains and buried under a shroud of snow. Nói dreams of escaping from this white-walled prison with Iris, a city girl who works at a local gas station. But his clumsy attempts at escape spiral out of control and end in complete failure.

Woman at War from 2018 is about a fifty-year-old independent woman, who leads a double life as an environmental activist. She wages a one-woman-war on the local aluminum industry through petty vandalism and industrial sabotage and succeeds in pausing the negotiations between the Icelandic government and the corporation building a new aluminum smelter in the mountains.

Sports in Iceland

Popular sports in Iceland include football, handball, running, basketball, strongman and golf. Iceland has been punching above its weight in recent decades in some of these sports, especially football, handball and strongman. The best known Icelandic athlete might be Eiður Guðjohnsen who played football for Chelsea in England and Barcelona in Spain, where he was a part of the team that won the Champions League in 2008-2009.

The Icelandic national men’s team in football famously qualified for the World Cup in Russia in 2018 as well as the Euro 2016 in France, beating England in the round of 16. The women’s team has done even better by qualifying for Euro 2009, 2013 and 2017.

The Icelandic national team in men’s handball has been successful for decades but with ups and downs through the years of course. This year, it has reached the semi final of the Euros for the third time.

Traditions and Festivals

Icelandic traditions are for example to go to swimming pools for socialising, eating fermented food in January and February and eating flat bread with slices of smoked lamb. Wearing “lopapeysa” (woolen sweater) to celebrate old times and as a fashion item in recent years (but mainly to keep warm of course). Icelanders flock to Tenerife in the wintertime and they will also stand in a queue while freezing outside small overcrowded bars with loud music, no oxygen and thick stagnant air for reasons unknown. There are many more curious facts about this nation, below we take a look at a few of them. 

Swimming is an integral part of Icelandic culture, people go to the hot tubs to socialize and some also swim to get some exercise. This is probably the healthiest national tradition in Iceland.

“Göngur og réttir” refers to the collection of sheep from the mountains and round-ups in the autumn. This is an annual tradition that many Icelanders look forward to every year.

Þorrablót is a mid-winter festival in late January or early February every year, during the old Pagan month of Þorri. People will eat the food of old times in Iceland, singed sheep heads, pickled ram’s testicles and fermented shark to name a few of the main “delicacies”.  

Lopapeysa (Icelandic woolen sweater) is an Icelandic style of knitwear originating from the early or mid-20th century. It is characterized by a wide decorative circle around the neck opening, knitted in a non-varying circle that makes it uniform at the front and back (unless a zipper is added on the front).

Letting babies nap outdoors, even in cold weather is common in Iceland, with the idea being that fresh air helps infants sleep more deeply and get healthier.

Eating ice cream in winter is common, Icelanders love ice cream any time of year. 

Drinking culture in Iceland improved after the beer ban was lifted in 1989. Before that, the drinking culture was significantly worse as people would drink more strong liquor and more commonly get heavily drunk. Nowadays, the trend has been more towards mainland Europe with beer by far the most popular, followed by wine and moderation the norm.

There are hardly any family names in Iceland as parents’ first names are used to form the last names of their children, usually the name of the father although mothers’ names have become more commonly used in recent years. Some people also prefer to use the first names of both of their parents to form a last name. Family members usually have different surnames for this reason. As an example, my last name is Magnússon because Magnús is the first name of my father. My sister’s last name on the other hand is Magnúsdóttir (daughter of Magnús).

Many Icelanders go nuts with fireworks on new year’s eve and sales of fireworks are among the highest in the world per capita.

Icelandic Cuisine

In the old days, Icelandic cuisine was defined by scarcity, isolation and cold. People used whatever they could find around them more or less, even eating old manuscripts due to poverty. Hence, the tradition of Þorrablót, where people eat fermented shark and pickled rams’ balls.

Nowadays, this has changed a lot and fresh ingredients from natural sources is more of a defining factor in the country’s cuisine. Fishing, farming, foraging and hunting remain important methods to get food. The focus on local food and traditional methods increased as a result of the financial crisis of 2008. Talented chefs and small independent food producers have lifted the cuisine to new heights. Think free grazing lamb, organic vegetables, fresh dairy products, pastries and delicacies made from cod.

Lamb, dairy and fish are core ingredients as well as vegetables easily grown in the cold climate, e.g. potatoes, turnips and carrots. Numerous restaurants around the country specialise in seafood.

Icelandic food specialities include íslensk kjötsúpa (lamb meat soup), kleinur (twisted doughnuts), plokkfiskur (fish stew) and skyr (dairy, like a thick and dense yogurt). There are several food tours available in Reykjavík where you can get a taste of Icelandic specialties.

Icelanders also like fast food and largely turn to American fast food chains for that, e.g. KFC, Subway and Dominos.

Icelandic Language

Icelandic language is traced to old Norwegian language but also has some traces of Celtic influence which is apparent from some words and names in modern day Icelandic. Like many other languages, Icelandic was passed down orally long before ever being written down, which was around the year 1100. The language was easily preserved due to the geographical isolation.

Religion in Iceland

Christianity is the dominant religion in Iceland but in reality, the majority of the population is not religious and only going to church for weddings, funerals and confirmations, maybe Christmas too. As of 2025, Christians constituted 68.13% of the Icelandic population, a significant drop from the 97.8% observed in 1990 according to Statistics Iceland. 

The People

The Icelandic nation is homogenic in terms of religion and not composed of different ethnic groups. They trace their roots to Norwegian settlers who arrived in the 9th century. There is a strong emphasis on equality with flat hierarchies. It is generally a hardworking population, and most Icelanders start working from an early age (around age 13).

It is a close-knit community as the small population supports close connections and relationships. Icelandic culture encourages self-reliance and resourcefulness. People grow up learning to handle challenges themselves, a tradition rooted in surviving the tough Icelandic environment.

 

References:

• Iceland History, Culture & Attractions (Iceland Travel)
• Culture of Iceland (Wikipedia)
• Your Guide to Iceland’s Culture and Traditions (Discover the World)
• Arts and Culture in Iceland (Visit Iceland)
• 10 Weirdest Things About Icelandic People & Culture (Guide to Iceland)