nization of Iceland, as given by the most
respectable historians of the country, must
be looked upon as a fable.
Following, therefore, the native writers of
Iceland, its earliest discoverer upon record
was a famous pirate of the name of Nad doc,
a Norwegian by birth, who, in the year 861,
was driven thither by a tempest, while on a
voyage from his native country to the Ferroe
Islands; and, on account of the vast quantity
of snow, with which he observed the mountains
to be covered, named it Snoeland. Not
alarmed, however, by this chilling prospect,
such was the account of the country he gave
on his return home, that others were induced
to go in search of it. The first of these,
Gardar Suaversen, a native of Sweden, set
sail in the year 864, and, after approaching
the eastern coast, proceeded round the island
to a harbor in the north, where he came
to an anchor, and passed the winter at a
place which has since borne the appellation
of Skialfiord: in order to immortalize himself
for this bold exploit, he altered the name
of the island to Gardarsholme. The next
adventurer was Floco; who, as the compass
was not yet discovered, to remedy this deficiency,
took in his vessel some ravens, the
sacred bird of the north ; one of which, at
the time when he supposed he was drawing
towards the termination of his voyage, he
suffered to escape, hoping, by its course, to
be more surely directed towards the country
of which he was in search; the bird, however,
turned his flight towards Haitland, the
port whence they had set out, and satisfied
Floco that he was still at a less distance
from Norway than from Gardarsholme.
Pursuing his voyage, therefore, for some
time longer, he at length liberated another
raven, who, finding “ no rest for the sole of
his feet,” returned, and took refuge in the
vessel. In a few days a third raven was suffered
to leave the ship, and this, more fortunate,
pursued its course towards the long-
expected shore. Floco, in like manner as
his predecessors had done, first touched at
the eastern coast, whence, steering his course
round the southern part of the island, he
entered the great gulf (now called Faxa-
fiord) between the two promontories that