The Icelandic Roots Podcast

Sigfús Haukur Sigfússon was the 2024 Snorri West Alumni Intern, who has been exploring his family emigration connections across North America with Icelandic Roots.

 

Recorded live in Reykjavik - Sigfús shares his journey of tracing family branches, and filling in the gaps of genealogy. We explore perspectives on American culture and the immigrant experience within the “melting pot” of the U.S. and Canada.

 

Sigfús recounts personal...

Sigmundur Geir Sigmundsson, known as Simbí, grew up on a Westfjords dairy farm before attending agriculture school and traveling North America with the Snorri West program.

Join us for a conversation near his home in Búðardalur, where we delve into the changing landscape of Icelandic family farms and the resilience of rural communities.

We explore the challenges and possibilities of sustainable practices, pondering the future of I...

Amber Monroe is the Owner and Founder of Ísponica. In this episode we explore what lead her from the United States to start her Aquaponics company in Iceland.    Amber's path, starting from her studies on lumpfish at Hólar University, has led her from a Hólar barn basement to a unique aquaponics setup in a warehouse in Hofsós, overlooking the stunning fjord of Skagafjörður.   She shares her insights on rural tourism, Icelandic food...

Our guest is María Pálsdóttir who operates the Hælið Museum - a sanatorium turned museum highlighting Iceland's fight against Tuberculosis.

TB, a persistent scourge, has haunted humanity for millennia, leaving its mark on countless lives, societies, and even driving medical advancements.

 

This episode dives into the past and present of tuberculosis in Iceland. We explore why tuberculosis was once known as the "Romantic Disease" an...

Hjördís Hilmarsdóttir is a passionate traveller, hiker, genealogy enthusiast, and dog breeder. With Icelandic Roots, Hjördís brings her excitement for recording diverse information in the database and correcting errors in Icelandic-language texts.

 

In this episode, Hjördís shares her love for the Egilsstaðir region and all of East Iceland - spanning from Seyðisfjörður to Vopnafjörður!

Inspired by the breathtaking lands...

Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane Canadian/American pastor and author, brings her passion for Icelandic heritage to the podcast. As a descendant of immigrants she is a passionate genealogist and a trained opera singer with a PhD in bible studies.

Doreen's family history fuels her writings, including her book "Leirarskotta, Icelandic Girl Ghost."

 

In this captivating episode, Doreen introduces us to the intriguing concept of 'Ghost Geneal...

Jason Doctor is an American of Icelandic descent, a public policy professor at USC with a PhD in psychology.

As Public Outreach Director at Icelandic Roots, he promotes Icelandic heritage through education and events.

 

In this conversation, Jason shares his unique approach to delving into the Icelandic sagas - timeless literary treasures that offer profound insights into history and human nature.

 

Drawing from his extensive immer...

Kent Lárus Björnsson is a Western Icelander with a unique perspective.

Born and raised in Gimli, Manitoba (Canada) with deep Icelandic roots, Kent eventually returned to his ancestral homeland.

Now living in Reykjavik, he works at a local school and shares his passion for exploration by offering services as a tour consultant.

We delve into Kent's journey of how he made Iceland his home with all his diverse adventures along the way.

...

Join Curtis Olafson as he sheds light on efforts to raise awareness about a prevalent gene mutation in individuals of Icelandic descent.

 

The CDKN2A mutation significantly increases the risk of melanoma, pancreatic, and other cancers, present in 10-25% of families with multiple melanoma cases and approximately 1 in 1250 Icelanders without a melanoma diagnosis.

Icelandic descendants face heightened susceptibility to these cancers, ...

Continue our discussion on the essence of art, podcasting, and poetry with Karen Gummo.

Karen shares her "storytelling affirmation" and her ties to Calgary's Leif Erikson Icelandic Club and more tales from her Icelandic travels; intertwining history, myth & legendary locales.

Special to this Podcast, Karen retells the Icelandic Ghost Story of The Deacon of Myrká (Djákninn á Myrká).

The mystical Myrká of Eyjafjörður where...

Karen Gummo's world of storytelling & history Part 1 of our interview.

We unravel tales from her recent trip to Iceland, where she performed in the grand opening of the Edda building.

Learn the origin story that ignited Karen's fascination with Laura Goodman Salverson (1890–1970), who was a distinguished Icelandic-Canadian author.

(Laura's literary works, deeply rooted in Icelandic heritage, earned her two Governor General's aw...

Part 2 with Atli Geir Halldórsson and Julie Summers, co-project managers of the Snorri Programs.

Continuing our exploration of language learning, touching on the influence of technologies like AI language models. We look ahead to the future of genealogy, pondering what the next generation of genealogists might discover within the vast digital archives our society is constructing.

Atli and Julie share valuable insights into Iceland,...

Meet Atli Geir Halldórsson and Julie Summers, co-project managers of the Snorri Programs, who both joined in 2023, bringing diverse experiences to the table.

Atli, with a background in managing Nordjobb and volunteering at the Nordic Youth Democracy, splits his time between Iceland and Vancouver, Canada, where he has ancestral emigration ties.

Julie, previously a writer and editor for the Lögberg-Heimskringla and a longstanding mem...

Part 2 of our conversation with Julian Lozos, Associate Professor of Geophysics at California State University, Northridge.

We pick right back up discussing earthquake processes and the role of computer modeling in both volcano and earthquake science. We explore the impact of these technologies on the lives of people and their safety in regions prone to seismic events.

Continuing our exploration, we delve into the recent history of...

Julian Lozos is an Associate Professor of Geophysics at California State University, Northridge. His work uses computer modeling techniques to understand earthquake processes, most notably within the San Andreas Fault system.

Deeply passionate about geology, Julian is captivated by Iceland. He has explored recent eruptions on the island and immersed himself in Grindavík and the geological wonders of that region.

 

In Part 1, we del...

Part 2 of our interview with Nelson Gerrard; we delve deeper into his literary journey and the intricate process of bringing his books to publication as way to give back to the community that had supported him.

We venture into the concept of illuminating the invisible landscape through understanding history, unraveling the profound connections that history opens up in our surroundings.

Our conversation extended to the magic...

Recorded within the historic walls of Éngimýri, a kaffi-fueled discourse with the great Nelson Gerrard, a Manitoba-based historian, genealogist, and author of Icelandic River Saga and The Icelandic Heritage.

 

Our conversation delves into the Icelandic immigrant experience in North America, weaving together genealogy, language, and the allure of myth in a captivating exploration of our roots.

 

In Part 1, Nelson discusses the resto...

Heather Lytwyn is a dedicated genealogy enthusiast who uncovers the fascinating history of her family in what she calls 'Virtual Family Reunion.'

Heather, with over 30 years of teaching English, now leads the Icelandic Roots Book Club.

The Book Club has featured noteworthy authors like first lady Eliza Reid, Alfreda Jonsdottir, Nancy Marie Brown, and translator Philip Roughton. And has covered works by Halldór Laxness, Hannah Kent,...

In an engaging rendezvous, Owen Roberts reconnects with his fellow Snorri Alumni, Zach Sigurdson. In their conversation they discuss Viking History and the reaching of North America (Vinland) along with personal tales of family history.     Zach is an author & Viking reenactment enthusiast from Winnipeg, Manitoba.    His passion for Viking culture and history shines through, making this episode a riveting journey through tim...