Akureyri (the acre in the delta) – the capital of Norðurlands Eystri (North Eastern Region), is a university town with all facilities and a bustling public life even though the population is only 20,000.
According to Landnámabók (the conquest book), the settlement of Eyjafjörður started with Helgi Magri sometime in the 9th century. His father, Eivind, was originally Swedish, and moved westwards via Norway. Helge was born in Ireland, but left for fostering in the Suðrøyene (Hebrides, west of Scotland) as an infant. When his parents picked him up 2 years later, he had become so thin that they hardly recognized him, hence the nickname ‘magri’ = ‘the skinny one’. Fostering children was a form of alliance building in the Viking Age, and foster children had the same rights as their own children. But one wonders how good the relationships were after this… And let’s hope that the foster family didn’t also have daughters! In the book ‘Auðr’, Kim Hjardar writes that in the Viking Age 7% of men and 37% of women were malnourished as children. Helgi married Torunn, who was the daughter of Kjetil Flatnose and sister of Aud the Deep-Thinking (the same Auðr mentioned above), and they had many children. Their settlement was the largest in Iceland, larger than the settlement of Ingólfur Arnarson. Helgi was a Christian, but when it really came down to life or death (for example in stormy weather at sea), he invoked the thunder god Þor instead.
The first time Akureyri is mentioned by name in written sources is in a judgment from 1562, when a woman was convicted of having slept with a man without being married. But don’t let this put a damper on your mood! Akureyri is a place with a good spirit, several cozy cafes and an abundant number of restaurants and bars.
Before you go out to party, taking a bath is just right. This time, we recommend a morning dip! We made it incredibly easy by changing at the hotel, crossing Drotningarbraut (Queen’s Road), climbing over the boulders and swim there. Clear and beautiful water, lots of birds and clean water even though it’s close by an active harbor.
Ref: ‘Auðr-Kvinneliv i vikingtid‘, Kim Hjardar, ISBN 978-82-430-1209-7