Kia ora and Sæl, dear members and friends, warm greetings to you all!
Today is Monday, the 17th of June 2024, Þjóðhátíðardagurinn, Iceland’s 80th National Day. In this, the very first blog post of the newly founded Snorri Society New Zealand, I would like to share with you my drive and reasoning for this organisation—what it stands for, whom it serves, and what I/we would like to achieve.
My name is Jason. I’m originally from the Black Forest of Southwest Germany, but for as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with island countries. My favourites have always been New Zealand and Iceland. While I made Aotearoa my beloved home after I first moved here in 2010, Iceland was always on my mind, and so the idea of connecting the two—not just in my head—grew over the years.
I first travelled all around Iceland with my sister in 2014, later took a course in the rather complicated Icelandic language at university, and read lots about Icelandic news, history, and politics throughout these years.
While the Ísland nation is rich and plentiful in nature and culture, its population is pretty small—tiny even if we consider the small number of Icelanders living overseas. According to current statistics, there are only about 120 people of Icelandic descent in Aotearoa New Zealand. Yet many have managed to maintain their beautiful language and traditions, even met on occasion, as Facebook and their former blog can prove. This brand-new Society was established to encourage and help with that—connect people, showcase projects and events, and teach Kiwis about far-away Iceland, a country New Zealand has so surprisingly much in common with.
I thought long and hard about a fitting name. After a whole lot of back and forth, I settled on Snorri, named after Snorri Sturluson, perhaps Iceland’s most famous poet, historian, chieftain, and lawspeaker of all time—author of the Prose Edda and the Heimskringla. Yes, I am aware, for many, he was a controversial figure; nevertheless, one of the forefathers of the Icelandic nation and an intellectual mastermind. If you don’t like Sturluson at all, consider Snorri as standing for many other famous and successful Icelanders like Snorri Thorfinnsson, Snorri Hjartarson, or Snorri Guðjónsson, just to mention a few—a short, memorable, and uniquely Icelandic name.
And with that, I end this first post full of excitement for the future of this new organisation. Now, it is on us all—Icelanders, Kiwis, Kiwi Icelanders, and the many more in Aotearoa New Zealand with an interest in the Icelandic language, nature, culture, and history—to come together and share our common goals. The Snorri Society New Zealand is open to everyone, and no one should hesitate to join. Please consider becoming a member for free now, and follow us on our social media.
Ngā mihi and Bestu kveðjur,
(Daniel) Jason Wagner 🙂
Snorri Society New Zealand 