The first Norseman to rest his feet on Icelandic soil was Naddoddr - who named the land of fire and ice Snaeland (Land of Snow). The second Norseman to arrive was Floki Vilgerdarson who took 3 ravens to help him find his way. Floki set his ravens free near the Faroe Islands. The first raven flew back to the Faroes, the second flew up in the air and returned to the ship. The third flew in front of the ship and followed its direction to Iceland. A harsh winter caused all of Floki's cattle to die, after which he cursed the cold country and named it Island (Iceland). The next brave Viking to reach the icy land was Ingolfur Arnarson who had instigated a blood feud in his homeland Norway and swore to settle wherever he drifted ashore. Archaeogenetic studies have shown these Vikings who colonized Iceland brought thousands of slave women from Ireland and Scotland to put down roots. Roughly half of the genetic material of early settlers was an even Norse/Gaelic mix. Even today, Icelanders draw 70 percent of their genes from the Norse and 30 percent from these original Gaelic sources.

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