Stories
Icelanders and their volcanoes
A slumbering giant seems to be awakening on Iceland's south-western peninsula, Reykjanes. The peninsula's name literally means the Smoking Peninsula.
A slumbering giant seems to be awakening on Iceland's south-western peninsula, Reykjanes. Surtur, god of the fire giants. The peninsula's name literally means the Smoking Peninsula, and after centuries of quiet, it is living up to its name once again.
Since 2021, a series of eruptions near Fagradalsfjall and the town of Grindavik have reminded Icelanders — and the world — that this island sits on one of the most volcanically active spots on Earth. Lava fields that were farmland a generation ago now glow orange at night.
For Icelanders, volcanoes are not abstract dangers. They are neighbours. The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 grounded flights across Europe, but for farmers in its shadow it meant months of ash fall and livestock evacuations. Yet ask any Icelander and they will tell you: the land gives more than it takes.
Geothermal energy heats nearly every home in the country. Hot springs dot the landscape. The volcanic soil, enriched by millennia of eruptions, supports some of the most resilient agriculture in the sub-Arctic. Iceland's relationship with its volcanoes is not one of fear — it is one of respect, adaptation, and quiet pride.