created by mistyriana on 07/02/2025 at 08:57 UTC
1 upvotes, 3 top-level comments (showing 3)
(Most information I am writing here is from Wikipedia.)
Iceland's adoption of Christianity is often written as the year 1000 but some historians would place it in the year 999.
The first missionary was Thorvald Kodransson, with a Saxon bishop named Fridrek (not much is known about this bishop) but it met with limited success; when Olaf Tryggvason ascended the throne to Norway, the effort to Christianize Iceland intensified; he sent an Icelander named Stefnir Thorgilsson who failed, and then sent a priest named Thangbrand; his mission in Iceland was only partly successful.
Thorgeir Thorkelsson, the law speaker of the Althing was to be a mediator for the conflict between the pagans and the Christians—he announced his decision that Iceland was to become Christian, with the condition that old laws concerning the exposure of infants and the eating of horseflesh would remain, and that private pagan worship be permitted.
Now, I am thinking about if this whole thing never happened, from the first missionary to Thorgeir Thorkelsson saying that Iceland was to become Christian—what if all of that never happened? Would Iceland stay as pagan, or Christianity would eventually take over, or something else would happen?
My second question would be if all of the previous events happened, but Thorgeir Thorkelsson denied the idea of Iceland being Christian, what would happen? Would a civil war happen between the pagans and Christians, or something else?
I ask this question in good faith and with brief skimming of Wikipedia pages... definitely something odd.
Comment by AusHaching at 07/02/2025 at 09:12 UTC
5 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Iceland did have limited contact with Europe and was considered part of Norway. It probably would have become christian some time later. Maybe there would have been a small "crusade" at some point, if Iceland was still pagan.
Comment by cakle12 at 07/02/2025 at 09:30 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Somehow, the island would become isolated from European influence with that Icelandic Commonwealth. In the same way, they will still be colonized, and today they will be seen as strange Europeans who still believe in the old gods, and probably won't even be the majority, as Danes, Norwegians, or English will be immigrated to the island and pushed inland. In its own way, however, it will be good because Iceland will be more populated in the Interior.
Native Faith Icelanders would probably laugh the same way to Modern Neopaganism as freaks who want to copy their religion.
Comment by Inside-External-8649 at 07/02/2025 at 14:26 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Iceland needs to be more organized in order for this to work out. If you didn’t know, Iceland fell to warring clans, with civil wars ruining Iceland’s resources, falling to Danish/Norwish colonialism.
At some point, Iceland does need to create a centralized government, mostly to effectively fight off foreign attacks, but it doesn’t have to be feudalist or monarchist, just someone who organizes.
No Danish interjection also means no Danish Greenland, which means Greenland remains Inuit and self run.
It will be interesting to see how a Pagan Viking Iceland would develop today. By this point it’s not “Viking”, but rather just some other Pagan European. Like OTL, it has a healthy economy relying mostly on tourists.