Overview
About Land Wights
The guardians in a medieval account
Heimskringla tells of a magician sent by the Danish king to investigate Iceland while travelling in the shape of a whale. He finds the land defended by powerful beings, including a dragon, a great bird, a bull and a giant. The surrounding hills also contain many other spirits. This is a medieval literary account of supernatural protection, and its transformation and guardian figures belong to the story's imaginative world.
From story to national symbol
The four guardians became supporters of Iceland's coat of arms in 1919. In the republican design they surround a shield bearing a red cross edged in silver on blue, standing on a base of columnar basalt. The royal crown was removed when Iceland became a republic in 1944. The emblem gives the old narrative a public visual role: literary figures associated with defending the land now frame the symbol of the state.
Article reviewed .