Hands-on Learning with Leading Specialists
Our exclusive courses are taught by leading specialists in Icelandic cultural history. Designed for those who seek a deeper, hands-on understanding of Iceland’s intellectual and spiritual heritage, each course is delivered in an engaging and accessible format that combines scholarship with storytelling.
These courses offer a unique opportunity to learn something rarely available to the public, while gaining a richer understanding of cultural elements that have had a formative impact on the Icelandic nation and beyond.
Icelandic Manuscripts and the Ancient Icelandic Language
This course introduces participants to Icelandic manuscripts and Old Icelandic, the medieval language closest to the tongue the Vikings spoke. Through direct engagement with manuscripts, participants explore how this language shaped the sagas, law codes, world-famous poetry, and historical records that preserved Iceland’s history and influenced scholars and writers worldwide.
Magic in Iceland: Beliefs, Symbols, and Practice
This course explores the traditions of Icelandic magic, examining how magical symbols, charms, and rituals were used for protection, power, navigation, healing, and survival. Participants gain insight into the cultural and historical context of these practices, separating myth from documented tradition while understanding their role in everyday life and belief systems.
“The manuscripts course was extraordinary. To read Old Icelandic directly from a medieval source, guided by a true expert, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
– Prof. Elena V., Italy“The magic course completely changed my understanding of Icelandic folklore. Rigorous, fascinating, and unlike anything I have encountered before.”
– David P., Canada