Literature
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Reformation/ Enlightment

The Reformation was for Iceland not only a change of confession but also another part of their loss of independence towards the Danish crown.

On this time, literature was mainly the writing of religious papers and church songs. The most famous Icelandic poet was the priest Halgrimur Pétursson (1614-1674). His carols were recorded over sixty times. The funeral songs are one of the typical Icelandic ceremonies.

Adventure stories and traveller reports were becoming rather popular in Europe at this time. It didn´t take a long time until Icelandic tales were told, even though they were very exaggerating. In the name of the Danish king the two scientists Eggert Ólafsson and Bjarni Pálsson wrote a book of adventuretales. In 1752 they started off to discover all islands belonging to Iceland and all of the inhabited parts. In 1767 Eggert Ólafsson completed the book that was still written in Danish language and first printed in 1772. It then represented more ageographical and sociological study of Iceland and its surroundings.

Jón Þorláksson (1744-1819) and Benedikt Gröndal (1762-1825) are two other poets during this period of time who did mainly translation work and opened all ways for Icelandic poetry. Also very important especially regarding geological studies, one must not forget the autobiographical works of the priest Jón Steingrímsson (1728-1791) who described the eruption of the "Laki" in 1783