08/24/2026
Today, on Vesuvius Day, we'd like to reflect on how Iceland’s volcanic eruptions spurred Stephan’s father’s intent to emigrate from Iceland.
“Meanwhile, nature continued to wreak havoc in Northern Iceland. A volcanic eruption in the Grímsvötn Lakes, beneath the huge Vatnajökull Glacier, began at the end of December 1872 and gained momentum during the first days of the New Year. “On the 10th so much ash fell, almost an inch, that the snow turned dark brown. In some places thunder was heard and from other places fires were seen in the southeast,” Jón of Mjóidalur wrote in his diary.
“A lesser incident would have inspired a poet. “Veturinn 1873 – um eldgosið” (Winter 1873 – about the volcanic eruption) is dated January 3, 1873. Stefán’s poetic visions are powerful. The poem begins with an image of the dark night covering the land and proceeds to the odd creatures living beneath the earth, mythical worms in the soil and “islandwhales” in the dark silence of the sea. Small farms slumber in the valleys. Terror is revived from the depths of the age-old glaciers. Mythical forces hold the ancient power of destruction, the gods of fire and the sea give birth to strange creatures long before flowers in the fields began smiling to the sun. Volcanic fires threaten all life in the lowlands and God’s trumpet resounds over the frightened people, heralding what is to come, the poem says. The imagery is tense as Stefán describes the clash of the mythical forces of creation and destruction.
“The eruption lasted until spring, convincing several families in Bárðardalur to pack their belongings. Þorlákur Gunnar Jónsson of Stórutjarnir called a meeting at Eyjardalsá, the home of Stefán’s aunt, on January 24, 1873, and there some 40 farmers, among them Jón from Mjóidalur, discussed emigration. The outcome of the meeting was that a large number made plans to emigrate from the port of Akureyri that summer. In March, Jón of Mjóidalur made the decision to try his luck in the western world, as did others at Mýri and Mjóidalur, among them Guðmundur Stefánsson and Guðbjörg Hannesdóttir and their children, Stefán, who was now 19 years of age, and Sigurlaug, who was 12.
“The idea of emigration had been circulating for some time, but now people had simply had enough. Jón Jónsson from Mýri, a young man at the time, wrote in his memoirs that most of the people who left were prudent and industrious. His mother encouraged him to leave, as she “loved animals and found it much saner to earn a living by grain cultivation than this dishonest, risky stock raising.” For Guðmundur and Guðbjörg, there was little to leave. Guðmundur was 55 years old, worn out from hard work, with little to show for his labour. Perhaps the idea of emigration ignited a spark of hope for a new life for their children.” (Wakeful Nights, pgs. 84-86)
Images of “Veturinn 1873 – um eldgosið” (Winter 1873 – about the volcanic eruption) by Stephan Stephansson are from Skrifbók Guðna Jónssonar á Eyjardalsá; Ísland, 1874 courtesy of The National and University Library of Iceland.
