ABSTRACT
IN order to make the present chapter clear it must be remarked that Iceland is an island lying beneath the celestial Arctic Pole; 1 it is mainly exposed to the wind Circius and close to the Sea of Ice. For this reason it deserves the name Ice Land (terra glacialis) or remotest Thule, 2 which none of the ancients has failed to mention. 3 Its inhabitants are said by Saxo of Sjaelland to be extremely temperate. They are very good Christians, have their own writing, and a history of glorious feats. Even today they write down the deeds of their own age, which they recall in rhythmical songs, carving them on headlands or rocks, so that none may be lost to posterity except through the harm done by Nature. 3 The island stretches from north to south over a length of a hundred German miles. 4 Most of it is mountainous and uncultivated, especially towards its northern tract, owing to the harsh breath of the wind Circius already referred to, 5 which does not even allow shrubs to grow.
Why Iceland is so called Remotest Thule
They recount the feats of their ancestors in rhythmical songs
Extent of Iceland
Circius
