Iceland formed around 70 million years ago, created by magma from undersea volcanic eruptions. Beneath it lies a giant magma plume—commonly called the "Iceland hotspot"—that penetrates the crust and taps directly into the mantle. This hotspot releases vast quantities of magma, producing repeated eruptions across the seafloor, constantly reshaping the island. Today, Iceland hosts over 200 volcanic systems, more than 40 of which are active. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are commonplace, making it one of the most volcanically active regions in the world.
冰岛形成于大约七千万年前，是一座由海底火山喷发出的岩浆构成的岛屿。其地底有一个穿透地壳，直接连通到地幔深处的巨型岩浆囊，称为“冰岛热柱”。该热柱释放出大量的岩浆，造成一系列海底火山喷发，岛屿的面貌也在不断地被重塑。目前岛上分布着两百多座火山，其中超过四十座都是活火山，火山爆发和地震都是家常便饭，可以说是世界上火山活动最频繁的地区之一。

Geographically, Iceland lies between Greenland—Earth’s largest island—and the United Kingdom, and is actually closer to Greenland. Covering about 100,000 km², it remained uninhabited until the 8th century AD, making it the last large island known and settled by humans, second only to New Zealand. Around the 8th century, Irish monks discovered the island. Seeking solitude and spiritual devotion, they sailed to this uninhabited land, much like the biblical figures Moses, John, and Jesus journeying into the wilderness. In 874 AD, the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became its first permanent settler, while the small band of Irish monks quietly departed. The Norse named their initial settlement Reykjavík—“Smoky Bay”—and to this day it remains Iceland’s capital.
冰岛位于世界上最大的岛屿格陵兰岛和英国之间，地理上更靠近格陵兰。其面积约为十万平方公里，公元8世纪之前这里都无人居住，可算是除新西兰外，人类知晓和涉足最晚的大型岛屿。8世纪以后，一些爱尔兰修士发现了这里。他们为了更亲近神，划船来到这处荒无人烟的地方隐修，如同圣经中去往“旷野”的摩西、约翰和耶稣。公元874年，北欧的挪威酋长英格尔夫·阿尔纳尔松最早来此定居，而那些零星的爱尔兰修士则悄然离开。挪威人把最早定居之地命名为雷克雅未克，意为冒烟的海湾，到现在一直都是冰岛首都。

Norwegians migrated to Iceland for several reasons: domestic strife caused by King Harald’s consolidation of power, and a broader push for land and expansion. Many Norse chieftains and commoners followed Ingólfr to this new land, resulting in waves of migration over the following 60 years. Modern Icelandic surnames all derive from Old Norse, and many Icelanders trace their ancestry directly to those first settlers. However, genetic studies reveal significant contributions from Celtic peoples—especially via maternal lines—from Britain and Ireland. It is believed that Celts may have constituted a higher proportion of early settlers; because they left behind little cultural trace, they likely arrived as slaves, servants, and spouses.
挪威人之所以前往冰岛，主要是因为其国内第一位国王哈拉尔意欲统一全国，铁腕打压不服从的首领引起的内乱，同时也跟土地需求与扩张大背景十分相关。许多挪威首领和平民选择追随英格尔夫的脚步，此后的六十年间，大批移民涌向这里。目前冰岛人的常见姓名全部源自古代北欧，许多冰岛人的家系甚至可以追溯至最初的定居者。不过，根据遗传学研究，冰岛人中有很大一批来自不列颠岛和爱尔兰的凯尔特人，特别是母系基因。据推测早期移民中凯尔特人的比例可能更高，但他们并没有留下多少文化内容，说明他们主要是作为奴隶、仆人和配偶被带去的。
Vikings invasion 维京人入侵

Did these Celts get abducted from Iceland by settlers? Not at all. They had been taken to Norway before migrating to Iceland—accompanying settlers rather than being captured on the island itself. Early Icelandic settlers numbered only in the tens of thousands, the land was vast but sparsely populated, and society focused on pastoral agriculture rather than labor-intensive farming. Moreover, Iceland’s early governance—local chieftains meeting in assemblies—alongside its harsh maritime environment, provided neither the means nor motive to organize large-scale raids on Britain. Some Icelanders did participate in Norse voyages and battles, but Iceland itself never exerted significant external military pressure. Iceland was a product of Viking expansion, not its starting point.
去往冰岛的那些凯尔特人是不是被定居冰岛的人掳去的呢？冰岛人是否和挪威的维京海盗一样四处劫掠呢？并非如此。首先这些凯尔特人及其血脉是在去往冰岛以前就被掳到挪威去的，是跟随移民一起去的冰岛，而非直接被定居冰岛以后的人掳掠的。其次早期冰岛定居者人数只有几万，地广人稀，他们忙于岛上开拓。当地耕地有限，以畜牧业为主，并不需要多少人从事种植，本身就没有奴隶需求。再者，冰岛人建立了世界上最早的议会，实行地方酋长会议制度，加上航行条件恶劣，本身也无法调度足够的资源和人手去英国掠夺。确实有过部分冰岛人参与挪威人的远航和战斗，但从未对周围地区产生过多少压力。那里终究只是维京人扩张的产物，而非起点。

Life was extremely harsh for early Icelanders. Summers were short and cold—snow could fall even in August—while winters were long and frigid. At the height of winter, daylight could last a mere four hours. The soil was poor, forests sparse, and mineral resources limited. With over sixty volcanic systems, Iceland experienced frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and glacial floods—especially in the Reykjanes volcanic zone. A notable eruption in 1104 from Hekla destroyed nearby villages, ruined farmland, and killed livestock. Even today, locals refer to Hekla as the “Gateway to Hell,” and it remains one of Iceland’s most unpredictable volcanoes.
早期冰岛人的生存十分艰辛，夏季又短又凉（8月也会下雪），冬季漫长而寒冷。因为靠近北极，冬季最短时每天只能见到4个小时的阳光。冰岛的土壤贫瘠而稀少，没有大片的森林，没什么矿物，很多关键资源都很匮乏。除此之外，冰岛还有几十个火山系统，火山喷发、地震和冰川洪水的频率非常高，比如雷克雅内斯火山群。比较著名的一次发生在1104年，海克拉火山发生过剧烈的喷发，附近村庄被摧毁，农田被破坏，牲畜大批死亡。至今该火山仍被当地人称为“地狱之门”，也仍然是冰岛最难以预测的火山之一。
The deadliest eruption in Icelandic history occurred in 1783 at Laki. It lasted eight months, blanketing Iceland and Europe in smoke. A quarter of Iceland’s population perished from famine and poisoning, approximately 80% of sheep and half of the cattle and horses died. In Europe, crops failed and livestock perished, triggering extreme weather for years and indirectly contributing to social unrest in France—including conditions that eventually led to the French Revolution in 1789.
有史以来最致命的火山爆发是1783年的拉基火山爆发，岩浆喷发了八个月，烟雾弥漫整个冰岛和欧洲大陆。冰岛上1/4人口死于饥荒和中毒，大约八成的绵羊和一半的牛马死亡。欧洲大陆的大批农作物被毁，牲畜死亡，使其连续多年出现极端天气，间接导致法国社会动荡，影响了1789年的法国大革命！

At that time, Icelanders practiced Norse paganism: chief among the gods were Odin (Allfather), Thor (god of thunder), Tyr (god of justice and courage), Frigg (Odin’s wife), and Freyr (god of fertility). They believed in nine realms interconnected by the World Tree, with Asgard being the realm of the gods and Midgard the human world. Giants (Jötunn) dwelled in Jötunheim—the world of ice, fire, and rocks—and were seen as enemies of the gods, embodiments of nature’s destructive forces. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and glacial floods were interpreted as expressions of giantly power. Hekla was called the “Gateway to Hell,” believed to be an entrance to the giants’ world. Volcanic eruptions and floods were viewed as battles between gods and giants, with thunder and earthquakes attributed to Thor’s hammer striking the frost giants.
那时候的冰岛人跟北欧的信仰一致，主神是众神之父奥丁、雷神索尔、正义勇气之神提尔、奥丁之妻弗丽嘉、丰饶之神弗雷等，宇宙由九界构成，连接于世界之树上。神界为阿斯加德，人间为米德加德。值得一提的是在其信仰体系中巨人住在约顿海姆，那里是寒冰、火焰、岩石的世界。巨人是众神的敌人，代表自然的原始、混沌与破坏力量，而当地存在的火山、地震和冰川崩塌都被看作是巨人力量的体现。上面所提的赫克拉火山被称为“地狱之门”，当时被认为是巨人世界的出入口。火山和洪水来自神和巨人的战争，雷声和地震被认为是索尔用锤子与霜巨人战斗的声音。

Today, Iceland is one of the Nordic countries and ranks among the world’s top 15–20 nations by GDP per capita, surpassing traditional powers like Germany, France, and the UK. It excels in healthcare, education, environment, and happiness indices. Its unique natural landscape draws visitors worldwide. Numerous major films have been shot here—including Game of Thrones, Prometheus, Interstellar, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Thor: The Dark World, The Dark Knight Rises, Justice League, James Bond, and Oblivion. Iceland’s glaciers, snowy mountains, lava fields, black sand beaches, glacial lagoons, geothermal springs, and auroras offer astonishing visual variety: glaciers can portray alien worlds, volcanoes become hellish wastelands, tundras double for polar battlefields, and black sand shores serve as eerie cosmic coastlines.
如今的冰岛是发达的北欧五国之一，人均GDP全球排名在15–20之间，高于德国、法国、英国等传统强国。该国在医疗、教育、环境和幸福指数上都非常靠前，其独特的自然环境更是吸引了全球游客。《权力的游戏》、《普罗米修斯》、《星际穿越》、《星球大战外传：侠盗一号》、《白日梦想家》、《雷神2》、《蝙蝠侠：侠影之谜》、《正义联盟》、《007》、《遗落战境》等大量著名影视作品都曾在这里取景。因为这里有冰原、雪山、熔岩荒原、黑沙滩、瀑布、冰川湖、地热温泉、极光，极富视觉冲击力。其冰川可化作外星、火山化作地狱、荒原化作极地战场、著名的黑沙滩化作异界海岸，一次性代替喜马拉雅、格陵兰、月球、神话世界等。

The gaming world has followed suit. Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding (set in fictional America) was actually filmed in Iceland. The walking simulator Mýrdalssandur, Iceland lets players virtually explore Iceland, and was incorporated into Lushfoil Photography Sim by Annapurna in April. God of War Ragnarök and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla were heavily inspired by Iceland’s motif, as were many indie games—plus older titles like Splinter Cell: Double Agent.
游戏界也不甘落后，小岛秀夫的杰作《死亡搁浅》虽设定在美国，但里面的环境其实就是冰岛。步行模拟游戏《Mýrdalssandur, Iceland》能让你近乎亲身前去冰岛探索，4月份该作品被合并进《Lushfoil Photography Sim》，由Annapurna发行。《战神：诸神黄昏》和《刺客信条：英灵殿》也受其影响，更别提一众的独立游戏和《细胞分裂：双面特工》这些相对老的游戏了。

One of my favorite games is Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. I not only played it many times but also wrote an essay on it. Years later, they announced its sequel. In that follow‑up, Senua pretends to be captured and boards a northern ship intending to confront the bloodshed and enslavement—but she’s not headed for Norway. She’s headed to the “Land of Ice and Fire”—Iceland…
忍者理论工作室所缔造的《地狱之刃：塞娜的献祭》是我十分喜欢的作品，不仅玩了很多遍，还专门为其作文。几年后他们公布了续作，进入后你会发现，塞娜假装被俘，意图跟随北方人的船只前去解决血腥的掳掠和奴隶问题。然而，她去的并非挪威，而是冰与火之岛——冰岛……