Náttfari

Who is Náttfari?

Náttfari was a slave who escaped his master and became the first permanent resident of Iceland. Náttfari escaped from Garðar Svavarsson with a slave and a woman when Garðar set sail to the Hebrides from his newfound land which he named Garðarshólmi, now known as Iceland, in the 9th century.

Garðar reached the shores of Iceland on the north coast, near Húsavík. Náttfari, as stated before, escaped with a slave and an ambátt and found a place for himself to live, nowadays known as Náttfaravík, which are situated directly opposite to the town of Húsavík, in the Skjálfandi Bay.