Iceland’s best-known supernatural traditions are preserved not as a single list of “national superstitions” but across legends, place traditions, weather lore, seafaring customs, and family-level rules. The Sagnagrunnur database alone indexes roughly 10,100 Icelandic legends from 19 published collections; that figure is not a count of superstitions, but it shows the depth of the recorded folklore behind many beliefs still recognized by name today.[1]
Icelandic scholarship often uses þjóðtrú for a broad field of folk belief and hjátrú for what English speakers more readily call superstition. The boundary is flexible: hidden people, supernatural beings, omens, lucky actions, dream signs, and weather rules can overlap without being the same kind of tradition.[2] The 77 entries documented here are therefore a sourced collection of Icelandic superstitions, omens, and folk beliefs rather than a claim that Iceland has exactly 77, or that every Icelander accepts them.
Places, Hidden People, and Supernatural Beings
Huldufólk Dwellings Should Not Be Destroyed
In Icelandic folk belief, certain rocks, hills, and other landscape features may be treated as dwellings of huldufólk, the hidden people. Damaging or leveling such a place is traditionally said to invite misfortune; the belief is not shared by every household.
Elf Stones Can Affect Modern Decisions
A few modern Icelandic road projects have become associated with local claims about elf dwellings or álagablettir, places under a supernatural prohibition. These cases are exceptional rather than routine, but they show how older landscape beliefs can remain culturally visible.[3]
Christmas Crossroads Test the Visitor
One old Christmas-night belief says that a person sitting at a crossroads may be approached by elves offering valuables. The sitter is supposed to remain silent and refuse the gifts; accepting or answering was said to place the person under enchantment.[4]
The Nykur Has Backward Hooves
The nykur is a water being described as a grey horse whose hooves point backward. Folklore says it comes ashore and tempts people to mount, then carries the rider toward the water. Nykur place-names occur in several parts of Iceland.[5]
A Mara Explains the Nightmare
Older Icelandic and northern European belief personified the nightmare as a mara, a being said to press or torment a sleeping person. The Icelandic word martröð preserves that older image; it is a folkloric explanation, not a medical account of sleep disturbance.[6]
Skoffín Was Said to Come From Cat and Fox
In recorded Icelandic folk belief, a skoffín was imagined as the offspring of a fox and a cat, with the cat as mother. Biology does not permit such a hybrid; the creature belongs to legend rather than zoology.
Skuggabaldur Reverses the Parentage
The related skuggabaldur was said to come from the same impossible pairing but with the fox as mother. Older tales portray it as more dangerous than the skoffín. Both creatures are clearly presented in scholarly sources as products of folklore, not real animals.[7]
Ship Prows Could Offend the Landvættir
Landnámabók preserves a warning against approaching Iceland with gaping or threatening carved heads displayed on ships, because such imagery could disturb the landvættir, protective beings of the land. The motif belongs to early Icelandic tradition rather than modern navigation practice.[8]
First-Time Climbers May Make Three Helgafell Wishes
A local Snæfellsnes tradition says a person climbing Helgafell for the first time may make three good wishes. The customary conditions include walking up in silence, not looking back, facing east at the top, keeping the wishes unspoken, and not telling others.[9]
Lausnarsteinn Was Given Childbirth Power
Older collections describe the lausnarsteinn as a natural stone credited with helping a woman in labour.[10] This is a historical folk belief, not a substitute for maternity care; Icelandic health guidance bases childbirth care on individual needs and risk factors and provides specialist hospital care when complications require it.[11]
Nights When Ordinary Rules Were Said to Change
Four Nights Were Considered Especially Charged
Icelandic folk tradition singled out four nights for unusual supernatural possibilities: Christmas night, New Year’s night, Twelfth Night, and Midsummer night. Stories attached to them differ, but they often describe boundaries between ordinary life and hidden forces becoming unusually open.
Midsummer Dew Was Said to Heal
On the night before 24 June, Jónsmessunótt, dew was traditionally credited with healing force. One old practice involved rolling in the dew. The claim belongs to folk medicine and should not be treated as a substitute for medical diagnosis or care.
Special Stones Were Said to Surface on Midsummer Night
Some Jónsmessa traditions say unusual or magically useful stones could rise or become obtainable during the night. The belief links the landscape itself with the exceptional character assigned to Midsummer rather than describing a geological process.
Useful Herbs Were Sought on Jónsmessunótt
Midsummer night was also associated with plants believed to possess unusual value or potency when found at that time. Such accounts sit at the meeting point of plant lore and supernatural belief; any claimed healing effect should be separated from tested medical evidence.[12]
Seals Could Shed Their Skins Once a Year
A well-known Icelandic seal-folk tradition says seals come ashore on New Year’s night or, in another version, Twelfth Night. They cast off their skins, take human form, and dance. The date varies between tellings, which is typical of orally transmitted folk belief.
Cows Were Said to Speak on Twelfth Night
A Twelfth Night belief says cows can speak human language. Folklore warns against secretly listening to them, turning the wonder into a dangerous act rather than a harmless curiosity.
Elves Were Said to Move House on Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night, 6 January, is also linked with elves changing dwellings. The motif makes the final night of the Christmas season a time of supernatural movement, and it appears alongside other New Year and Twelfth Night marvels.
Graveyards Could Become Unquiet on Twelfth Night
Some older accounts say graveyards could rise or become supernaturally active on Twelfth Night. This should be read as a traditional motif attached to an exceptional calendar night, not as a prediction about real cemeteries.[13]
Ash Wednesday Has Eighteen ‘Brothers’
One Icelandic weather belief says the conditions on Ash Wednesday, Öskudagur, will be echoed by its eighteen ‘brothers.’ Some versions mean the following eighteen days, while others extend the pattern across eighteen weeks.
Sunshine on Candlemas Can Foretell Snow
A traditional Candlemas rule for 2 February turns pleasant weather into a warning: sunshine on Kyndilmessa is said to indicate that much snow still lies ahead. The saying functions as a calendar omen, not a meteorological forecast.
Weather, Birds, and Signs in Nature
White Sheep in a Dream Can Mean Snow
A recorded weather belief interprets dreaming of white sheep as a sign of coming snow. In some tellings, the number of sheep can correspond to the duration of snowy conditions, such as days or weeks.
A Deceased Dream Figure Can Warn of Bad Weather
Some Icelandic seafarers were said to have recurring dream visitors, often deceased people, who acted as private weather messengers. If the figure appeared agitated, the dream could be taken as a warning against going to sea the next day.
Horses Lining Up Can Point to a Storm
Before bad weather, horses standing in a line and facing the same way were traditionally read as a storm sign. One version says the wind will come from the direction toward which the animals’ hindquarters point.
Mice Entering Houses Can Signal Worse Weather
When mice become unusually visible and move into human dwellings, older weather lore may interpret the change as a warning that conditions are about to deteriorate. The belief turns unexpected animal behaviour into a forecast.
An Upside-Up Rake Can Bring Rain
Leaving a rake with its tines pointing upward is said in Icelandic superstition to cause rain. The rule appears in recorded household weather lore and is best understood as a traditional association, not a causal effect.
A Wedding Ring Could Be Read as a Weather Gauge
Some weather lore used the appearance of a wedding ring as an omen: a clear or bright look suggested fair conditions, while a dull appearance could be read as a sign of wind or rain.
A Heavy Berry Crop Can Warn of a Hard Winter
An abundant berry season has been interpreted in Icelandic weather tradition as preparation for a difficult winter. The underlying idea is that nature provides extra food before hardship, though the supernatural forecast is not a scientific rule.
Very Mild Early Spring Weather Can Be Suspicious
Older seasonal lore did not always welcome early softness in the weather. Unusually mild conditions near the beginning of spring could be treated as a poor omen, based on the expectation that the season might later ‘repay’ the warmth with harsher weather.
Héraðsvötn Flooding Before Sumarmál Was a Bad Sign
In Skagafjörður lore, flooding in Héraðsvötn before sumarmál, the traditional beginning of summer, could be taken as a bad seasonal sign. This is a regional belief and should not be generalized to all of Iceland.
An Early Golden Plover Could Mean Weather Will Turn
The arrival of the golden plover, lóa, before sumarmál was sometimes regarded with caution rather than celebration. One saying implied that the weather would later take revenge for an arrival that came too early.[14]
Killing a Járnsmiður Is Said to Bring Rain
A superstition known in Iceland says rain follows if someone kills the insect or beetle called járnsmiður. One practical explanation proposed by folklorists is that such insects may be noticed more often outdoors when rain is already likely.
A Járnsmiður on Clothing Can Promise New Clothes
Another recorded belief gives the same creature a less threatening meaning: if a járnsmiður crawls on a person’s clothes, that person may soon acquire clothing of the same kind. It is a luck sign rather than a biological prediction.[15]
The Whimbrel’s Circular Call Can Announce Winter’s End
The whimbrel, spói, appears repeatedly in Icelandic weather lore. A particular circular or ringing call was said to announce that the hard part of winter was over, making the bird a seasonal messenger.
A Long Whimbrel Call Can Promise Wet Weather
A different whimbrel call, described as a long vocalization, was read as a sign of wet weather. The same bird could therefore carry different forecasts depending on its behaviour and sound.
Many Whimbrels Near a Farm Can Warn of a Storm
When unusually many whimbrels gathered close to farmsteads, folk weather reading could interpret the congregation as a warning of stormy conditions and heavy precipitation.
Killing a Plover or Whimbrel Can Bring Misfortune
Older bird lore warns that people who kill golden plovers or whimbrels will be unlucky. The belief is cultural rather than predictive, and it offers no reason to harm wildlife; birds should be left undisturbed.[16]
Noisy Oystercatchers on Fields Can Mean Rain
In Árnessýsla, oystercatchers settling on fields with conspicuous calling were regarded as a reliable rain sign. Other southern Icelandic accounts also connect the bird’s posture, bathing, and loudness with changes between rain and dry weather.[17]
The Raven Can Be a Warning Bird
Icelandic raven legends often cast the bird as a prophet or ominous messenger, especially in stories where it precedes accidental loss. The motif is not unique to Iceland, but ravens occupy a strong place in Icelandic narrative tradition.[18]
The Table, Gifts, and Everyday Luck
Singing at the Table Can ‘Sing Famine Into the House’
A superstition well known in Iceland discourages singing while people eat. One Icelandic expression says the singer is effectively ‘singing famine into the house,’ turning noisy table behaviour into an omen of shortage or misfortune.
Sitting Between Two Siblings Can Delay Marriage
Table seating could also be read as a marriage omen. An unmarried woman sitting between two brothers, or an unmarried man between two sisters, was said in one version to face a seven-year delay before marriage.
Sitting Against a Table Leg Can Delay Marriage
Another seating rule says an unmarried person positioned directly against a table leg may have to wait seven years to marry. The detail belongs to a larger group of European and Icelandic table superstitions.
A Table Leg Between the Feet Threatens Marriage Prospects
A stronger variant says someone sitting with a table leg between the feet may never marry, or may fail to marry the person desired. It is a traditional omen, not a prediction of a person’s future relationships.
A Sneeze at the Table Can Announce a Visitor
Sneezing during a meal has been interpreted as a sign that a guest is on the way. Unlike the marriage rules, this omen concerns the immediate household and turns an ordinary bodily event into a forecast of company.
Shoes on the Table Can Cause a Quarrel
Putting shoes on a table is traditionally avoided in one recorded strand of household superstition because it is said to lead to discord. The rule combines ideas about cleanliness, proper household order, and bad luck.
Finishing the Meal Can Promise Good Weather
One table belief says that finishing all the food on the plate will bring good weather the next day. Another version narrows the condition to finishing the bread, showing how the same omen could vary between households.[19]
A Knife Gift Can Cut a Friendship
Giving a knife, needle, or other sharp object is said to risk cutting friendship or love. A common way to neutralize the omen is for the receiver to pay a token amount, turning the exchange into a purchase rather than a gift.[20]
A Found Horseshoe Can Bring Luck Home
Finding a horseshoe on the road has long been treated as good fortune, and one custom is to bring it home and hang it above a doorway. The symbol is widespread beyond Iceland, so it is better understood as a shared northern European luck motif.[21]
Eastfjord Seafaring Luck Before Leaving Port
Do Not Wish a Fisherman ‘Good Catch’
Interviews with East Iceland fishermen recorded discomfort with explicit good-luck wishes before departure. Phrases equivalent to ‘good luck’ or ‘good catch’ could be avoided because naming success too early was felt to tempt bad luck.
Spitting Can Be Used as a Luck Gesture
Some Eastfjord seafaring practice uses spitting symbolically for luck: after a departing fisherman, onto the vessel, or even toward mooring lines as they are released. The act belongs to folk ritual rather than hygiene or seamanship.
Patting the Boat Can Mark a Lucky Departure
A few fishermen described patting the boat or ship when setting out. The gesture is small and personal, but it fits a larger pattern in which a familiar departure routine is treated as part of keeping luck on one’s side.
The Route to the Harbour Should Stay the Same
Some interviewees preferred to leave the house and approach the harbour in the same way every time. Repetition itself becomes protective: changing a successful routine can feel like disturbing the order associated with safe, productive trips.
Some Fishermen’s Wives Do Not Walk Them to the Boat
The Eastfjord interviews also recorded a custom in which fishermen’s wives often did not accompany them all the way to the vessel. The source connects the practice with luck, but it is a regional and family-level custom rather than a national rule.
Turn Clockwise When Leaving the Pier
A vessel should, in one seafaring belief, turn clockwise away from the pier. Some fishermen were willing to make an extra circle to preserve that direction. Counterclockwise departure could be associated with poor fishing, bad weather, or mishaps.
Do Not Calculate the Earnings Before the Catch
Counting expected wages or celebrating the catch before anything has been landed is treated as premature boasting in some fishing communities. The belief warns against praising luck before the result is secure.
An Early Minor Breakdown Can Reverse Into Good Luck
Some East Iceland fishermen said trips that had to turn back soon after departure because of a small mechanical problem could later become especially good voyages. A poor start was therefore not always read as a bad omen.
Falling on the Way to Sea Can Be Lucky
The saying fall er fararheill—roughly, a fall can be lucky for a journey—appears in seafaring belief too. Some fishermen treated stumbling or falling on the way to the boat as a surprisingly positive sign.
A Black Cat on the Way to the Pier Can Be Unlucky
Among the Eastfjord departure omens recorded in interviews, meeting a black cat on the way to the pier could be taken as a bad sign. The black-cat motif is widespread in Europe and is not uniquely Icelandic.
A Rat Leaving a Boat Is a Bad Omen
Seeing a rat leave a vessel before departure was regarded by some fishermen as a serious warning that the boat’s trip might go badly. The belief is cultural rather than predictive.
Leave Shore on Good Terms
A peaceful farewell mattered to some fishermen. Going to sea after an argument or unresolved tension was considered undesirable, while leaving everyone ashore on good terms helped establish the right emotional and ritual order for the voyage.[22]
Eastfjord Dreams About Catch, Weather, and Danger
Dreaming of Excrement Can Promise a Good Catch
Among East Iceland fishermen interviewed in 2017–2018, dreaming of excrement was widely recognized as a positive sign, especially for fishing success. The unpleasant dream image is therefore interpreted in the opposite way from its everyday meaning.
Dreaming of Heavy Fishing Can Be a Good Sign
A dream in which fish are caught in abundance may be taken as a favourable omen for the next trip. The association is direct, though fishermen also described much more personal dream symbols whose meanings developed through repetition.
Killer Whales and White Seabirds Can Be Good Dream Signs
Dreams filled with killer whales or white seabirds were among the animal images connected with good fishing. One recorded example imagines a fjord full of killer whales as a positive dream before going to sea.
Cows or Flies Can Also Be Positive in Dreams
The dream vocabulary is not limited to marine animals. Cows and even flies can function as good omens in fishermen’s dream interpretation, showing that the symbolic meaning depends on tradition and personal experience rather than obvious resemblance.
A Familiar Woman Can Become a Personal Luck Sign
Some fishermen said that repeatedly dreaming of a particular woman they knew could foretell a good outcome. Consistency matters: the same person appearing in a similar way across several dreams can acquire a private predictive meaning.
A Former Crewmate or Relative Can Become a Dream Messenger
Known people, including former crewmates or relatives, can take on an omen-like role in repeated dreams. Their meaning may only become clear after the dreamer compares several later voyages with the same recurring image.
An Agitated Woman in a Dream Can Warn Against Sailing
A woman behaving restlessly or angrily in a dream was described as a warning sign by some Eastfjord fishermen. Such a dream could influence the decision to remain ashore, especially when the figure already carried a personal meaning.
Oversleeping Can Be Read as a Warning
Missing the intended waking time was sometimes interpreted as more than an accident: it could be a sign that going to sea that day was unwise. The belief places an unexpected interruption in the same category as a warning dream.
A Nightmare About the Boat Can Signal Trouble
A disturbing dream in which something bad happens to a fisherman or vessel can be taken as an omen of difficulty ahead. The interpretation may affect confidence or the decision to sail, but it remains a folk omen rather than a factual forecast.
The Names Sæmundur and Una Could Be Favourable
Older Icelandic seafaring lore recorded the names Sæmundur and Una as positive dream signs, associated with either a good catch or good weather. The detail comes from documented fishermen’s traditions rather than a general rule for Icelandic names.
Black Cats, Rats, and Broken Ships Are Bad Dream Signs
Some traditional dream lists classify black cats, rats, and red-painted or broken vessels as poor omens for a sea journey. These images were linked with mishap or loss, though their interpretation varied by dreamer and period.
Music or Violent Wind in a Dream Can Warn of Weather
Instrumental music, high winds, and certain recurring human figures could be read as warnings that bad weather or another setback was approaching. Eastfjord research stresses that dream omens are often highly personal rather than fixed for every fisherman.[23]
Days Considered Lucky or Unlucky at Sea
Saturday Can Be a Favoured Launch Day
Some East Iceland fishermen regarded Saturday as a good day to begin work or launch a new vessel. Interviewees even knew examples of boats that were deliberately launched only on Saturdays.
Friday Can Be Chosen to Start a Fishing Season
Although Friday carries unlucky associations elsewhere, several fishermen described it as a good day to begin a fishing season. Local working tradition therefore does not always match the better-known Friday taboo.
Sunday Can Be a Good Starting Day for Some
Some interviewees also named Sunday as a favourable day to begin. The preference was not universal, and other fishermen followed almost the opposite rule by avoiding Sunday departures.
Monday Can Be a Poor Day to Begin
Monday stood out as the least favoured day among many of the fishermen interviewed. Some would prepare on Monday but prefer not to begin the actual voyage or launch a new boat until another day.
Some Avoid Sailing or Killing Anything on Sunday
A different strand of seafaring belief treats Sunday as a day when one should not go fishing and should not kill anything. The rule reflects the overlap between religious calendar habits, work customs, and folk ideas about fortunate timing.
Friday the Thirteenth Can Be Avoided for Deals
Friday the thirteenth was regarded negatively by many interviewees. Some preferred not to sign contracts or make purchases on that date, extending the unlucky-day idea beyond the fishing trip itself.[24]
Why the Same Belief Can Have More Than One Meaning
Icelandic folklore was recorded from different districts, storytellers, occupations, and periods, so variation is part of the evidence rather than a defect in it. New Year’s night and Twelfth Night can exchange motifs; a weekday praised by one fishing community can be avoided by another; a bird call may promise dry weather in one district and rain under different circumstances elsewhere. Where a source is explicitly regional, the wording here keeps that limit.
The Eastfjord seafaring material is especially useful because it was gathered from working fishermen in recent field interviews, while many supernatural and household beliefs come from much older collections. Placing them together shows continuity without pretending that a nineteenth-century legend and a present-day working habit have the same status.
📚 Roots of Belief
- Sagnagrunnur — Instructions — Documents the database’s roughly 10,100 Icelandic legends from 19 published collections and explains its source and place-based records. (A folklore database maintained through the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Hver er munurinn á þjóðtrú og hjátrú? — Explains the Icelandic concepts of þjóðtrú and hjátrú and specifically notes hidden people, supernatural beings, and beliefs about disturbing their dwellings. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Er vegum oft breytt vegna „álfasteina“? — Reviews documented cases in which beliefs about elf dwellings or enchanted places became part of discussions around Icelandic road construction. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Hvaðan kemur orðatiltækið „sjaldan hef ég flotinu neitað“? — Records the Christmas-night crossroads belief in which elves offer valuables and the sitter must remain silent and refuse them. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Hvað getir þið sagt mér um nykur? — Describes the nykur as a grey water horse recognized by backward-facing hooves and its role in Nordic and Icelandic place-linked folklore. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Hvað eru mörur? — Explains the older belief in the mara as a being that oppresses sleepers and its connection with the Icelandic idea behind martröð. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Eru skoffín og skuggabaldrar til í alvörunni? — Documents the skoffín and skuggabaldur motifs while clearly separating these legendary cat–fox hybrids from biological reality. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Hvað þýða landvættir? Og eru til sjóvættir? — Explains landvættir and records the Landnámabók warning about threatening ship-prow heads disturbing the land’s protective beings. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Lifandi hefðir — Gengið á Helgafell á Snæfellsnesi — Documents the local three-wish tradition at Helgafell, including silence, not looking back, facing east, and keeping the wishes private. (An Icelandic living-traditions registry entry with locality and source documentation.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Hvað er lausnarsteinn og úr hvaða efni er hann? — Records the lausnarsteinn among magical natural stones in Jón Árnason’s folklore collections, including its historical association with childbirth. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Heilsuvera — Choosing a Place of Birth — Explains Icelandic maternity-care options, risk-based planning, and access to specialist hospital services when pregnancy or labour complications require additional care. (Heilsuvera is Iceland’s official public health information service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Hvers vegna á að velta sér upp úr dögginni á Jónsmessunótt? — Documents Jónsmessunótt beliefs about dew, herbs, stones, and the night’s place among specially charged dates in Icelandic folk tradition. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Er það satt að sum dýr tali mannamál á þrettándanum? — Records Twelfth Night beliefs about speaking cattle, moving elves, active graveyards, and related New Year marvels. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Er til hjátrú sem tengjast veðri, sérstaklega óveðri? — Collects Icelandic weather lore concerning dreams, animals, calendar days, household objects, berries, flooding, and the timing of the golden plover. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service drawing on folkloristic research.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Af hverju fer að rigna ef maður drepur járnsmið? — Documents Icelandic beliefs linking the járnsmiður insect with rain and new clothing, while discussing a possible observational explanation for the rain association. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Er einhver þjóðtrú tengd spóanum? — Records Icelandic whimbrel lore about seasonal change, rain, storms, and the misfortune attached to killing certain birds. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Er einhver hjátrú um fuglinn tjald? — Documents regional southern Icelandic oystercatcher weather signs, including rain omens from calling, grouping, posture, and bathing. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Getið þið sagt mér einhverjar þjóðsögur um hrafninn? — Explains the raven’s role in Icelandic legends as a prophetic and ominous bird, especially in stories connected with impending loss. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Af hverju er bannað að syngja við matarborðið? — Documents Icelandic table superstitions involving singing, seating, sneezing, shoes, marriage timing, and weather after finishing food. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Af hverju má ekki gefa hnífa samkvæmt þjóðtrú? — Records the belief that a knife or other sharp gift can sever a relationship and that a token payment can neutralize the omen. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Vísindavefurinn — Er satt að það fylgi því hamingja að hengja skeifu fyrir ofan hurð? — Explains the horseshoe as a luck symbol, including the custom of bringing home a found horseshoe and hanging it over a door. (An expert-reviewed University of Iceland knowledge service.)
- Lifandi hefðir — Þjóðtrú austfirskra sjómanna: Þegar haldið er á haf út — Records departure rituals and omens from interviews with fourteen East Iceland fishermen conducted in 2017–2018. (An Icelandic living-traditions registry entry based on documented folkloristic fieldwork.)
- Lifandi hefðir — Þjóðtrú austfirskra sjómanna: Draumar og fyrirboðar í draumi — Documents catch dreams and warning dreams reported by East Iceland fishermen, along with older seafaring dream lore. (An Icelandic living-traditions registry entry based on documented folkloristic fieldwork.)
- Lifandi hefðir — Þjóðtrú austfirskra sjómanna: Þjóðtrú tengd dögum — Records fishermen’s preferences and taboos concerning weekdays, boat launching, the start of fishing work, Sunday, Monday, and Friday the thirteenth. (An Icelandic living-traditions registry entry based on documented folkloristic fieldwork.)