<P> Landnámabók claims that the first Norseman to rest his feet on Icelandic soil was a viking by the name of Naddoddr . Naddoddr stayed for only a short period of time , but gave the country a name : Snæland ( Land of Snow ) . He was followed by the Swede Garðar Svavarsson , who was the first to stay over winter . At some time around 860 , a storm pushed his ship far to the north until he reached the eastern coast of Iceland . Garðar approached the island from the east , sailed westward along the coast and then up north , building a house in Húsavík . He completed a full circle , circumnavigating the island and establishing that the landmass in question was indeed an island . He departed the following summer , never to return but not before giving the island a new name -- Garðarshólmur ( literally , Garðar 's Island ) . One of his men , Náttfari , decided to stay behind with two slaves . Náttfari settled in what is now known as Náttfaravík , close to Skjálfandi . Landnámabók maintains that Náttfari was not a permanent settler . </P>
<P> Landnámabók claims that the first Norseman to rest his feet on Icelandic soil was a viking by the name of Naddoddr . Naddoddr stayed for only a short period of time , but gave the country a name : Snæland ( Land of Snow ) . He was followed by the Swede Garðar Svavarsson , who was the first to stay over winter . At some time around 860 , a storm pushed his ship far to the north until he reached the eastern coast of Iceland . Garðar approached the island from the east , sailed westward along the coast and then up north , building a house in Húsavík . He completed a full circle , circumnavigating the island and establishing that the landmass in question was indeed an island . He departed the following summer , never to return but not before giving the island a new name -- Garðarshólmur ( literally , Garðar 's Island ) . One of his men , Náttfari , decided to stay behind with two slaves . Náttfari settled in what is now known as Náttfaravík , close to Skjálfandi . Landnámabók maintains that Náttfari was not a permanent settler . </P>
where did the vikings first land in iceland
where did the vikings first land in iceland
the eastern coast
the eastern coast