This is the story that is hidden behind the symbols in the seal of Iceland
Four Guardians of Iceland - one each to
guard over each quarter of the land - are described in an old tale which tells
of a wizard who was sent by King Harold Gormsson of Denmark to scout out Iceland
before a Danish invasion.
This wizard swam to Iceland by taking the shape of a whale. When he reached
the country he saw that all of the many hills and mountains were filled full
of spirits, both large and small.
The wizard came first to Vopnafjörður (The Fjord
of Weapons) on the East coast of Iceland and here a gigantic wyrm challenged
him, accompanied by all manner of reptiles, snakes, worms and lizards. The
wizard thought it best to try his luck elsewhere.
So the wizard then swam North to Eyjafjörður (The Fjord of the Isles) and
here he was challenged by a bird so vast that its wings scraped the mountains
laying on each side of the valley. This monsterous bird was accompanied by
all manner of other birds of all shapes and sizes, both great and small. Again
the wizard thought it best to try his luck elsewhere.
Now the wizard went West (and a little South) and came to Breiðafjörður (The
Wide Fjord), and here he was challenged by a gigantic bull who waded out into
the sea and bellowed as though for battle. The great bull was accompanied
by a great many powerful spirits. And once again the wizard thought it best
to try his luck elsewhere.
So the wizard went from there and travelled South of Reykjanes (The Smoke
Peninsula) and he tried to get to land at Víkarsskeið (The Sands of
Vikar), but here he was challenged by an great rock-giant with a head that
was higher than the mountains. The rock-giant carried a mighty big iron staff,
and he was accompanied by a whole host of other giants. And yet again
the wizard thought it best to try his luck elsewhere.
Then the wizard went to the East along the South
coast, and here he could find no landing places at all. So, thwarted in his
attempts, the wizard returned to Denmark and his own hide. And because of
all this the plans of the King of the Danes came to nothing; thanks to the
powers of the Guardian Spirits of Iceland.
Source : a free retelling of the old tale by
Shaun D. L. Brassfield-Thorpe
Notes : This story is embodied in The Seal of
Iceland, where the Dragon represents the Eastern part, the Bird the Northern
part, the Bull represents the Western part and the Rock Giant the Southern
part.