Nomination of

SURTSEY
island of Surt
In the ancient Eddic poem Völuspá, the prophetess describes the birth as well as the fate of life. She tells
Odin about the world tree – the ash Yggdrasil – and about life as it was created and has evolved on earth
but will in the end be destroyed by fires of the giant Surt, the dark ruler of fire. Upon Ragnarök, the final
destruction of the world, Surt will lead the sons of Muspel against the gods. As he enters “burning
everything in his path, men plunge to hell and the heavens are split apart”*.
Völuspá
52. vísa
Surtur fer sunnan
með sviga lævi,
skín af sverði
sól valtíva,
grjótbjörg gnata,
en gífur rata,
troða halir helveg,
en himinn klofnar.
In 1963, when volcanic fires began erupting on the seabed south of Iceland and building up a tephra
cone, it was found appropriate that the resulting island should be named Surtsey, a word formed in the
normal Icelandic manner of including the possessive form of a person's name in a place name: Surtsey =
Surt's island (ey meaning “island” in Icelandic) = the island of Surt, the fire giant.
*Völuspá: The Prophecy. The prophecy of the Vikings – the creation of the world.
Gudrun 2001. English translation by Bernard Scudder, p. 70.
Völuspá: The Prophecy*
Verse 52
Surt comes from the south
with his wood-eating fire,
sun glints on the sword
of the godly warriors.
Boulders slam together,
sending trolls tumbling,
men tread the path to Hell
and the heavens cleave.