Is Iceland’s language a Norse code – or legacy of Celtic settlers?

Gaelic origins of Icelandic words and landmarks challenge orthodox view of Viking heritage, says author

According to folklore, a Gaelic-speaking warrior queen called Aud was among Iceland's earliest settlers. Her story is central to an emerging theory that Scottish and Irish Celts played a far bigger role in Iceland's history than realised.

A book by Thorvaldur Fridriksson, an Icelandic archaeologist and journalist, argues that Gaelic-speaking Celtic settlers from Ireland and western Scotland had a profound impact on the Icelandic language, landscape and early literature.