ICELANDIC SHEEP

[bridget orman]

The vast majority of animals you will see as you travel around Iceland are domestic. This, after all, is a nation that relies heavily on agriculture.

While farm animals may not seem to be the most fascinating creatures, the way they have adapted to the country's climate, and their roles throughout Icelandic history, have been essential for human survival.

The Icelandic Sheep
A pair of Icelandic lambs.

Sheep were the lifeblood of Iceland for centuries. Brought over with the first settlers from Norway, it was only because of their wool and meat that anyone was able to survive Iceland’s harsh conditions.

One only needs to read Nobel Prize winner Halldor Laxness’s novel Independent People to understand the reverence Icelanders have had for these creatures; they are the central conversation topic between most of the countryfolk.

While not being the most interesting animals in Iceland, their role in the country’s history has been incredibly significant; whenever the nation has gone through terrible struggles or a surge in growth, it has always come back to sheep.

Take, for example, the 1783 eruption of the volcano Laki, the most fatal in the country’s history. Up to 25 percent of the population died, largely because of famine, caused by the fact that 80 percent of the nation’s sheep were lost to the poisons of the ash.

A ewe and her lambs, free-roaming in summer.

On the other hand, however, Iceland’s great period of growth and industrialisation during World War One was due to these creatures. With European countryside ravaged by war, Icelandic wool was in high demand. The wealth that came from sheep products during these four years helped propel Iceland into the modern nation it is today.

There are approximately 800,000 sheep in Iceland, well over two times more than there are people. Their wool is used to create unique handicrafts, such as the Icelandic sweater, otherwise called a ‘Lopapeysa’, and their meat is featured in almost all traditional dishes that do not have fish. Perhaps the nation’s most classic dish is the lamb soup, which is world-renowned.

The reason that the Icelandic lamb tastes as delicious as it does is rather morbid; as they are free-roaming throughout summer, the sheep graze on Icelandic thyme, unwittingly flavouring their meat while they are still alive.