Abstract: Iceland is an island nation that straddles the mid-ocean ridge spreading center in the North Atlantic Ocean. Along this boundary, two tectonic plates (the North American and Eurasian plates) are inexorably ripping apart from each other. Iceland is at the center of this geologic upheaval, manifested by frequent earthquakes and a myriad of volcanoes, closely linked to a geothermal system that provides a source of energy, plentiful hot springs, and spectacular geysers. Volcanic eruptions are common. They occur somewhere in the country perhaps every few years and have resulted in a haunting landscape of moss-covered lava fields ubiquitously dissected by earthquake-producing faults. The geologic activity has created an ongoing saga of hazards and disasters that have become interwoven with the fabric of Icelandic society. Viking settlers first came to Iceland in the 9th and 10th Centuries and quickly adapted to the hardscrabble realities of life near the Arctic Circle. Internal strife and violence during the early days of settlement are prosaically documented in the Saga of the Icelanders: a series of stories written in the 12th and 13th Centuries based on an orally communicated quasi-history. The vicissitudes of geologic events are indelibly etched into this history, possibly playing a significant role in the decision by Icelanders to convert from Norse paganism to Christianity after a volcanic eruption was deemed a sign from God at the annual gathering of the Icelandic government (the Althing) in 1000 AD.