The Creation of the Faroe Islands
Two folk explanations exist for the archipelago's creation. The first says the islands were formed from dirt that gathered under God's fingernails while He created the world and flicked away. The second, more dramatic myth connects to Norse mythology: after the World Serpent Jörmungandr (child of Loki) was defeated, a tooth fell from the dying serpent's mouth into the ocean and became the Faroe Islands. Both accounts are recorded in Faroese oral tradition. The Jörmungandr version connects Faroese identity to the great Norse mythological cycle, while the nail-dirt tale echoes a humble self-perc