The Icelandic Order of Freemasons () (

abbr. An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing perio ...

: FaI), in English also known as the Grand Lodge of Iceland, is the governing body of regular Freemasonry in Iceland. The history of

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

began when a "society of brothers“, Edda, was established in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik in 1913. Edda became a lodge of instruction in 1918. The following year, on January 6, 1919, it became a fully warranted lodge. Since 1919, there have been a total of twelve warranted lodges and six lodges of instruction established in Iceland. Membership in the Order was at 3,379 as of March 15, 2011 Icelandic Freemasonry was under the jurisdiction of the Danish Order of Freemasons () until 1951 when the Grandlodge of Denmark constituted the Grand Lodge of Iceland as a sovereign Order. Icelandic Freemasonry operates according to the

Swedish Rite The Swedish Rite is a variation or Rite of Freemasonry that is common in Scandinavian countries and to a limited extent in Germany. It is different from other branches of Freemasonry in that, rather than having the three self-contained foundat ...

which is the dominant system in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. Unlike other forms of Freemasonry, the Swedish Rite consists of eleven degrees, all of which are recognized by regular Freemasonry. As part of the Swedish Rite, the Icelandic Order of Freemasons requires its members to profess a belief in Christianity. The Order additionally requires its members to be over the age of twenty-one, to have a clean criminal record, and to have received the sponsorship of at least two members of the Order. There are 18 lodges in Iceland.

Notable Members

Ásgeir Ásgeirsson Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (; 13 May 1894 – 15 September 1972) was the second president of Iceland; he served from 1952 to 1968. He also served as the prime minister of Iceland from 3 June 1932 to 28 July 1934 for the Progressive Party. Ásgeir is ...

- second President of Iceland, Grandmaster *

Sveinn Björnsson Sveinn Björnsson (; 27 February 1881 – 25 January 1952) was the first president of Iceland, serving from 1944 to 1952. Background, education and legal career Sveinn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, as the son of Björn Jónsson (editor and ...

- Regent and first President of Iceland, Grandmaster. *

Vilhjálmur Þór Vilhjálmur or Vilhjalmur is an Icelandic masculine given name and may refer to: * Vilhjálmur Árnason (born 1953), professor of philosophy at the University of Iceland *Vilhjálmur Þórmundur Vilhjálmsson (born 1946), mayor of Reykjavík 200 ...

- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Manager of the Central Bank of Iceland. * Magnús Jónsson - Minister of Finance of Iceland. * Ludvig Kaaber - Businessman, Grandmaster

References

{{Freemasonry in Europe Freemasonry by country Swedish Rite Social movements in Iceland Organizations based in Iceland

Notable Members

See also

References