There is a new genealogy website called Islendingabok. It is designed to be used by people who live in Iceland in order to discover how closely related they are to another Icelander whom they are considering dating. Apparently, that possibility is a big problem in Iceland.
You just met someone interesting, whom you would like to start dating. In the United States, it isn’t very likely that this random person will be someone whom you happen to be closely related to. If you are a genealogist, then you might find it amusing to check anyway, just to have a fun, genealogy related exercise to play with.
Iceland is a rather isolated country, with a population of around 300,000 people. There is great potential that two random people, who have never met before, could actually be related to each other. This can be problematic. No one wants to find the perfect soulmate, and then discover that he or she is actually a cousin.
There is now a website that can help solve this problem. It is called Islendingabok, which translates to “the Book of Icelanders” in English. The website designed to be used by people who live in Iceland. The website is really easy to use. Type in your name, and the name of your potential new boyfriend or girlfriend. The database will show you exactly how the two of you are related.
The database has information on nearly every Icelander who has existed, and it goes back to the eighteenth century. People who sign up get a username and password. They can get free access to names and birth dates. They can also get full information about everyone who shares a great grandmother or great grandfather with themselves.
The main purpose of this website is to help Icelanders to avoid accidental incest. However, the website can also be used to discover if a person is related to someone famous. For example, a person who lives in Iceland can use “the Book of Icelanders” website to see exactly how they are related to Bjork.
Bjork might be the most famous Icelander of all time. I honestly cannot name the titles of any of her songs, but I still recognize the artist when I see her on TV or in a photo online. She was the artist who wore a dress that looked like a swan to a red carpet event.
The website is an excellent thing for genealogists who live in Iceland to use, in order to fill in their family trees. People who live in Iceland can use the website to make sure they are not about to start dating someone who is closely related to them. Ultimately, this will help the population of Iceland to grow. Fertility rates are improved when the parents are not closely related to each other.
Image by pdomara on Flickr