If you’ve spent more than five minutes on the internet, you’ve seen it. It’s the ultimate "gotcha" factoid. It usually comes in the form of a grainy image macro or a snappy TikTok transition: Iceland is green, and Greenland is icy. The joke is that some ancient Viking, probably Erik the Red, pullled off the greatest marketing scam in human history. He named a frozen wasteland "Greenland" to trick people into moving there, while naming a lush paradise "Iceland" to keep it all for himself. It’s funny. It makes us feel smart for knowing the "truth" behind the names. But honestly? It’s mostly a half-truth that ignores how geography and history actually work.
The Iceland and Greenland meme has become a staple of internet culture because it’s a simple irony. We love when things aren't what they seem. However, if you actually fly over these places, the reality is a bit more nuanced than a 2012-era meme would have you believe.
The man, the myth, the marketing scam
Let’s talk about Erik the Red. He wasn't just some guy with a beard; he was a man in legal trouble. Around 982 AD, Erik was exiled from Iceland for "some killings," which is a very Viking way of saying he had a bit of a temper. He sailed west and found a massive landmass.
Did he name it Greenland to trick people? Yeah, basically. The Saga of Erik the Red explicitly states that he "gave a name to the country and called it Greenland, for he said that people would be much more tempted to go there if it had a name so good."
But here’s the thing: it wasn't a total lie back then. During the Medieval Warm Period, the specific fjords where Erik settled in South Greenland were actually quite green. They had birch forests and lush meadows. For a Viking looking to raise sheep and cattle, it looked like a literal goldmine. It wasn't until the "Little Ice Age" started centuries later that things got really, really cold, eventually leading to the collapse of the Norse settlements there.
Is Iceland actually green?
Mostly, yes. But it’s complicated.
Iceland sits right on the Gulf Stream. This means the climate is much milder than you’d expect for something touching the Arctic Circle. In the summer, the valleys are neon green—the kind of green that looks like it’s been Photoshopped. But Iceland also has Vatnajökull, the largest glacier mass in Europe by volume. About 11% of the country is covered in permanent ice.
So the Iceland and Greenland meme works because Iceland is greener than Greenland, but calling it a "lush paradise" ignores the fact that it’s also a land of barren volcanic deserts and massive ice caps.
The naming of Iceland is credited to a guy named Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson. He wasn't trying to hide a paradise. He had a really rough winter, his livestock died, and he saw a fjord full of pack ice. He was frustrated, cold, and probably miserable. So, he named it Iceland. It was a literal description of his bad week, not a strategic geopolitical maneuver.
The Greenland reality check
Greenland is huge. Like, mind-bogglingly huge. If you put it on a map of the US, it would stretch from Canada down to Mexico.
About 80% of it is covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet. If that ice melted, global sea levels would rise by about 23 feet. That’s a lot of ice. In that sense, the meme is 100% correct. Greenland is the iciest place in the Northern Hemisphere.
But have you seen the South? In the summer, towns like Qaqortoq or Narsaq are legitimately green. People grow potatoes there. There are even small forests. The "scam" Erik the Red pulled was only a scam if you tried to live in the middle of the island. If you stayed on the coast, it lived up to the name for a few hundred years.
Why this meme refuses to die
Memes like this stick around because they provide a "fun fact" that requires zero effort to memorize. It’s the "did you know Viggo Mortensen actually broke his toe when he kicked the helmet" of geography.
We live in an era where "fake news" is a constant talking point, so the idea that a Viking created the first-ever clickbait title 1,000 years ago is incredibly relatable. It makes the Vikings feel human. It turns history into a sitcom plot.
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The climate change twist
Here is where the Iceland and Greenland meme gets a little dark. As the planet warms, Greenland is becoming "greener" again. Shrinking glaciers are revealing land that hasn't seen the sun in millennia. Some scientists predict that by the end of this century, parts of Greenland could support large-scale forests again.
Meanwhile, Iceland’s glaciers are retreating at an alarming rate. Okjökull was the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier back in 2014. If things keep going this way, the meme might eventually become obsolete because both places will just be... green and brown.
Beyond the joke: What you actually need to know
If you’re planning a trip based on a meme, you’re going to be surprised.
- Iceland's weather is chaotic. You can experience all four seasons in ten minutes. It’s green, but it’s also windy enough to rip the door off your rental car.
- Greenland is expensive. It’s not just "icy"; it’s remote. There are no roads between towns. You have to fly or take a boat everywhere.
- The names aren't everything. Both countries have incredible cultures that have nothing to do with how "icy" or "green" they are.
The Norse were practical people. They named things based on what they saw or what they needed. To them, the names weren't a riddle for future Redditors to solve; they were markers of survival and ambition.
Actionable insights for the curious traveler
Stop looking at the maps and start looking at the seasonality.
If you want the "Green" Iceland experience, you have to go between June and August. Any other time, and you're getting a lot of brown, grey, and white. If you want to see the "Green" part of Greenland, you head to the southern fjords in July.
- Check the ice reports. If you're visiting Iceland to see the ice, go to the South Coast (Jökulsárlón). Don't expect the whole country to be a glacier.
- Understand the scale. Greenland is not a "weekend trip" from Iceland. It’s a massive undertaking.
- Respect the Sagas. Read the Landnámabók (Book of Settlements). It’s where these naming stories come from. It’s more interesting than any meme.
- Prepare for the wind. In both countries, the temperature matters less than the wind chill. A "green" day in Iceland can still feel like 0°C if the wind is ripping off the North Atlantic.
The Iceland and Greenland meme is a great entry point into Nordic history, but it’s just the cover of the book. The real story involves sheep farming, volcanic eruptions, and some of the most resilient people on earth living in places that—regardless of their names—are incredibly tough to call home.
Next time you see that meme, remember: Erik the Red wasn't just a liar; he was a guy trying to build a colony in a world that was constantly changing. And Hrafna-Flóki wasn't a gatekeeper; he was just a guy who really needed a heater.
Investigate the actual flight paths between Reykjavik and Kulusuk. Most people think they are worlds apart, but the flight is only about two hours. You can actually see both the "green" and the "ice" in a single afternoon if you have the budget for a bush plane. That's the real way to debunk the meme for yourself.