Most of the early settlers were “heathens,” and it was not until late in the tenth century that attempts were made to convert Icelanders to “Christianity.”
At one time, church authorities fought “tooth and nail against [the] relics of heathenism,” says the book Christmas Customs and Traditions —Their History and Significance.
With insight, it answered: “Scanning the pages of history, we find that, although the doctrine of human immortality is not taught by God’s inspired witnesses, it is the very essence of all heathen religions. . . .