Gaelic origins of Icelandic words and landmarks challenge orthodox view of Viking heritage, says author According to folklore, a Gaelic-speaking warrior queen called Aud was among Icelands earliest settlers. Her story is central to an emerging theory that Scottish and Irish Celts played a far bigger role in Icelands history than realised. A book by Thorvaldur Fridriksson, an Icelandic archaeologist and journalist, argues