Oddi at Rangárvellir was a center of learning in South Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

 during the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

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For centuries it was the central home of the powerful family, Oddaverjar

Oddaverjar

The Oddaverjar were among the most powerful family clans in the medieval Icelandic Commonwealth. They were based in Oddi at Rangárvellir in South Iceland. Their ascendancy was during the second half of the 12th century, but their power subsequently waned. They play only a minor role in the...

. The two best known leaders in Oddi were Sæmundur Sigfússon the Learned (1056-1133) and his grandson Jón Loftsson

Jón Loftsson

Jón Loftsson was chieftain at Oddi in the county of Rangá in the south part of Iceland, and of the Oddaverjar family clan. He was one of the most popular chieftains and politician of his age in the country. He participated in the so-called Staðarmál, in 1179, against the Roman-Catholic Church and...

 (1124-1197). The famous historian Snorri Sturluson

Snorri Sturluson

Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...

 (1178-1241) was brought up and educated in Oddi by Jón Loftsson. It has been suggested that the name of the Edda

Edda

The term Edda applies to the Old Norse Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, both of which were written down in Iceland during the 13th century in Icelandic, although they contain material from earlier traditional sources, reaching into the Viking Age...

is derived from Oddi.