The Papar (from Latin papa, via Old Irish, meaning "father" or "pope") were, according to early Icelandic historical sources, a group of Irish or Scottish monks resident in parts of Iceland at the time of the arrival of the Norsemen. Their existence is yet to be confirmed by archaeology.
The Scandinavians began settling in Iceland in the 9th Century (874 AD), but the oldest source which mentions the existence of the Papar was written in the Íslendingabók ("Book of the Icelanders"), between 1122 and 1133. Such figures are mentioned in the Landnámabók (the Icelandic Book of Settlements) which relates that the Norse found Irish priests in Iceland when they arrived, together with bells and crosiers.
An earlier source that could possibly refer to the Papar is the work of Dicuil, an early 9th century (825 AD) Irish monk, which discussed the wandering of "holy men" to the lands of the north. However, it is not known whether Dicuil is speaking about Iceland, as Gaelic hermits also settled in other islands of the north such as Orkney and Shetland.
Several Icelandic toponyms (see Toponymy) have been linked to the Papar, including the island of Papey, as well as the Vestmannaeyjar ("islands of the Vestmen") but no archeological evidence has yet confirmed the link.
Another theory is that the two sources were conflated and that Ari Thorgilsson, the author of Íslendingabók, based his history on the writings of Dicuil.
The Landnámabók (the Book of Settlements), possibly dating from the 11th century, clearly states on page 1 that Irish monks designated papar, had been living on Iceland before the Norse settlers arrived. According to this account, the reason the Norse thought so was that these monks had left behind Irish books, bells and crosiers, among other things. Hence, the Norse arriving at Iceland had no difficulty identifying the nationality of the Irish monks. According to the Landnámabók, the Irish monks either left the island when the Norse arrived, or they were no longer living on the island when the Norse arrived.
Read more about Papar: Papar in The Faroes, Papar in The Northern Isles, Papar in The Hebrides