Up from Below

In 1963 off the coast of Iceland molten rock burst through a North Atlantic sea and gave birth to a new island called Surtsey. Named after the Norse fire god Surt, it became the most recent land mass to be added to our ancient planet. Witnesses recorded an awesome geologic event that spoke to deeper primordial past. Life took root in volcanic rock and ash, first colonizers bloomed. What seemed a destructive display of subterranean forces was in fact a birthplace for life. The sublime raw power displayed by Surtsey conjures up ancient metaphors ascribed to a fierce Creator contrasted by organized faithful gathered around a traditions.