Led Zeppelin's iconic song "Immigrant Song" was directly inspired by Iceland and Viking mythology, specifically after Robert Plant visited the country during a tour in June 1970. Plant was moved by the Viking artefacts and historical boats he saw there, which inspired him to write the song from the perspective of Viking immigrants rather than invaders, lending the track a unique cultural depth that would influence heavy metal music more broadly.

The band performed at the Laugardalshöll exhibition centre in Reykjavík on 22 June 1970, where Plant visited museums housing Viking artefacts and saw the large boats Vikings used to cross the Atlantic. Approximately 5,000 people attended that original performance. Plant's lyrics incorporate specific imagery from Iceland, including references to ice and snow, the midnight sun, and hot springs. The song debuted just days later at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music at the end of June 1970, and Plant has returned to Iceland several times since, once meeting an Icelandic prime minister who recalled attending that pivotal original performance.