Lofsöngur (Icelandic for 'Hymn'), also called Ó Guð vors lands ('O, God of Our Land'), is the national anthem (or hymn) of the Nordic country of Iceland. It was written for the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the first Norse settlement of Iceland, though it wasn't considered a nation anthem for another 40 years. It was adopted in 1944 when the country became a republic during the constitutional referendum. Previously in 1874, the music of the hymn was composed by Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson and the lyrics (words) were written by Matthías Jochumsson.