Of Monsters and Men was formed in 2010 when singer, guitarist, and

Of Monsters and Men was formed in 2010 when singer, guitarist, and pianist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir , who originally performed solo under the name Songbird, asked friends Brynjar Leifsson (electric guitar) and Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson (backing vocals, melodica , glockenspiel ) to help her perform. They were invited to play at Músíktilraunir , an annual music competition in Iceland, at which point Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson (backing vocals, melodica, glockenspiel, tambourine ) joined the band. As a quartet, they won the competition. Raggi came up with the band name, as an allusion to reading fairytales and telling stories growing up.