Hreyfan is a distributed systems programming language, intended for applications where program components can be spatially distributed and mobile. It is an object-based language, with typestate-oriented features for ensuring safe communication, and a static, modal type system for ensuring safe use of mobile resources.
Hreyfan is old-Norse and Icelandic for "movement". Its pronounciation in Icelandic is close to the English word "raven". Indeed, the English and old-Norse words are deeply intertwined—Vikings used ravens to help them navigate the seas, and discover new lands: They would take a number of ravens with them onboard their ships. Once sufficiently far out at sea, they would release a raven, note the direction in which it flew, and if the raven did not come back, they could draw a hypothesis that there was land in that direction.
Much as ravens enabled Viking mobility throughout the world, Hreyfan enables code mobility throughout the world. Such a Norse-themed name was also chosen because Hreyfan is heavily inspired by the programming languages Emerald and Erlang, both having significant Scandinavian roots.