Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.05.2017, Síða 56

56 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08 — 2017
Quite an unnerving thought
The island of Drangey stands
like a naval fortress in the wa-
ters of Skagafjörður in north-
ern Iceland. Once a maritime
volcano, its sheer tuff walls rise
about 180 metres from the sea
in the middle of the long fjord.
Atop the rocky cliffs, however, a
relatively flat field of abundant
grass covers the island’s surface.
This fertile pasture, along with
the island’s strategic, defensible
setting, made Drangey an excel-
lent location for the medieval
inhabitants of the Skagafjörður
district to keep and graze their
livestock; for the same reasons,
however, Drangey proved a choice
refuge for Grettir Ásmundar-
son, the antihero of Grettis Saga
and the most notorious outlaw
of medieval Icelandic literature.
Grettis Saga recounts the
travels and troubles of Grettir,
a strongman and perennial out-
law whose unparalleled might
becomes tempered by crippling
dread after an undead monster
lays a curse on him. Afraid of the
dark and of being alone, Grettir
traverses much of Iceland seeking
solace and security from an ever-
growing list of enemies. After one
of Grettir’s few allies suggests he
make his home on the island, cit-
ing Drangey’s natural defences,
Grettir secures passage to Drang-
ey with his brother Illugi and
an incompetent servant named
Glaumur. With eighty sheep and
an abundance of nesting sea-
birds, the ragtag trio last three
years on the island, resisting in-
timidation from the Skagafjörður
farmers who, despite their ef-
forts, find no way to evict Gret-
tir from the natural fortress.
When Glaumur accidentally
lets the fire burn out one night,
Grettir takes it upon himself to
return to the mainland to procure
a flame. After swimming a league
in the cold sea to the farm of
Reykir, he finds a natural hot pool
and soaks for several hours be-
fore retrieving fire from the farm
and ferrying it back to Drangey.
Ultimately, through a com-
bination of witchcraft and Gl-
au mu r ’s i nc omp et enc e, t he
Skagafjörður farmers reclaim the
island. The foster mother of Þor-
björn Hook, one of the farmers,
sends a cursed tree trunk floating
to Drangey. Cutting the trunk,
Grettir’s axe glances off the wood
and cuts into his leg, dealing him
a festering, debilitating wound.
Soon after, Glaumur, growing im-
petuous and delinquent, neglects
to remove the ladder that pro-
vides access to the clifftop. Þorb-
jörn and the farmers surprise the
wounded outlaw and, after a fierce
battle, defeat the hapless trio.
The storied island is visible
from the modern-day towns of
Sauðárkrókur and Hofsós. To
this day, the farm of Reykir—
where Grettir procures fire—has
a source of naturally occurring
hot water, and the modern-day
owners of the farm have built
hot pools beside the sea, one of
which—Grettislaug—takes its
name from the saga’s antihero.
The same family operates boat
tours from Reykir to Drangey,
where the purported ruins of
Grettir’s dugout can still be seen.
Although swimming between
Drangey and the mainland is a
herculean task best left to legend-
ary strongmen like Grettir, it’s
still possible to retrace the path
of this colourful, flawed hero.
Island of Outlaws
Grettir’s exile on Drangey island

Words: Eli Petzold Illustration: Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir
SAGA SPOTS
Shortly before the turn of the 20th
century, a young girl travelled
from Reykjavík to the nearby hot
springs of Laugar to do her wash-
ing. While at her work there, she
felt an unpleasant presence and
became sick at heart and nau-
seous. She looked around and was
startled by the sight of a spectre or
ghost crouching over a crock that
stood on the ground close to her.
Although frightened, she observed
the sight before falling uncon-
scious to the ground, where she
lay until people came to look for
her. When she came to, she told of
what she had seen. It then came to
light that the crock had contained
human entrails. A doctor had dis-
sected a corpse and wanted to have
the entrails washed before inspec-
tion. The girl described the ghost
in such vivid detail that the dead
man could be recognised from her
description. Few people knew of
the presence of the entrails there.
The source for this tale was an
inhabitant of Reykjavík who
was familiar with this matter.
Source: Sigfús Sigfússon, Íslenskar
þjóðsögur og sagnir II, p. 27.
Taken from 'The Museum of Hidden
Beings' by Arngrímur Sigurðsson.
Buy the book at gpv.is/dulbk
MONSTER OF THE MONTH
Móri -
Ghost
Art: Arngrimur Sigurðsson
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