Today was the first day our nomadic life has started to feel like a Road Trip. We left Höfn around 10am and set off on a long drive through the fjords of East Iceland. These fjords aren’t quite as dramatic as the ones in the west (where I’ll be doing my homestay), but still pretty. The weather was pretty dreary all day, with dark skies and rain discouraging us from making any sightseeing stops along the way.
We stopped for a bathroom break in a small seaside town, which I believe was Fáskrúðsfjörður, but I’m not all that sure. There we got lunch at the grocery store, next to which sat a set of tiny houses:
Our driver said they are for the Huldufólk (“Hidden People”), which are like elves. They look and behave like people, but live in a parallel world/dimension. They can choose whether or not we can see them. Huldufólk are friendly, often stepping in to save the lives of humans. 7-8% of Icelanders are certain that they exist, and almost half believe their existence is likely or possible.
We then arrived in Egilsstaðir, where we will be taking a short break. We’ll be staying in this small town (still the largest town in East Iceland) for three nights. It is relatively young, only having been established in 1947 and is seated on the banks of the Lagarfljót River.
Legend has it that Lagafljót Lake is home to a giant sea monster called a wyrm. It takes the form of a snake, and was mentioned as early as 1345.
"Initially, the wyrm was merely a little slug that was placed on a golden ring - at that time suggested as a method of multiplying gold. However, when the girl who owned the ring opened the shrine containing the ring and the slug, she was dismayed by the rapid growth of the worm - swelling with pride over its treasure, while the ring remained the same. Panicking, the girl hurled the shrine and its contents into the lake. As time passed, the slug grew into a wyrm frightening the locals and belching poison over the farmlands. Some say that two Finnish magicians were eventually engaged to tackle the monster and that they managed to restrain the beast by shaking its extremities to the lakebed. Others claim it was the popular bishop of North Iceland, Guðmundur - nicknamed "the Benevolent"- who tied the wyrm down in this way, so tightly that it only manages to arch its back up above the surface. Legend declares that if the wyrm ever disengages itself, not only will it raise a ruckus, but it will bring about the end of the world..." - From Visit Austurland
Our next stop is Húsavík, known by many as the site of the 2020 Eurovision movie (which, coincidentally, featured the Huldufólk houses!). So, we decided we’ve have a movie night in our cabin. It took me a while to figure out how to hook my computer up to the TV, especially after struggling to even get it to turn on, but it ended in success.
Anika Tullos 