Bárður Snæfellsas was a half-troll / half-man who is the subject of his own Saga. He left Norway, refusing to pay taxes to King Harald during Settlement times, sailing with 30 men for 50 days before reaching Iceland.

His Saga functions as more of a parody of the other Icelandic Sagas. This is yet another testament to the Icelandic dark sense of humor. Whereas it was believed that the earliest Icelandic settlers threw two high-seat pillars from their ship to determine where to make landfall, Bárður Snæfellsas defecated and decided to settle wherever his feces washed ashore. This place turned out to be Djúpalónssandur, the beach we visited yesterday.

After many adventures, Bárður Snæfellsas disappeared into the ice cap of Snæffelsjökull; henceforth his spirit is inextricably linked to the landscape.

Author

Craig and Steph

Created on

Thursday 14 March 2019

Posted on

Friday 22 March 2019

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• 2019 Iceland

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