Hjörleifshöfði

Hjörleifshöfði
Hjörleifshöfði from Vík í Mýrdal
height	221  m
location	Iceland
Coordinates	63 ° 25 ′ 0 ″  N , 18 ° 46 ′ 0 ″  W Coordinates: 63 ° 25 ′ 0 ″  N , 18 ° 46 ′ 0 ″  W
Type	Inselberg
rock	Palagonite
particularities	was temporarily an island after the Ice Age
Hjörleifshöfði seen from Mýrdalssandur

Hjörleifshöfði is a 221 m high island mountain in the south of Iceland . It is made of palagonite .

The mountain is located on the Mýrdalssandur approx. 15 km east of Vík í Mýrdal .

Surname

The mountain was named after one of the first legendary settlers mentioned in the land register .

Accordingly, Hjörleifur Hróðmarsson was a friend and foster brother of the first official settler of Iceland, Ingólfur Arnarson . He settled at Hjörleifshöfði towards the end of the 9th century. According to tradition, there he was slain by his slaves. The slaves fled to the Westman Islands , where Ingólfur in turn took revenge for his friend and slew them.

At the top of the mountain is a hill called Hjörleifshaugur , where Hjörleifur is said to be buried.

geology

The mountain is of volcanic origin, but was covered by ice or sea water at the time of its formation, so it has a similar past to the nearby, larger mountain Hafursey . Then he was an island surrounded by the sea. At the time of the conquest it was already connected to the mainland, but there was still a fjord at its side, which was used to dock the ships.

Only later did the glaciers associated with the eruptions of the Katla volcano in Mýrdalsjökull wash up so much sand and rubble that it is now not far from the coast, but on the mainland, and the fjord was filled.

A headland, Kötlutangi , led so far out into the sea after the Katla eruptions in 1918 that it was considered the southernmost point of Iceland. In the meantime, however, the sea has eroded them to such an extent that the Dyrholaey peninsula is again entitled to this title .

farm

Until 1936 there was a farm of the same name on the mountain. It was moved up after the Katla erupted in 1660 or 1721.

The farm was considered relatively wealthy because of the additional income from hunting seabirds and collecting eggs.

See also

• History of Iceland
• Geography of Iceland
• Volcanoes in Iceland
• List of mountains and elevations in Iceland

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. 2. bindi. Edited by T. Einarsson, H. Magnússon. Reykjavík (Örn og Örlygur) 1989, p. 698
2. ↑ Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. 2. bindi. Edited by T. Einarsson, H. Magnússon. Reykjavík (Örn og Örlygur) 1989, p. 697 f.
3. ↑ Íslandshandbókin. Náttúra, saga og sérkenni. 2. bindi. Edited by T. Einarsson, H. Magnússon. Reykjavík (Örn og Örlygur) 1989, p. 698 f.