This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series, where I am sharing fascinating stories from Icelandic folklore on Fridays throughout 2024.

Even though this story is based in West Iceland, it starts out on the Reykjanes Peninsula in a small village. A group of men ventured to Geirfuglasker, known as Great Auk rocky island, on a g mission to capture great auks (a type of bird). But when it was time to sail back, they realized one of their own was missing. Reluctantly, they returned home, heavy-hearted and believing him lost to the sea.

A year later, the same crew found themselves back at the the same rocky island, and to their surprise, they found the missing man alive and well. He revealed an incredible tale: elves had enchanted him and held him captive for a year. The interesting part is that they treated him kindly yet keeping him away from his world. Even though they were nice to him, he longed for his home and elated to return to the world he knew with the group.

But his story took an unexpected turn. An elf woman, with whom he had shared a brief but intense connection, was expecting his child. She made him vow to baptize the child if she brought it to his church.

Time passed, and during a mass at Hvalsnes church, a mysterious cradle appeared outside, bearing a note demanding the child’s baptism. This raised suspicion among the people in the village that the man who had vanished for a year was the father of the child.

The pastor confronted him, but he vehemently denied any connection. At that moment, a tall, imposing woman emerged, cursing the man for his denial. She proclaimed that he would become a monstrous whale, a terror of the seas, then vanished with the cradle, leaving the villagers in shock and awe.

Driven to madness by the curse, the man raced to the sea and leapt from a cliff, instantly transforming into a whale that later was called Redhead because the man was wearing a red cap on his head when he plunged into the sea. Redhead became notorious and feared because he sank nineteen ships in his wrath.

One of the people deeply impacted by Redhead’s wrath was a blind pastor who lived at Saurbær. Tragedy struck when Redhead drowned the pastor’s sons during a fishing trip. Grieving yet determined, the pastor, guided by his daughter, made a pilgrimage to the fjord. One thing that made the pastor different than others who encountered this whale is that he was skilled in magic.

There, he and his daughter spotted the whale in the water. The pastor used a stick that his stuck in the ground along the shore to lead the whale through the fjord and up the Botnsá River. Not surprisingly, the huge whale struggling in the narrow, shallow waters. As they reached the roaring Glymur waterfall, the ground trembled like there were massive earthquakes because of the whale’s immense flailing about trying to fight against the magic. In fact, it is said tha the hills above Glýmur waterfall (glýmur meaning roaring) are called Skjálfandahæðir or Shaking hills because of this incident.

Finally, the blind pastor, with the help of his daughter leading him, had dragged Redhead the hot-tempered whale up to Hvalvatn Lake. Due to pure exhaustion from the difficult climb, Redhead died in the lake. The most intriguing part of the is story to me is that remains of whale bones have been found in this lake, which has led people to believe that it is a true story. When the pastor and his daughter returned home, the villagers were grateful for the work he had done to rid Redhead of the seas so it could be a little safer for all.

Hvalfjörður is only 26 kilometers from Reykjavík, which is about an hour one way. It’s a lovely fjord and the drive is really nice. If have time and you want to take the scenic route, I recommend not taking the tunnel and driving on the longer road around the fjord. Due to the beauty of the fjord, remote location, and proximity to the city, many Icelanders have cabins in this area.

Hvalfjörður literally means whale fjord

Facebook