A dramatic and isolated island in Skagafjörður, Drangey is steeped in Icelandic saga lore, most famously linked to the outlaw Grettir the Strong, whose final days unfolded here. Surrounded by sheer cliffs and the cold North Atlantic, the island carries an eerie atmosphere where history and legend intertwine. Tales speak of restless spirits, lingering echoes of betrayal, and the weight of fate tied to the island’s past. Today, visitors experience both its striking natural beauty and its haunting connection to the sagas, making it one of Iceland’s most evocative and mysterious historic locations.
📖 The Story
Drangey is a vertical-sided island fortress rising 180 meters from the cold waters of Skagafjörður. Seabirds nest on its cliffs in numbers that darken the sky. At its summit is a small plateau of grass where, in the year 1031, the outlaw Grettir Ásmundarson lived his final years before being murdered by his enemies.
Grettir was the hero of Grettis Saga — one of Iceland's greatest medieval narratives. A man of enormous strength and terrible luck, he was outlawed for twenty years after killing a man in a dispute. No law, no mercy, no protection: anyone could kill an outlaw without consequence. Grettir survived by strength and cunning, taking refuge on Drangey with his brother Illugi and a slave named Glaum.
For three years they held the island against all attacks. But magic succeeded where strength failed. A sorceress named Þuríður sent a curse-log drifting to Drangey's shore. When Grettir tried to chop it for firewood, he cut his leg with the axe. The wound festered, weakened him, and eventually his enemies climbed the cliffs at night and killed him in his sickbed.
The hauntings began immediately. Fishermen approaching Drangey reported seeing figures on the clifftops — three men standing in the mist, watching. Climbers reported hearing voices, the ring of weapons, and feeling invisible hands pushing them toward the cliff edge. The most detailed account comes from a priest who visited in 1643 to 'lay the ghosts' — he spent a night alone on the summit and described hearing footsteps circling his tent, voices speaking in Old Norse, and the unmistakable sound of an axe striking wood.
🗺️ Location
📍 geopoint