Myrká

Norðurland eystra · Island · Church

From this church farm, the dead deacon of Myrká rode through the winter night to fetch his sweetheart – 'Garún, Garún' – in Iceland's most famous ghost story.

Myrká is an old church site in the Hörgárdalur valley of north Iceland and the setting of the country's best-known ghost tale, the Deacon of Myrká. The deacon Jón drowned in the freezing river Hörgá just before Christmas, but did not realise he was dead – on Christmas Eve he rode to the farm Bægisá to fetch his fiancée Guðrún for the festivities. On the ride his hat slipped back to reveal the bare white skull, and unable to speak her holy name he called her 'Garún, Garún'. At the Myrká churchyard he tried to drag her down into his open grave, and the revenant was finally forced under a stone by a man skilled in magic. The tale is still told at the church, and the dull roar of the river in winter makes it easy to understand why.

FAQ

Wo befindet sich Myrká?

Myrká liegt in Norðurland eystra, Island.