THE STORY OF HERJÓLF AND VILBORG

HERJÓLFSTOWN

The story of Herjólf and Vilborg

Herjólfstown is named after Herjólfur Bárðarsson, who is the first man to settle in Vestmannaeyjar around the year 900.

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According to the oldest book in Iceland history, Hauksbók, Herjólfur was a cruel man who considered himself to be the owner of the valley’s only water source. Despite many people begging him for water, he refused to provide it unless they paid for it.

Vilborg was the oldest daughter of Herjólfur and she was very upset about her father charging people for access to water in the valley. Whenever her father was not around she used to sneak out and gave people in the valley free water.

One day, Vilborg was sitting outside the town, mending her shoe when suddenly a raven came flying, grabbed the shoe and flew away. She chased after him and in the same moment a landslide fell on the house. The whole family died inside the house. making Vilborg the only survivor. It is believed that the god Óðinn sent his raven as his messenger to get her out of harm’s way since she always exhibited kindness with the people in the valley.

Herjólfstown is considered to be Iceland’s first stone house. In 2005, a replica of that house was built in Herjólfsdalur after research and evidence from the archaeologist Margrét Hermanns-Auðardóttir who began excavating in Herjólfsdalur in the summer 1971. 

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