#Bárður Snæfellsás

[paganplaces]

Bárður Snæfellsás Statue

The Bárður Snæfellsás Statue stands in Arnarstapi, a small fishing village nestled on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula of Iceland.

Read more at: https://paganplaces.com/places/bardur-snaefellsas-statue/

[streamingthruamerica]

Spelunking the Largest Lava Tube in Iceland

Spelunking the Largest Lava Tube in Iceland

[mando-and-bucky]

just hanging out with my new friend, Bárður Snæfellsás (at Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland)

[thorraborinn]

I’m a bit curious about what exactly a patron deity is? Like is it one particular god you feel closer to?

This is probably a question for someone who is more familiar with classical religion. There are relationships between gods and humans in Norse literature that we could probably call patronage (e.g. Óðinn and poets, Þorgerðr Hǫlgabrúðr and the Háleygjar dynasty, Bárður Snæfellsás and the Snæfellsjökull glacier in Iceland), but it's not clear whether they did, so I'm not particularly familiar with it as an analytic. But I believe the idea of patronage has more do with a clear role of protection and mutual promotion of the interests of the god and the people who worship the god than individual personal closeness (like Athena being the patron goddess of Athens or St. Nicholas being the patron saint of children, coopers, sailors, fishermen, etc).

Usually the terms that people in the sagas use to refer to their close relationships to the gods are the same as the terms they use to describe close personal relationships with other people (vinr, ástvinr, fulltrúi).

[jaynezak]

Best Day In The Snaefellsnes Peninsula in Iceland

Best Day In The Snaefellsnes Peninsula in Iceland

Best Day In The Snaefellsnes Peninsula In Iceland

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.”  Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

 I was more in awe during my day in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in the west fjords of Iceland than during any other part of the country I visited.

This is saying a lot considering how much I…

[phantombrushy]

Day 2 - Ólafsvík, Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland

Again, there are photos I can't show you because they were taken with the Canon, so I apologise for that!

I woke up at four in the morning to misty mountains cue the music, wind, and some rain. Of course, the complementary breakfast doesn't open that early and I was a little hungry, so I started snacking on some papriku stjörnur (paprika stars, which are delicious and I have been craving these since the last time I've been here).

After a quick breakfast, we set out for Arnarstapi on the south side of Snæfellsnes Peninsula. On the way there, I believe we passed the entrance to Snæfellsjökull - the famous volcano featured in Journey to the Centre of the Earth - before we stopped by the Saxhóll crater, which we climbed up the side of.

Here's a view from the top (I'm on the north side of the crater facing the south)!

We made another stop at the Svalþúfa-Þúfubjarg rock formations. It was raining here like back in Ólafsvík, so by the end of our visit we were promptly soaked through!

There was a local shop that also had a one-room sized museum, and knowing me, I got two books while I was there. My mother got me 'Medicinal Plant of Iceland' by Arnbjörg Linda Jóhannsdóttir as an early birthday present, while I bought myself a large book: 'The Sagas of Icelanders'. You can bet your ass I'm going to be reading these every chance I get.

After that, we visited Bárður Snæfellsás in Arnarstapi, a large stone structure (sculpted by Ragnar Kjartansson) of the settler of Snjórfellsnes (both snjór and snær mean snow in Icelandic) who was half-troll and half-human.

Since it was around lunchtime, we stopped at a nearby restaurant called Arnarbaer Restaurant. It's a very small building with an open kitchen, so it's easy to talk to any one person on the staff if you wanted to. I'd recommend their fiskur og franskar (fish and chips), of course!

If you ever visit, please don't be like 95% of the tourists there. Since the restaurant is in such close proximity to an attraction, and it's obviously tourist season, they were frightfully busy. However, no one there really seemed to get that, and kept hovering by the glass counter in front of one of the cooks or kept bothering the hostess behind the register, despite them being able to see they were all flitting between washing the tall pile of dishes and cooking food for all of the other customers. Number one thing to keep in mind when visiting another country, since a lot of people seem to forget it the moment they travel, no matter their nationality: You are a visitor. This is their home, and we are merely guests. Be respectful of the people and land around you. You'll have a better experience overall.

The last thing we did was visit Djúpalónssandur in Hellnar, one of Iceland's many black sand beaches. It was separated in two by a concrete dock, one side sandy and the other rocky. The rocky side was - you guessed it - made of rocks, but they were large enough to be about the size of my head, so my hips were hurting when all was said and done.

And that was our day! We came back to our rooms and I promptly fell asleep for two hours (because all I do is sleep, apparently). Now I'm regretting my choices because my sleep schedule is, once again, jacked.

Tomorrow, we drive to Reykhólar, which is on the southern most tip of the Westfjords!

Íslenska word/phrase of the day: Það er rigning og hvasst í dag - It's raining and windy today

[titou-nz]

Snaefellsnes - Iceland

Il y a peu de sources historiques sur cette partie de l'Islande. Le volcan est l'objet d'une des sagas des Islandais, Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss, qui ne peut cependant pas être considérée comme une source historique fiable, comprenant de nombreux éléments légendaires. Cette saga raconte comment Bárður Dumbsson, un des premiers colons de la péninsule, gravit le sommet du Snæfellsjökull et disparût, devenant alors Bárður Snæfellsás, esprit protecteur des habitants de la région.

Plusieurs ruines de ferme ont été trouvées au sein du parc datant de la colonisation de l'Islande (IXe et Xe siècles). Près de Gufuskálar au nord du parc, on peut voir plusieurs structures en pierre datant probablement d'il y a entre 500 et 700 ans. La pêche semble avoir été la principale ressource, les eaux autour de la péninsule étant très riches.

Le Snæfellsjökull était de tout temps un repère important pour la navigation. Pendant longtemps, il était considéré comme la plus haute montagne du pays, et en particulier, lors de sa première ascension en 1754 par Eggert Ólafsson et Bjarni Pálsson, ceux-ci estime l'altitude à 2 154 m. Cette valeur est revue à la baisse en 1789, estimée alors à 1 460−1 470 m, plus proche de la valeur officielle actuelle de 1 446 m.

Le parc national fut constitué le 28 juin 2001.

[naturalsceneries]

Bárður Snæfellsás

by Theo Crazzolara

[delphinidin4]

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS I GOOGLED AND HOLY SHIT

WATERFALL

BASALT COLUMNS

ARNARSTAPI ARCH

(IT’S BIGGER THAN IT LOOKS)

AND THEN THERE’S THIS DUDE

HIS NAME IS BÁRÐUR SNÆFELLSÁS, WHICH IS SIMPLY FANTASTIC. BUT THERE’S MORE!

Bárður Snæfellsás was the settler of this area, half a troll and half a man, but his mother was human. Bárður, who was Dumbsson, sailed from Norway with his men in the 9th century and came ashore in Djúpalón and Dritvík cove. He then built his farm at Laugarbrekka further east on Snæfellsnes and became a prominent figure on the peninsula.Bárður was the one who gave the name to the Snæfellsnes peninsula when he saw the snow and ice on Snæfellsjökull glacier, which hovers over this part of the peninsula. He called it Snjófellsnes peninsula. Both words "snær" and "snjór" mean snow in Icelandic. It was later changed to Snæfellsnes. (source, which has tons of info and pictures of the area!)

WHAT THE FUCK, GUYS. HOW DID ICELAND GET ALL THE COOL SHIT??

Arnarstapi is a small fishing village in the southern part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and at the foot of Mount Stapafell. 

Arnarstapi is a place in Snæfellsnes that should not be missed!  And there is a 2.5 km long hiking trail leading through the lava field between Arnarstapi to Hellnar which is a great fun to walk

[chrispamifotoblog]

Die Küste von #Arnastapi & #Bárður Snæfellsás

[jessicakehoe]

Iceland Is Way More Than the Blue Hot Springs You See All Over Instagram

I’m standing on a ledge at the end of Víðgelmir cave, a nearly 1,600-metre-long lava tube just under two hours by car from Reykjavík in West Iceland’s Hallmundarhraun lava field. Above ground it’s summer, a time when the sun hardly sets in this part of the world, but down here it feels like winter and it’s pitch-black.

The tour guide leading our excursion instructs us to turn off our headlamps, the only source of light. “Now let your eyes adjust,” he says. “You’ve probably never experienced complete darkness before, and your brain may start doing some weird things.” While my pupils acclimate to the blackness (I’m starting to see faint lightlike formations), he tells us about Iceland’s Huldufólk (“Hidden People”)—a ghost story of sorts.

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Almost as soon as you enter The Cave it becomes completely dark and the temperature drops to about 1 degree Celsius. The lights that have been installed inside the lava tube illuminate incredible rock formations and gorgeous colours. @bustraveliceland #cave #iceland #tour ( 📷 @bicnick )

A post shared by Reykjavik Grapevine (@rvkgrapevine) on Aug 3, 2016 at 6:36am PDT

In this tiny country inhabited by fewer than 350,000, the stories about the Huldufólk are more than just folk tales and could date as far back as the Viking period, when scholars first found mention of the word alfar (“elf”). These elusive beings are believed to be abnormally beautiful, ranging in height from several centimetres to a few metres, and reside in an invisible dimension in the cracks of rocks, caves and mountainsides—and among Icelanders, this belief is widely held. According to a 2017 poll carried out by local magazine The Reykjavík Grapevine, 67 per cent of respondents said they believe in elves, while a 1998 survey found 54 per cent of the population to be believers. Back in 1982, some 150 activists marched on NATO’s Keflavík base in search of elves thought to be endangered by the military operations.

According to a 2017 poll carried out by local magazine The Reykjavík Grapevine, 67 per cent of respondents said they believe in elves, while a 1998 survey found 54 per cent of the population to be believers.

According to folklore, the Huldufólk are neither good nor evil and keep mortals in line, exercising their power to reward good behaviour and punish malice while encouraging the preservation of Iceland’s many natural wonders. Passed on through generations, these tales impart a kind of moral code to life here and figure as prominently in the naming of landmarks and geographical features as the Western world’s saints and statesmen.

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After the rain comes the rainbow 🌈🇮🇸 . . . #tbt #iceland #dream #travel #adventure #me #wanderlust #sea #sun #sky #skyporn #clouds #blue #nature #beautiful #landscape #travelling #travelgram #travelphotography #life #amazing #beauty #landscapephotography #love #instatravel #instagood #photooftheday #igers #happy #weather

A post shared by Matteo Bargetto (@matteobargetto) on Nov 20, 2018 at 3:32am PST

The Snæfellsnes Peninsula, at the western tip of the country—known for its gold- and pink-sand beaches—honours half-troll half-man Bárður Snæfellsás, who is said to live in the Snæfellsnesjökull glacier and serve as the area’s protector. You wouldn’t want to incur his wrath by building, say, a condo project atop this nature reserve.

Iceland is located on a hot spot on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The surface of the earth beneath this Nordic nation is unusually thin, which is the catalyst behind its geothermal activity and the geothermal energy that has been helping power it since the 1930s. It’s this energy that allows the country to remain largely self-sufficient, and it has a burgeoning agriculture industry. Iceland is actually home to Europe’s largest banana plantation, which puts that geothermal energy to use heating greenhouses. Plans to share the wealth of clean energy are already in the works, in the form of a power interconnector between Iceland and the United Kingdom. At 1,000 kilometres, it will be the longest the world has ever seen.

There’s a sense of exhilaration that comes with being in a place on the verge of combustion.

There’s a sense of exhilaration that comes with being in a place on the verge of combustion, with countless hot springs bubbling up everywhere and a somewhat apocalyptic landscape of lava fields and scorched earth. The midnight sun casts this already otherworldly place in a surreal light from late May until July: A walk home from dinner under pale blue skies at 11:30 in the evening becomes anything but ordinary, while spotting white-beaked dolphins dancing out of the water on a nighttime whale watching excursion is almost too magical to be believed.

Even underground, there’s a whole world to discover, with networks of lava caves carved violently through the earth, the scar of volcanic fury. As I climb up out of Víðgelmir into the sprawling lava field, the warm air envelops me and thaws out my extremities; I might as well be on another planet. On the drive back to Reykjavík, our tour bus makes a final stop, at Barnafoss waterfall. Travel is all about escape—from work, from monotony, from reality—and natural wonders are the ultimate antidote to anxiety. No, your negative thought processes won’t reverse as you peer at a peaceful waterfall, but watching milky glacier water rushing over lava rocks just might melt your worries away.

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Barnafoss Falls Hraunfossar, Iceland #PeterinIceland

A post shared by Peter in Transit (@peterintransit) on Sep 24, 2018 at 1:44pm PDT

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And while you’re there, here are a few items actually worth checking off your tourist checklist.

Eat

Icelandic cuisine is more than just fermented shark and whale meat—actually, those fishing practices are largely kept alive by tourists seeking exotic culinary experiences. At Grillið, located on the top floor of the Radisson Blu Saga Hotel, the food is elegant and straightforward, showcasing Iceland’s most beautiful ingredients, like lumpfish roe, arctic angelica and some of the world’s highest quality lamb. I will be dreaming of their potato bread with cep butter and roasted garlic velouté for the rest of my days. The panoramic view of Reykjavik didn’t hurt either.

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Wow, wow, wow! #thebluelagoon is amazing. Definitely one for the #bucketlist 😍. #iceland #bluelagooniceland #worldtraveler

A post shared by Shirley-Ann (@underanenglishsky) on Nov 9, 2018 at 6:28am PST

Experience

The Blue Lagoon (that silica mud mask is better than the most expensive exfoliating treatment from Sephora to Ulta), Hallgrimskirkja (which more closely resembles a spaceship than a church) and whale-watching are all worth checking out. Elding Adventure at Sea offers late-night tours during midnight sun season, a must if you happen to be visiting in summertime. Make sure you go out on at least one excursion beyond the limits of Reykjavik. Whether you head east, west, north or south, you’re bound to find a wealth of waterfalls, glaciers, volcanic craters and natural swimming spots.

Getting There

WOW Air is the airline that made this magical place accessible to non-executive first class budgets, offering cheap fares from major cities around the world—including Montreal and Toronto. From the airport, grab a shuttle with Flybus into the city center and they will take you right to your hotel, hostel or Airbnb.

The post Iceland Is Way More Than the Blue Hot Springs You See All Over Instagram appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Iceland Is Way More Than the Blue Hot Springs You See All Over Instagram published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[alternatalie]

Everyday is a winding road✨ | A Picturesque Church | This church, sitting pretty in front of ice-capped mountains on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in west Iceland, is the famous Ingjaldshólskirkja ("kirkja" is "church" in Icelandic). It is the oldest concrete church in Iceland. It is named after a settler, Ingjaldur Alfarinsson. According to folklore, Ingjaldur had a disagreement with Hetta (a giantess living in a nearby mountain) after he caught her stealing his sheep. Hetta wanted Ingjaldur dead; so she conjured up a storm when he went fishing. However, a half troll half man, Bárður Snæfellsás (the Protector of the Snæfellsnes peninsula), saved Ingjaldur. (at Ingjaldshólskirkja)

[prooooof]

Bárður Snæfellsás, half man/half troll, by Ragnar Kjartansson (1972). Arnarstapi, Iceland. June 2017. . . #Iceland #wanderlust #latergram #travel #naturephotography #nature #5DMarkIII #passionpassport #lifeofadventure #folkmagazine #liveauthentic #moodygrams #stayandwander #instagood #vsco #artofvisuals #mountainstones #ourplanetdaily #roamtheplanet #spaceshipearth #earthpix #welivetoexplore #exploretheplanet (at Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland)

[travelandreallife]

Bárður Snæfellsás, once the King of Northern Hellaland in Scandinavia, traveled to #Iceland via a floating #glacier in the late 9th century and guarded the land until banishing himself in the #Snaefellsjukull Glacier. The monument, which depicts him as half-man, half-giant, was erected in 1985 & rests in the town of #Arnarstapi, located on the southern coast of the #Snaefellsnes Peninsula. 😊🇮🇸⛰🌊🤴 (at Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland)

[mariakjartans]

Bárður Snæfellsás undir #stapafell #snæfellsnes #snaefellsnespeninsula #iceland #roadtrip #photoshootinmay #icelandspring (at Arnarstapi)

[fuckyeahnorsemythology]

A child under the Bárður Snæfellsás statue build by Kjartan Ragnarsson in Arnarstapi, on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland. Photo by Jónas Guðmundsson.

Bárður Snæfellsás is one of the main figures in Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss. A descendant of trolls, Bárður becomes dissatisfied with human society after the conversion to Christianity and walked up into the mountains. In Icelandic folklore he continues to exert his supernatural influence in the area around Snæfellsjökull (hence Snæfellsás, the ás ‘god’ of Snæfell).