All Things Iceland26 Jan 2024

The Drangey Island Devil – Folklore Friday

In the North on Drangey Island is where this tale takes place. It’s said that a man went to hunt birds and collect eggs on the island. As soon as he stepped foot on the island, he dropped died.

Guðmundur “The Good” Vs The Devil on Drangey Island

Word got around about the sudden death of this man and people felt that the reason for the death was an evil spirit or a devil. Guðmundur “The Good”, who was known as an individual that dealt with these types of spirits, went to try and sanctify the island a few times. In doing so, one time he met with the Devil.

According to the legend, the devil said, even evil needs a place to reside. Guðmundur gave it some thought after hearing this from the devil and decided to set aside a cliff area where the evil spirit/devil lives. It is a place where people are not allowed to hunt or collect eggs. In essence, it is a protected area.

This specific cliff is called Pagan Cliff. Since no one is 100% sure that an evil spirit doesn’t reside there and will kill you, people have decided to just leave it be. So, if you ever plan to go to this island keep that in mind.

Random Fact of the Episode

You can take tours to this island. Don’t worry, your guide knows not to take you to the off limits cliff. Also, Drangey island is an important place in Grettir’s saga, a folklore story I will be sharing at another time.

See More of North Iceland

Along with Drangey island, there are so many amazing places to see in North Iceland. The Diamon Circle route is one that is popular but I’ve had the opportunity to visit so many awesome natural wonders. If you want to add the north to your list of places to visit, I recommend grabbing My Iceland Map. It has over 260 different places around Iceland that I enjoy, including accommodations, museums, hot springs to bathe in, natural attractions, and more.

Whether you just grab the map or full access, which comes with pre-made itineraries, you will have loads of recommendations for things to do in the north around the country. You can find the link to my map here or under the “Trip Planning Help” tab at the top of the page.

Icelandic Word of the Episode

The word Drangey has an interesting meaning. First it is two words together. Drangur and ey.

Ey means island. Drangur is stone pillar. If you look at a picture of Drangey island, you will see a small stone pillar next to it the larger island. Together those words are drangey or stone pillar island.

Books About Icelandic Folklore

1 .The Guardians of Iceland and other Icelandic Folk Tales

2. Icelandic Folk Legends: Tales of Apparitions, Outlaws, and Things Unseen

3. The Little Book of the Hidden People: Twenty Stories of Elves from Icelandic Folklore

4. Icelandic Folk Tales

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