Stories & Legends
THE GIANTESS KERLING
A fifteen-minute drive from Stykkishólmur you will find Kerlingarskarð (e. Kerling Pass), a road that hasn't been maintained since 2001 when Vatnaleið was opened. That road connected the northern and southern part of Snæfellsnes. On top of the pass you will find a troll. A troll that is definitely not the reason the road was closed since it can't harm you unless you climb on top of it. There's no need to worry because it's been turned to stone.
Legend has it (and there is more than one version) that this troll was on its way to her boyfriend. In all the excitement of meeting him again, she didn't think about what time it was. When she arrived on top of the cliff she still stands on the first rays of the morning sun hit her and she turned to stone.
Another version claims she was fishing in Baulárvallarvatn (try saying that three times fast). She caught a lot of trout and didn't want to stop. At the last possible minute, she tried to hurry back but was sadly too late. If you look closely you can see that she's holding a bag full of trout. Romantic or greedy, she's still there and you can see her. But be careful - not because of the troll. Be careful because the unmaintained road is horrible.
HELGAFELL - holy mountain
Helgafell is a 73 metres high mountain with a breathtaking panoramic view across Breiðafjordur Bay. A temple in honor of Þór was built there by the first settler of the area, Þórólfr Mostrarskegg. Helgafell also appears in the Laxdæla Saga as the location where the heroine Guðrún Ósvífrsdóttir last lived and is supposedly where she is buried.
Folklore advises anyone climbing the mountain for the first time to walk straight up without looking back or speaking and three wishes will be granted. The wishes have to be of good intent and the wisher tells no one and faces east when making them.
A small remnant of a wall on the mountain top is dated 1184 and was a part of a nearby monastery built at this time.