Bardur the Troll is the deity of Mt. Snaefell. There is an entire Bardar/Bardur Saga about this mythological person, who was half man and half troll. He is said to have walked ashore at Djupalon, taken a bath in Baroarlaug pool, and then gave up on human company and walked into the glacier to live in a cave (whatever that means to us non-Icelanders). But a stone sculpture of Bardur by Ragnar Kjartansson, the first thing tourists will see, stands on the coast in Arnarstapi and it is said that this pagan figure still lives in the ice cap and protects the area from evil.
There is a hike from Arnarstapi to the top of Snaefell for those who choose to pay Bardur a visit while another trail connects Arnarstapi to Hellnar.
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map of Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland
Bardur the Troll at Arnarstapi, Iceland
Bardur the Troll – Arnarstapi, Iceland
The Arnarstapi and Hellnar Snaefellsjokull volcanic systems form a strong geological whole on the peninsula, and eruptions have taken place in the last glacial ice age, and recently. The 30 kilometer/90 mile volcanic system stretches from Maelifell in the East to Ondveroarnes in the West, Djupalonss and the Glacier and contains over 20 lava fields.
Cameras clicked away at Bardur and then all began walking one of the trails along the cliff to see Kittiwake colonies nesting along the cliffs and famous rock formations; hole in the rock, mouse hole, etc. The blowholes are supposed to be at their most dramatic during a storm when the sea creates fountains of ocean water. Our guide was constantly warning people to watch their step and watch for dive-bombing Arctic Terns. (No blowholes today and no dive-bombers.)
breeding Kittiwakes, Arnarstapi, Iceland
rock hole at Arnarstapi, Iceland
ropey lava by the sea at Arnarstapi, Iceland
Arnarstapi was an important trading port in the past, and had a population of 150 inhabitants at the beginning of the Eighteenth Century. There are many summer houses in the area and a number of small fishing boats sail from the harbor surrounded by columnar basalt, ravines and grottoes.
coastline at Arnarstapi, Iceland
The seaside and the cliffs between Arnastapi and Hellnar was made a Natural Reserve in 1979.
coastline trail at Arnarstapi, Iceland
the mouse hole at Arnarstapi, Iceland
fishing port at Arnarstapi, Iceland
Believers in energy radiation from Snaefellsjokull gather every summer to recharge whatever a believer recharges. Spirits? Inner Peace? A battery?