Skessugarður - the Rampart of the two Giantesses in East-Iceland - Icelandic Folklore

In this travel-blog I am going to show you Skessugarður - the Rampart of the Giantess. It is a natural phenomenon in East Iceland, which has been called one of the most amazing natural formations in Iceland.

It consists of massive boulders (porphyritic basalt) making up a 300-meter long and 5-meter high natural wall. 

Top photo: At Skessugarður

Skessugarður - the Rampart of the two Giantesses 

Skessugarður is a geological phenomenon as it was formed by an ice-age glacier, Brúarjökull glacier. This was then followed by a flood, which washed this area clean of smaller rocks leaving behind the big ones.

It is really amazing visiting Skessugarður and you feel so tiny compared to the massive wall of boulders. But I would much rather believe the troll story connected to this area. 

The story goes that two giantesses built their landmark here as they wanted to split the fishing on the heath between them, but one end of the rampart is in the lake.

Checking out Skessugarður - the Rampart of the two Giantesses 

I found their story in Þjóðsögur Jóns Árnasonar - the Collection of Folklore of Jón Árnason, which I often refer to in my travel-blog and translated it into English:

"A long time ago, maybe before the settlement of Iceland, two giantesses lived in East Iceland; one of them lived by the sea, but the other one by the glacier. At one time they met.

They started quarreling about the land and both of them wanted to own half of the land.

Skessugarður - the Rampart of the two Giantesses 

But now they had to find the middle of the land. As they parted they made an agreement, that both of them should start their walk at the same time of the day - one of them by the sea, but the other one by the glacier - and that they should stalk and at the spot where they would meet they should make a marking of some sort.

They met on a certain hill in south-east Möðrudalsland land, which since has been called Grjótgarðsháls or the Stone Wall hill, and stacked a huge stone wall, much of which is still standing today and is quite a phenomenon were it erected by humans.

Skessugarður - the Rampart of the two Giantesses 

This stone wall is one mile long and is partly buried in the sand, but it is still four to five fathoms high and the cliffs are so huge that they are two and up to three fathoms in the perimeter in many places."

(Translated into English from Þjóðsögur Jóns Árnasonar - the Collection of Folklore of Jón Árnason - RHR).

It is really something visiting Skessugarður. There are huge boulders all over the place, some of them forming this massive wall, just like they have been stacked there by trolls. 

My husband at Skessugarður

We have many troll stories in Iceland and we are raised on these stories, which kind of has given me a fear of trolls!

If you go there with the mindset that these boulders have actually been stacked by trolls, then the experience becomes more dramatic!

Here you are alone in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere - nobody around - only these huge boulders - what if the trolls were to return...! It felt like we were alone in the world and it became quite eerie.

Thinking about the trolls at Skessugarður

I recommend that you watch the Norwegian film Troll Hunter before you visit this place. I had just watched it and the fear of trolls was still in my heart ;)

Skessugarður is located by lake Grjótgarðsvatn west of Sænautasel turf house on the other side of Mt. Sænautafell. 

I know that many people drive by without knowing about this special place in Iceland. To visit this place you can rent a car in Reykjavík and drive the ring road of Iceland.

The road sign for Skessugarður

Turn left onto the old ring-road (number 907, a gravel road) after you leave Sænautasel and drive for a couple of km.

Then turn left onto a dirt road, which turns into a track until you reach Skessugarður after 2 km. This is a summer visit only.

Here you can see the location of Skessugarður on Google maps.

Skessugarður and Lake Grjótgarðsvatn

If you want to find out more about the Icelandic trolls, then I have written a couple of other travel-blogs about them:

Kerlingarskarð Pass in Snæfellsnes in West-Iceland - the Folklore of the Giantess & her Fiancé 

The 3 Trolls who wanted to separate the Westfjords from the Mainland of Iceland - Icelandic Folklore

The Giantess Hít in Hítardalur Valley and the Party of the Trolls - Folklore from West Iceland

Have a lovely time in East Iceland :)