Sigrun Þormar

Surtshellir Cave | Den of Thieves or Temple of Doom ?

(With the kind permission of Kevin B. Smith from Brown University - lecturing Reykholt on 22nd of February 2014)           ln the 13th century text Landnámabók (Pálsson and Edwards 1972), the 14th century Harðar saga ok Hólmverja (Jónsson 1953), and the fictive 19th century Hellismanna saga (Árnason 1889) Surtshellir is identified as the base of an outlaw band that fortified the cave in the late 10th century preying on the surrounding countryside until routed by a coalition of local chieftains.  The presence of bone piles and a stone-walled structure have been anecdotally recorded s