The Folklore of Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks
In bygone days, people sought to explain what they didn’t understand through folklore tales. Over the years, although our understanding of scientific processes has come on in leaps and bounds, we still feel a nostalgia for those old-fashioned stories. By sharing these fables, we perpetuate them. In doing so, we help to strengthen the cultural heritage of the places they feature.
One such place is Reynisdrangar, a group of sea stacks on Iceland’s south coast and a popular stop on Gray Line Iceland’s tours to this region. Let’s take a look at the folklore of Reynisdrangar sea stacks and how science can offer a different explanation.
The subject of folklore tales
The sea stacks at Reynisdrangar are the subject of a popular legend. It goes like this: once upon a time, there were two trolls in the water. Trolls occur in Norse mythology; they’re hostile, monstrous beings. They’re at least the size of a man and often a giant, typically living in mountains or caves.
In this case, the trolls were definitely up to no good, working together to drag a three-masted sailing ship onto the shore. It was payback; the ship’s captain had refused them a lift before it set sail. But it was hard work and the task of getting the boat onto the sand took longer than they expected. Perhaps they lost track of time, an easy thing to do in Iceland where the changing seasons mean that the nights have very different lengths.
Regardless, the trolls should have acted more quickly. You see, trolls can’t survive in sunlight; if they are still out in the open at dawn, the rising sun will turn them to stone. And that’s precisely what happened here: the sun came up, petrifying the trolls for ever after. These hunks of basalt are all that remains of the pair.
If you’re observant, you’ll be wondering why there’s a third lump of basalt. While the two stacks called Lóndrangar and Háidrangur represent the two trolls, there’s another rock formation between them, called Langsamur. This is where the story starts to make a bit less sense: the ship is in the middle. No matter: we know it’s just a story.
And it’s not the only one. A second tale recounts the sorry events of a man whose wife was kidnapped by two trolls. She didn’t survive, so her distraught husband wanted revenge on the pair for taking away the love of his life. He turned them to stone, determined to make sure that no one else could suffer the same desperately sad fate.
The scientific explanation for the Reynisdrangar sea stacks
These days, we know better than to believe in trolls, though of course it’s still fun to appreciate the story. But the presence of the Reynisdrangar sea stacks can easily be explained by geological and geographical processes, the kind of knowledge that simply didn’t exist in the olden days.
Geologists’ studies have shown that the volcanic activity to led to the formation of the land we now know as Iceland began as the sea floor spread, causing a widening rift we call the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. During the penultimate Ice Age, around three million years ago, sub-glacial volcanic eruptions led to the formation of Mount Reynisfjall, which is formed of layers of pillow lava and columnar basalt.
During the eruptions that shaped the south of the country, lava flowed over the cliffs at Reynisfjara and out towards the ocean. When such lava flows cool, they contract and crack in a hexagonal pattern, forming the characteristic geometric basalt columns that are so common across Iceland.
This process is responsible for the basalt columns that you see in and around the Hálsanefshellir cave at the top of the beach, and it’s also what gave rise to the group of rock pillars we call Reynisdrangar, the highest of which stands an impressive 66 metres tall. As some of the lava made it as far as the sea, it solidified as it came into contact with the cold water.
However, this isn’t how the sea stacks would have looked back then. Over the intervening years, Atlantic Ocean waves have continually pounded away at the rock. As the water is thrown against the rock face, air is trapped in tiny cracks and holes within it; the pressure that results causes a tiny explosion. After a long period of time, the effects of this hydraulic action start to become apparent as pieces of rock begin to be chipped away leaving a jagged and uneven surface.
In addition, the basalt rock on land slowly weathers down and forms the black volcanic sand that you see on at Reynisfjara today. Some of this sand is washed off the beach by strong waves the sediment can be carried in the water. When the wave hits the rock, the water acts a little like a pot scourer to wear away at the rock even more.
The result is the wonderful, craggy rock formations you see today. Where undercutting occurs, the sea stacks can sometimes topple, especially if they are thin or needle-like and therefore not very stable. This leaves what geographers call stumps; they are often so flat that they are hidden beneath the surface of the ocean, especially at high tide.
Myth or reality, Reynisdrangar is worth seeing
Whatever explanation we prefer for the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, they are definitely worth seeing. On a Gray Line tour of the south coast, buses make a stop at Reynisfjara, where you will have an uninterrupted view of these landmark sea stacks from the iconic black sand beach, with plenty of time to appreciate the scenery and take some souvenir photos.
An alternative view of Reynisdrangar sea stacks comes from Vikurfjara, the black sand beach on the opposite side of the headland. You can see them in the distance from the middle of Vik as well. You might be tempted to make your way around to the small beach that lies right in front of the headland, but this is not wise.
Why so? It’s because there are strong currents in the ocean here and the area is notorious for its sneaker waves. These are large waves that come in without warning – even when the sea is calm – and they have the power to knock a person off their feet. You might struggle to get back up again, or be swept onto the sharp rocks before you do.
Tragically, a few tourists have not lived to tell the tale, so always afford this place the respect it deserves and don’t turn your back on the waves for a second. There’s a traffic light system in place on Reynisfjara beach, so if you’ve come to visit the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, check that this isn’t set to red before stepping onto the black sand to get a closer look. Swimming is never possible here.
No matter what the weather, the sea stacks at Reynisdrangar are a magnificent sight – even if you only get to admire them from a distance. They’re located about a two and a half hour drive east of the Reykjavik and are easily doable on a day trip from the capital. If you’re thinking of taking a Gray Line Iceland tour to see some of the extraordinary countryside, a south coast trip is absolutely one that you should consider.