BARDAR STORY
Over 1,000 years ago, it is written that giants walked the earth and ruled over the land. Giants should not be mistaken for trolls, nasty monsters that manipulate and use their powers for evil. But this doesn’t mean that giants are tame creatures… they are the wildest forces of nature.
King Dumbur was one of the last, ruling over the Arctic Sea before trolls usurped his power. It was not long after that King Harald Fairhair took over the throne, implementing harsh laws and costly taxes. This drove many Vikings out of Norway, in fear of losing their autonomy.
Bardar was one of them. But Bardar was no ordinary man. He was King Dumbur’s son, and half giant. Bardar took his family and 30 strong Vikings across the sea to Iceland, to live as free men & women in what is now known as Landnámabók – the settlement era.
But settling on this untamed land was anything but easy. Resources were scarce, and the rugged coastline made for treacherous travel. Tensions rose as Bardar’s men made their way west.
Bardar had zero tolerance for disobedience or greed, and when one of his men tried to claim a whale carcass as his own, Bardar broke his back and flung him into the sand.
His family finally settled on Laugarbrekka, part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. One day, Bardar’s daughter Helga was playing with her cousins, Rauðfeldur & Sölvi, along the Hítará river.
They had played all the way down to the sea, and a heavy fog had settled over the water. In a test of strength, the cousins pushed Helga out on an ice float, and a gust of wind took her away.
Livid with grief, Bardar grabbed Rauðfeldur and Sölvi, and led them to the mountain. He threw Rauðfeldur into the great (now Rauðfeldsgjá) ravine. He walked Sölvi some distance further and threw his other nephew Sölvi from the cliff. His brother, Thorkel, enraged to find out his sons have been murdered, tried to fight Bardar, but he was no match for his strength. Thorkel ended up crawling back home with a broken leg.
The loss of his daughter broke Bardar. He gave away his land and retreated to the icy mountain caves to live alone. But the dangers did not cease for the rest of Bardar’s settlers. Evil forces still ingered
throughout the brutal yet beautiful land.
Hetta, a wicked troll sorceress brought terror to the Icelanders. She killed settlers’ sheep and led them with trickery into dangerous traps. When Hetta promised one settler, Ingjald, a secret fishing spot with endless fish, he found himself in a swirling storm on the water.
Icy wind whips about, causing him to lose his fishing gear. As his boat fills up with freezing water, he cried out for Bardar’s help. As he drew closer to death, a man in a gray cloak appeared in the mist.
It was Bardar.
In his retreat to the mountains, Bardar had become a Landvættir (land spirit), a protector of the people, called upon in their hour of need. To this day, Icelanders still call upon him when the icy chill settles into their bones and chaos begins to stir outside our window.
So, if you find yourself lost, or standing at the edge of something vast and unknowable, don’t be afraid to call on the land spirits around us. But maybe avoid the trolls!
