Nykurhylur | Skeggjasteinn

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Nykurhylur

Nykur is a beast from Icelandic folklore. It resembles a horse in all aspects exept that its hooves face backwards. The nykur often tries to lure people to ride it, but once mounted, the rider is stuck to its back. The nykur then gallops directly into the lake or river where it lives, dives under the water surface and drowns the rider. Because of this people should be watch out for the nykur.

Once up on a time the farmers in Fossárdalur valley, close to Djúpivogur East Iceland, were slaughtering their live stock. For some reason they went away for some time and left a half-flayed horse. When they came back the horse was gone but from that day on people started noticing a nykur by the Fossá river which runs through the valley. 

Later, a child was baptised in Fossárdalur. After the ceremony the holy water from the font was tipped into Fossá river. The nykur didn´t like this and moved away from the river and into the Berfjörður fjord. People say that he still lives there until this day.

 

Skeggjasteinn

A long time ago the people living at the farm Kelduskógar, on the north side of Berufjörður fjord close to Djúpivogur East Iceland, were at work out on the fields. Among them was the mistress of the farm, who had just had a baby. She had the infant close by, tucked it up snug in good shelter in the grass on the field. 

Suddenly an eagle swooped down, captured the baby in its claws an flew with it out over the fjord. When the eagle had crossed the fjord, it was exhausted and came down onto a rock on the shore for a rest. There, people caught up with the it and succeeded in getting the baby. 

The baby was a boy by the name of Skeggi and from that moment onward the stone where the eagle was captured was been called Skeggjasteinn.

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