Spákonufell Mountain

Friday, May 23rd

Led by Halldór, Roshni and Sybille, two other NES artists and myself set off to climb Spákonufell, the curiously squared-top mountain rising just above Skagastrond. Thanks to the long days in May, we could start the hike at 6pm and came back around 10pm still with daylight.

Spákonufell means Soothsayers Mountain an is 646 m high. Its name is connected with the farm Spákonufell, which for centuries was located at the foothill of Spákonufell Mountain. The name’s origins can be traced back to the 10th century when Þórdís the soothsayer, said to be skilled in both magic and magical arts, lived on the farm Fell.

Vatnsdælasaga (Saga of Vatnsdælir) describes her as a great and intelligent woman. Later both the farm and the mountain Spákonufell were named after her. Þórdís was among other things known for fostering Iceland’s first missionary, Porvaldur Koránsson, later named Þorvaldur víförli (Þorvaldur the travelled). He was described as a healthy and brave champ who earned the respect of heathens, which enabled him to work on evangelisation in Iceland from 981 – 986;

Pórdís the soothsayer

For just over one thousand years ago, Pórdís the soothsayer took her daily walk up to Spákonufell Mountain, where she combed her hair with a special gold comb. Her farm, Fell, stood at the foothill where Skagaströnd’s cemetery is now situated. It is said that when Þórdís knew that she didn’t have long to live, she took a treasure chest up to Spákonufell and placed it on a ledge just in front of the mountain’s upmost rock, Spákonufellsborg (Spákonufells Rock). She announced that, a woman
who in her upbringing had not been baptised in the name of holy trinity or any other of God’s titles would get the chest and its treasure. Such a woman has not been found yet, so it’s very likely that the chest is still there.

Installation Work, Freezer Gallery, Skagastrond

This piece is inspired by Icelandic geology, which is largely composed of volcanic material. This material has come from a number of local volcanoes, many of which are still active today. The cliché of 'Ice and Fire' is somewhat true to Iceland's visitor. 

Lava fields alternate with snowy patches, which are particularly striking at spring time when the snow starts melting. My intention with this sculpture was to convey a sense of the harshness of the lava fields combined with the softness of the snow. Paradoxically, snow can become the most ruthless element while the coarse nature of the lava fields is often softened by the moss growth that appears in the spring. 

I used nautical rope and local wool to create this piece. The rope evokes the harshness of the nets used for catching the fish and the hardship involved in working at sea while the wool that covers the rope brings some softness to it. This work embodies for me the male and female character with the conic shapes and crater on top, which are both intertwined and makes one with nature. I found the unison between man and nature particularly striking in Northern Iceland where weather conditions dictate the way humans survive while the food supplies provided by the land and sea are utilised to their utmost. Its umbilic (or tail-like shape!) confers upon it a life-like characteristic and humorous touch.

Hidden worlds

Icelandic mythology is populated by hidden races of little folk - jarðvergar (gnomes), álfar (elves), ljósálfar and dopkalfar (light and dark elves), dvergar (dwarves), ljúflingar (lovelings), tìvar (mountain spirits), englar (angels) and huldufólk (hidden people).

Inside the Mountain with water reflexion

Fields of purple lava cloaked in verdant moss and the steaming winds from geothermal areas make it easy to imagine these peoples dwelling in this dream-like landscape. I have been particularly interested in this idea of the hidden people and this has helped to inspire my latest series of paintings.

The hidden people have the appearance of humans and are similar to us in size and shape. While they live in hills, large rocks and cliffs when you enter their homes they closely resemble modern human dwellings. In rural areas, the hidden people keep cows, sheep and other domestic animals and generally their occupations are similar to those of humans.

The Origins of the Hidden People

‘Once upon a time, God Almighty came to visit Adam and Eve. They received him with joy, and showed him everything they had in the house. They also brought their children to him, to show him, and these he found promising and full of hope. Then He asked Eve whether she had no other children than these whom she now showed him. She said "None." But it so happened that she had not finished washing them all, and, being ashamed to let God see them dirty, had hidden the unwashed ones. This God knew well, and said therefore to her, "What man hides from God, God will hide from man."

These unwashed children became forthwith invisible, and took up their abode in mounds, and hills, and rocks. From these are the elves descended, but we men from those of Eve's children whom she had openly and frankly shown to God. And it is only by the will and desire of the elves themselves that men can ever see them. The hidden people are usually neither friendly nor hostile towards humans. They reward those who do good to them, but they are also very vengeful if you do them harm or cross them in any way. For this reason it can be very dangerous to get involved in their love lives.

Evolution of my new work

1. The hidden world series

Inside the Mountain, Acrylic on Canvas, 200x40cm, April 2009

Working from the idea of hidden people and a hidden world, I started a series of paintings in which mountains were depicted not simply as elevated landforms composed of rocks and earth but are in fact another dimension which plays host to hidden worlds. The painting ‘Inside the Mountain’ for instance opens up on a world within the mountain into which the viewer is drawn. For that purpose, the work was created by successively dripping the paint to form a series of layers. 

Inside the Mountain, Dripped Paint

Past the Blue Mountain, Acrylic on Canvas, 180x48cm, April 2009

Past the Blue Mountain, details

The piece 'Past the Blue Mountain' followed a similar approach and in the painting detail above, you can see the mountains play host to strange bird-like life. The third painting that completes the series ‘Past the Moss Ball’ plays around the same theme of a world hosted in the bosom of the mountain. The vivid colours refer to the imaginary while more earthly colours such as black and green recall fields of lava and moss, two elements inseparable in the Icelandic landscapes. Beliefs or stories about hidden creatures are still widespread in Iceland: locals would point out rocks supposed to be homes to elves while many lava or rock formations have stories attached to them.

Past the Moss Ball, Acrylic on Canvas, 200x50cm, Mai 2009

Past the moss ball, detail

2. Icelandic landscapes

In the more representative paintings such as 'On the Way to Borgarvirki' and 'Vaðlaheið', the same idea of a hidden world prevails in a less obvious way. The imperfect reflection of the ice mountains in the water in 'On the Way to Borgarvirki' invites the viewer to regard them as two similar but different worlds.  

On the way to Borgarvirki, Acrylic on canvas, 200x100cm, April 2009

The depth of the Vaðlaheið mountain and its endless water reflection follows the same idea of a tangible world that could nonetheless host hidden life. The melting of the ice and snow on mountains in the springtime enhances the living element in them. The outflow from the snow sculpts the mountain and resembles a white life-giving blood circulating through them.

The constantly evolving colour of the water in the ocean and lakes due to the ever-changing sky confers upon it a depth that invites the viewer to wonder about what life and lives, hidden from us, it can shelter. 

Vaðlaheið (or Six fathoms below), Acrylic on canvas, 200x100cm, April 2009

Skagastrond Nes Open House in May

Nes - Listamiðstöð

Every month, the Nes Artist Residency opens its Studio to everyone. Below are a few pictures of the event on May, 20th with all the artists and many locals.

List of artists in May at NES:

SYBILLE DÖMEL teikningar
NADÈGE DUZKOWSKI málverk
ASHLEY LAMB blönduð tækni
KATALIN MEIXNER málverk
ROSHNI ROBERT vatnslitir
þÓRUNN þORGRIMSDÓTTIR blönduð tækni
SISSÚ PÁLSDÓTTIR blönduð tækni
ADRIANE WACHHOLZ teikningar
ALYSSA TAYLOR WENDT blönduð tækni
LANE ASHFELDT rithöfundur
PEDRO ROSA MENDES rithöfundu

Skagastrond - March and April pics

Below are a few pictures I took in Skagastrond in March and April when the town was still covered in snow.

Skagaströnd means Peninsula-Beach and counts about 600 inhabitants. The town is located in the North-western part of Iceland 20 km off of highway #1 near Blönduós, about a three hours drive from Reykjavík. Originally a Danish trading port, now it revolves around the fishing industry with a fishing harbor and fish market.

To Icelanders Skagaströnd is better known as the hometown of Hallbjörn Helgason “The Icelandic Cowboy” and “Country King.” He has promoted American Country music, as well as his own Icelandic country songs, for decades on his private radio station on the second floor of “Kántríbær” the Country bar and restaurant in town. He also started the “Country Festival” now held in August every year by the people of Skagaströnd.



Among interested features around Skagastrond is a climbable mountain with a flat top called Spákonufell. As most places in Iceland, a legend is attached to it:

A prophetess by the name of Þórdís lived there at Spákonufell (Prophetess Hill). She crops up throughout the Icelandic sagas and her reputation was ambivalent as she was skilled in witchcraft. Þórdís was the foster mother of the first missionary of Iceland Þorvaldur Víðförli Koðránsson. Þóroddur the son of Snorri the good also lived there. The sagas tell that that Þórdís walked up to Spákonufell every day (646 meters over sea level) and combed her hair with a golden comb. It is said that she had hidden her gold in the mountain and put a spell on it so that no one could use it except women which were not baptised and who hadn't learned any of Gods words.

Hverargerði - Reykjadalur

My further exploration of Iceland led me this week end to Hverargerði, a town of 2000 inhabitants about 40 minutes drive away from Reykjavik. Hverargerði is one of the largest geothermal areas of Iceland and the biggest greenhouse centre.

You can get closer to the geothermal activity in the nearby Reykjadalur valley, which is filled with mud pots the same colour as the Blue Lagoon and steaming water. The highlight of the hike is reaching the Reykjadalsá bathable hot river. Even with only 4°C outside and the wind blasting you can deep in the ideal temperature bath in the middle of the valley.

Vatnsdalur - Vatnsdalshólar.

A few pictures from a hike and horse-ridding in the Vatnsdalur (vatn=water; dalur=valley), about 20mn drive from Blonduos. The place is full of waterfalls all the way along.

Man made construction to help salmons go upstream.

Vatnsdalshólar.

Peculiar cluster of hills stretching across the mouth of the Vatnsdalur valley. They are thought to have been formed by the debris of a tremendous landslide from Vatnsdalsfjall. Covering about 4 km2, they are supposedly uncountable. Other geographical features in Iceland considered to be uncountable are the islands of Breiðafjörður and the lakes on Arnarvatnsheiði moor.

Legend has it that two giants were trying to separate the West Fjords from the rest of Iceland. One was shovelling on one side and what he threw away created Vatnsdalshólar while the shoveling of the other giant created the Breiðafjörður islands.