Brjanslaekur (Brjánslækur)
Brjanslaekur (Brjánslækur)
Brjanslaekur is the terminal for the ferry across Breidafjordur Bay. There’s a cafe and above the shore, the indistinct remains of a turf dwelling, believed by some to be that of Hrafna-Floki.
Floki was credited with giving Iceland its chilly-sounding name. Described in Landnamabok, the Book of Settlements, the legend tells that before the main settlement of Iceland took place, Floki traveled to Iceland from Norway via the Faroe Islands, where he picked up three ravens to help guide him to land.
He let the first raven go and it flew back to the Faroes; the second flew around the boat and then returned to it; the third then flew off in a north-westerly direction and Floki followed its course, arriving on Iceland's southwest shore.
He followed west around Iceland until he cames to Vatnsfjordur, where he made his home.
The summer was fair and Floki was ill-prepared for the harsh winter that followed, in which his livestock perished. Before packing up to leave, he is said to have climbed Nonfell, the highest peak around, and from the summit saw fjords filled with pack ice.
It was this pack ice (and not the glaciers of Iceland) that prompted the disillusioned settler to call the land ' 'Island' - the land of ice.
East and west of Brjanslaekur you'll find a pretty coastline of golden sand beaches, backed by steep-sided mountains.