Gudridur Thorbjarnardottir (Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir) A Well-Travelled Lady
Gudridur Thorbjarnardottir (Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir) A Well-Travelled Lady
Just west of Hellnar village you’ll come across the sign Laugabrekka, and a short detour leads to Gudridarlundur, a memorial to Gudridur Þorbjarnardottir who was born there.
Gudridur was the most widely traveled Icelandic woman of the 11th century, having crossed the great Atlantic eight times, on her way from Iceland to Greenland, America, and Norway.
She was on board the expedition of Icelanders who were the first to settle in America, around the year 1000. There she gave birth to Snorri, the first European child born on the American continent.
The settlement did not last as the Icelanders ran into conflict with the native Americans. The story is told in the Vinland Sagas, and in spite of much speculation and research, the mystery of the whereabouts of Vinland remains unsolved.
Gudridur became a nun in later years and went on a pilgrimage to Rome to meet the pope.