Gunnuhver

Suðurnes · Island · Natural site

Gunnuhver is Iceland's largest mud spring, a steaming, hissing geothermal field at the tip of the Reykjanes peninsula. It takes its name from Guðrún Önundardóttir, known as Gunna, who according to legend died in a rage after a bitter dispute with a local official – and immediately began to walk again. Her revenant strangled her adversary, drove people mad and terrorised the district until the priest Eiríkur of Vogsósar tricked her into grabbing a ball of yarn that rolled straight into the boiling spring. There Gunna is said to be trapped to this day, and when the steam surges from the ground some claim to glimpse her face in the vapour. Boardwalks lead visitors around the spring, but the ground beyond them is literally at boiling point.

FAQ

Hvor ligger Gunnuhver?

Gunnuhver ligger i Suðurnes, Island.

Oplysningerne bygger på lokal folketro og vidneberetninger.

Image: Hansueli Krapf · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons