Overview
About Sea Monsters
The creatures of Arnarfjörður
The Sea Monster Museum in Bíldudalur distinguishes four recurring figures in local stories: Fjörulalli, Faxi, Skeljaskrímsli and Hafmaður. Fjörulalli is described as a low-legged, shaggy creature carrying seaweed and shells in its coat, which tries to drive people from the shore into the water. Skeljaskrímsli has a shell-covered body; Faxi carries a conspicuous mane; Hafmaður is an unsettling humanoid sea-being. These descriptions belong to the stories and testimony the museum collects, rather than a zoological classification.
Water legends and their preservation
A different tradition surrounds Lagarfljót in East Iceland. In one origin story, a girl places a small worm beside gold, hoping to increase her wealth. The growing creature frightens her into throwing both into the water, where it becomes monstrous. In Bíldudalur, recordings, models and a map of Arnarfjörður preserve how coastal stories attach to particular places, including accounts contributed by people who say they encountered the creatures.
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