Reynisdrangar (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈreiːnɪsˌtrauŋkar̥]) are basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall [ˈreiːnɪsˌfjatl̥] near the village Vík í Mýrdal in southern Iceland. It is framed by a black sand beach[1] that was ranked in 1991 as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world.[2] In 2021 Reynisfjara [ˈreiːnɪsˌfjaːra] was rated the 6th best beach in the world.[3]

Reynisdrangar captured from Reynisfjall
Landscape with the sea stacks in the background.
Basalt columns on the beach at Reynisfjara.

Legend edit

Legend says that the stacks originated when two trolls dragged a three-masted ship to land unsuccessfully and when daylight broke they became needles of rock.[4]

Contemporary legends note the story of a husband who found his wife taken by the two trolls, frozen at night. The husband made the two trolls swear to never kill anyone ever again. His wife was the love of his life, whose free spirit he was unable to provide a home for; she found her fate out among the trolls, rocks, and sea at Reynisfjara.[5]

In popular culture edit

Reynisdrangar appears several times throughout Netflix's Icelandic original series Katla, and is particularly significant to the series' protagonist Gríma as the site of her mother's death.[citation needed]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "The Iceland black sand beach". 22 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Black Sand Beach in Iceland Photo by Inderjit Singh — National Geographic Your Shot". National Geographic Your Shot. Archived from the original on December 17, 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-20.
  3. ^ MBL Iceland Monitor, 2021/07/17, "Iceland home to 6th best beach in the world.
  4. ^ Discover South Iceland Highland - Attractions: Dyrhólaey and Reynisdrangar Archived 2011-07-01 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Beckwith, Ken (2 January 2020). Heart of Birds, Refuge by the Sea and Blurb, 2020. Refuge by the Sea/Blurb. ISBN 978-1714366767.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

External links edit

63°23′57″N 19°01′55″W / 63.3993°N 19.0319°W / 63.3993; -19.0319