The Official Tourist Guide - East Iceland

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HISTORY & MUSEUMS
⌘ Völvuleiði On the top of Hólmaháls hill,
a short distance above the road, holds the
gravesite of the “völva” (a female seer in Icelandic
mythology) who is said to have protected
Reyðarfjörður and Eskifjörður from outside
attacks for centuries. There is an exceptional
view from the site.
⌘ Geithellnar is according to the Book of
Settlements, the place where the two foster
brothers, Ingolfur Arnarson and Hjorleifur
Hrodmarsson, who were the first Norwegians
to settle in Iceland, probably spent the winter
of their reconnaissance trip before deciding
on bringing their families along. They must
have liked it for they returned with their folk
and families, and Ingólfur became Iceland’s first
official settler.
⌘ Bragðavellir is a farm in Hamarsfjörður. Early
in the 20th century, two ancient Roman coins
were discovered near the farm, the coins date
back to the roman settlement in England in the
1st century. Copper nails have also been found
of a foreing origin as the Vikings used wood nails
for their longboats.
How did this become? Did the Romans visit
Iceland searching for the Ultima Thule of
Pytheas the greek? Did the Vikings bring the
coins from England? More artefacts were
discovered at Bragðavellir later, but offer no
further explanation.