TravelWorld International Magazine Winter 2022

LAKE MYVATN
HVERIR GEOTHERMAL AREA
When Jon Snow ventures north of The Wall in Season Three, he meets Mance
Raydar. The King-Beyond-the-Wall leads the Free Folk, or “wildings” who
don’t recognize the laws of the Seven Kingdoms.
Lake Myvatn and the geothermal regions that surround it proved to be an
excellent place to show Jon’s adventures. And it’s also where you can find
Grjotagia Cave, the geothermal grotto setting of Jon Snow and the wilding
Ygritte’s love scene.
The cave scene was replicated in a studio because it was too small for the
filming. And the cave itself was later closed to the public due to the negative
impact from the influx of tourists because of the Game of Thrones effect.
It’s open to visitors again, but as it's located on private land, it’s subject to
possible closure at any time.
Although there’s no lack of winter scenes
in Iceland, snowstorms don’t show up on
demand. That’s where the geothermal mud
pots at Hverir, near Lake Myvatn, proved
useful.
When it was time to film the Season
Three scene where Samwell Tarly braves a
blizzard to return to the Night’s Watch men
guarding The Wall, the steam rising at the
fumaroles of Hverir were used to create the
illusion.
48
49