This legendary bathing spot, Grettislaug at Reykir in Skagafjörður in North Iceland, is the bathing place of Grettir the Strong from Saga lore. Located by the seaside with amazing views, the geothermal pool has been constructed with natural stones.
At Reykir in Skagafjörður fjord are two geothermal pools, where guests can bathe. The older one, Grettislaug, is named after Grettir the Strong, the main character from Grettir’s Saga. As the story goes, Grettir was living as an outlaw on Drangey Island,, which is visible from the pool. One night, Grettir swam from Drangey to the Skagafjörður beach. He was feeling cold, naturally, after the swim and spent the night in the pool, getting warm again.
At the start of the 20th century, there were two pools in the area Grettir had visited. One called Reykjalaug which was used for washing clothes, and the other one was called Grettislaug after the outlaw. Both of these pools were ruined in a great storm early 20th century, but locals decided to rebuild them in 1992. Reykjalaug was renamed and is now called Jarlslaug (The Earl’s Pool) in honour of Jón Eiríksson, who led the rebuilding of the pools.
What is the temperature of the water in Grettislaug?
Grettislaug is about 39°C (100°F) year round, though of course weather can influence the water’s temperature. There are dressing rooms and since the pool in on a private property, there is a small entrance fee.
Who was Grettir the Strong?
Grettir the Strong was an outlaw who lived on Drangey island. As the story goes, the outlaw Grettir supposedly swam from the island to the western shore of Skagafjörður. There he bathed in a geothermal spring and fetched glowing embers to take back to his hiding place in the island. The pool, called Grettislaug, was then constructed at the geothermal spring and lined with natural stones.
The outlaw Grettir was considered a strong, formidable warrior who could battle trolls and undead alike, and there were few who dared to ride against him. After Grettir was sentenced as an outlaw for unintentional murder, he hid out on Drangey island with his brother and their slave.
One night their fire went out, so naturally Grettir decided to swim ashore and get embers for another fire. After he had bathed in the pool he walked naked to the nearest farm, Reykir, and went to sleep there, as he was tired. When the people who lived on the farm woke up they recognised him, where he slept. One of the girls said: “So may I thrive, sister! here is Grettir Ásmundson lying bare, and I call him right well ribbed about the chest, but few might think he would be so small of growth below; and so then that does not go along with other kinds of bigness.” Grettir, who had awakened, assured her this was not the case. Later, the farm family gave him embers for a new fire and rowed him back to Drangey. The outlaw survived almost 20 years on Drangey before being murdered by enemies who used sorcrey to bring him down.
How to get to Grettislaug geothermal pool?
The pools are just north of the town Sauðárkrókur in Skagafjörður fjord.
GPS: N65º52.934 W19º44.171
