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]
Legend
editLegend 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
editReynisdrangar 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.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Iceland black sand beach". 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Black Sand Beach in Iceland Photo by Inderjit Singh — National Geographic Your Shot". National Geographic Your Shot. Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Iceland home to 6th best beach in the world". MBL Iceland Monitor. 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Discover South Iceland Highland - Attractions: Dyrhólaey and Reynisdrangar". hotelhighland.is. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011.
- ^ Beckwith, Ken (2 January 2020). Heart of Birds, Refuge by the Sea and Blurb, 2020. Refuge by the Sea/Blurb. ISBN 978-1714366767.
- ^ "Where Was the Katla Netflix Series Filmed? | Panorama Glass Lodge". Panorama Glass Lodge. 30 July 2021.
External links
edit
- Beach at Reynisdrangar virtual tour
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: IIcelandic Legends and Aurora (8 December 2015) - featuring Reynisdrangar
63°23′57″N 19°01′55″W / 63.3993°N 19.0319°W
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