History of Húsafell

The history of Húsafell is long and rich in folklore and legend. The oldest references to the settlement of Húsafell are found in Laxdale Saga, written about 1170. One of Húsafell´s most famous occupants is undoubtedly Snorri Björnsson (priest), who lived there from 1756 to 1803. Books have been written about him, and countless accounts of him exist, some of them smacking strongly of the tall tale. The pens built by Snorri are famous, and so is the so-called Kvíahellan (The Pen Slab), a strenght-testing boulder used to close the pen. For a long time the farm was right on a busy route between the North and the South of Iceland. Because it was the farmer´s duty to provide for travellers, the farm often endured a ´plague of visitors´, as it was called. Early in this century, however, things quieted down, but in 1930 the road over Kaldidalur was built and the traffic increased because the main road to the North then passed through Húsafell for a number of years. The church in Húsafell was originally built in about 1170, but it fell into disuse in 1812. The current church was built over the period 1950-1973, based on a drawing by the artist Ásgrímur Jónsson.