Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE EDDAS
The medieval monastery at
Oddi
, in Rangárvellir about 8km south of Hella on Rte 266,
was the source of the Norse Eddas, the most important surviving books of Viking poetry.
The Prose Eddawas written by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson around 1222. It
was intended to be a textbook for poets, with detailed descriptions of the language and
meters used by the Norse skalds(court poets). It also includes the epic poem 'Gylfagin-
ning',which describes the visit of Gylfi, the king of Sweden, to Ásgard, the citadel of the
gods. In the process, the poem reveals Norse creation myths, stories about the gods, and
the fate in store for men at Ragnarök, when this world ends.
The Poetic Eddawas written later in the 13th century by Sæmundur Sigfússon. It's a
compilation of works by unknown Viking poets, some predating the settlement of Iceland.
The first poem, 'Voluspá' (Sibyl's Prophecy),is like a Norse version of Genesis and Revela-
tions: it covers the beginning and end of the world. Later poems deal with the story of
how Óðinn discovered the power of runes, and the legend of Siegfried and the Nibelungs,
recounted in Wagner's Ring Cycle. The most popular poem is probably 'Þrymskviða',
about the giant Thrym, who stole Þór's hammer and demanded the goddess Freyja in
marriage in exchange for its return. To get his hammer back, Þór disguised himself as the
bride-to-be and went to the wedding in her place. Much of the poem is devoted to his ap-
palling table manners at the wedding feast, during which he consumes an entire ox, eight
salmon and three skins of mead.
Today Oddi is simply a church and farmsteads.
Sleeping & Eating
Lodging and eating options in Hella are efficient but without rural splendour. There's a
Kjarval supermarket
( 585 7585;Suðurlandsvegur 1)
with a small bakery next door.
Árhús
CAMPGROUND
(South Door; 487 5577;
www.arhus.is
;
Rangárbakkar 6;sites per tent Ikr2500, cottage with/without
bathroom from Ikr16,500/12,400, mains Ikr2000-5000; )
Set along the river, just south of the Ring Road, Árhús has a cluster of cottages (from a
simple room to a complete cabin with kitchenette and bathroom), ample camping space, a
guest kitchen, and a top town restaurant (open noon to 10pm).
