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Gjardeyjar Islands

Region: West Iceland
Coordinates: 65.080048° N 22.3787947° W

About Gjardeyjar

This group of islands is situated to the east of Island Brokey. The farmhouses stood alternatively on the home island or the Stafey Island, one km further east. As a rule, 5-6 people occupied the islands until they were totally abandoned in 1927. The Outer and Inner Gjardey islands were connected with a stone bridge around the turn of the 19th century. Just south of the home island is a half circle shaped islet, which gave the island group its name.

According to the Laxdaela Saga Gudrun Osvifursdottir’s last husband drowned at Island Bjarnarey, when he was transporting wood for the construction of the Helgafell Church from the spit of land Ljaeyri on Hvammsfiord Bay. A gust of wind overturned the heavily laden vessel and its crew drowned. Some of the wood drifted ashore on Island Stafey, which got its name accordingly.

The Cliff is located on the northeast corner of Island Stafey. It is split by a dangerous gorge, where there is a spell on the vegetated area on the cliff top. In September 1936, a young man mowed this tabooed area. The next evening terribly bad weather blew all the hay from the island and the French research vessel “Pourquoi Pas” ran ashore off the Myrar District in the west.

Gjardeyjar in Icelandic