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Melrakkaey Island

Region: West Iceland
Coordinates: 64.9998° N 23.2604° W

About Melrakkaey Island

his small island is situated at the mouth of the Grundarfiord Bay.

Sagas of IcelandThe direct translation of the name is “Fox Island”. Danish sailors called it “The Reverend’s Island”, because it has belonged to the parsonage at the nearby Setberg since the 14th century. An old woman, who had lost her two sons at sea and could not find their bodies, pledged it to the church there.

Like so many other islands of the Breidafiord Bay, it served as a larder for the community. It was and still is occupied by many species of nesting birds, mainly eiders, puffins, shags, cormorants and glaucous gulls. Its north, east and south sides are framed with columnar basalt cliffs, but the west end is flat, where there are still some ruins of old fishing outfits reminding us of the past.

The reverends of Setberg made hay on the island every summer for a fortnight. One of them had a house built there to accommodate his workers during the haymaking.

Melrakkaey in Icelandic

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