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MYRKA

Region: North Iceland
Coordinates: 65.6692° N 18.4158205° W

Farm Myrka is a former parsonage and a church site in the Horgardalur Valley.

Sagas of IcelandOne of the most popular ghost stories is related to the former parsonage there. It tells us about the deacon of Myrka and a young woman he was interested in. Their relationship was in the beginning stages, when he invited her to spend Christmas at Myrka and said he would pick her up in time. On his way he had to ford River Horga on horseback.

The river was swollen and fast flowing, when he attempted the crossing, failed and drowned. His head was badly wounded by the ice. He did not let death stop him from carrying out his promise and fetched the woman and put her in the saddle behind him. On the way, the clouds drifted away from the moon and she got a glimpse of his bare skull. She realized then, that he was dead, but did not reveal her discovery. When they arrived at Myrka, the deacon wanted to pull her into his open grave in the cemetery, but she managed to reach for the rope of the bell in the cemetery gate. The deacon let loose his grip and plunged into his grave and stayed there. She, however, never recovered fully from this experience.

The last church at Myrka stood there into the 20th century, when the parish was united with the Baegisa parish further east. The cemetery is still used and still has the gate with the bell.

Mirka is on nat.is North Iceland Saga Trail

Haunted places in Iceland

Myrka in Icelandic

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