Heimaey
Encyclopedia
Heimaey (ˈheiːmaˌei), literally Home Island, is an Iceland
ic island. At a size of 13.4 km² (5.2 sq. miles), it is the largest island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, and the largest and most populated Icelandic island outside the main island of Iceland. Heimaey lies approximately 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off the south coast of Iceland
. It is the only populated island of the Vestmannaeyjar islands, with a population of approximately 4,500.
, the first settler in Iceland, spent a winter at Ingólfshöfði, he released his "Öndvegissúlur
" (chief's pillars) into the water and followed them west. (These were pillars associated with the chief's chair. They were put into the sea and let float to shore. Where they came ashore, the Viking who followed it would build his farm.) At Hjörleifshöfði, Ingólfur found that his brother/close friend Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson was dead and his slaves were missing. Out at sea he could see boats going toward a small group of islands, and he set off after them.
Abducted from the north of Ireland
, the slaves were called westmen (Vestmenn), as Ireland
was the most western part of the world known to northern Europeans then (c. 840). The slaves went ashore at Heimaey and took shelter in the mountains. Ingólfur hunted them and killed them in revenge for their murdering his foster brother. In the process, he named various places and landmarks. For example, he named "Dufþekja", an area on Heimaklettur, Heimaey's highest mountain (283 m), after the slave Dufþakur, who was said to have thrown himself off Heimaklettur at that point—preferring to take his own life than to let Ingólfur take it.
-controlled Barbary Coast
raided
several towns on the south coast of Iceland and outlying islands. They attacked Grindavík
and Heimaey. In Grindavík, townspeople could flee into the lava field of Reykjanes and hide indefinitely. Heimaey was so isolated that it was vulnerable and people suffered. Many heroic stories were told of the people who survived the invasion, most notably Guðríður Símonardóttir
. Better known as Tyrkja-Gudda (Turkish-Gudda), she was taken by the pirates from her home at Stakkagerði on Heimaey to the slave market in Algeria
. From there she bought her way back to Iceland through Tunisia
, Italy
and Denmark
—Iceland was then under Danish rule. Upon returning to Iceland, she married the poet Hallgrímur Pétursson
. The Hallgrímskirkja
Lutheran church in Reykjavík
is named in his honour.
began on Heimaey. The ground on Heimaey started to quake and clefts began to form. The clefts grew to 1600 meters in length, and soon lava
began to erupt. Lava sprayed into the air from fissures in the ground. Volcanic ash was blown out to sea. Later, the situation deteriorated. When the fissures closed, the eruption converted to a concentrated lava flow that headed toward the harbour. The winds changed, and half a million cubic metres of ash were blown on to the town. During the night, the 5000 inhabitants of the island were evacuated, mostly by fishing boats, as almost the entire fishing fleet was in dock.
The encroaching lava flow threatened to destroy the harbour, the main source of livelihood for most of the town. The eruption lasted until 3 July the same year. Townspeople constantly sprayed the lava with cold seawater, causing some of it to solidify and much to be diverted, thus saving the harbour from destruction. The people were elated that their livelihoods remained intact, even though much of their town had been destroyed. During the eruption, half of the town was crushed and the island expanded in length. The eruption increased the area of Heimaey from about 11.2 km² to about 13.44 km². Only one man died in the eruption: a sailor who was smothered while looting a pharmacy. The eruption is described by John McPhee
in his book The Control of Nature
.
s
every summer. Many millions of other birds migrate there for breeding and feeding.
The island is connected to the rest of Iceland by a ferry and Vestmannaeyjar Airport
.
Most people on the island live off fishing. They hold an annual festival. People are then allowed to catch a few puffins to share at the festival, or to eat at home.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic island. At a size of 13.4 km² (5.2 sq. miles), it is the largest island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, and the largest and most populated Icelandic island outside the main island of Iceland. Heimaey lies approximately 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off the south coast of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. It is the only populated island of the Vestmannaeyjar islands, with a population of approximately 4,500.
Oldest tales
The Landnáma tells that after Ingólfur ArnarsonIngólfur Arnarson
Ingólfr Arnarson is recognized as the first permanent Nordic settler of Iceland. According to Landnáma he built his homestead in Reykjavík in 874...
, the first settler in Iceland, spent a winter at Ingólfshöfði, he released his "Öndvegissúlur
Öndvegissúlur
Öndvegissúlur , or high-seat pillars, were a pair of wooden poles placed on each side of the high-seat—the place where the head of household would have sat—in a Viking-period Scandinavian house....
" (chief's pillars) into the water and followed them west. (These were pillars associated with the chief's chair. They were put into the sea and let float to shore. Where they came ashore, the Viking who followed it would build his farm.) At Hjörleifshöfði, Ingólfur found that his brother/close friend Hjörleifr Hróðmarsson was dead and his slaves were missing. Out at sea he could see boats going toward a small group of islands, and he set off after them.
Abducted from the north of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the slaves were called westmen (Vestmenn), as Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
was the most western part of the world known to northern Europeans then (c. 840). The slaves went ashore at Heimaey and took shelter in the mountains. Ingólfur hunted them and killed them in revenge for their murdering his foster brother. In the process, he named various places and landmarks. For example, he named "Dufþekja", an area on Heimaklettur, Heimaey's highest mountain (283 m), after the slave Dufþakur, who was said to have thrown himself off Heimaklettur at that point—preferring to take his own life than to let Ingólfur take it.
First settlers
In tradition, Herjólfur Bárðarson was said to be the first person to settle in Heimaey. According to the Landnáma, he built his farm in Herjólfsdalur (literally: Herjólf's valley) about 900. The archaeological excavation in 1971 of ancient ruins in Herjólfsdalur revealed that there had been settlement nearly 100 years earlier.Turkish Raid
In 1627, three Arab pirate ships from the OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
-controlled Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast
The Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the collective land of the Berber people. Today, the terms Maghreb and "Tamazgha" correspond roughly to "Barbary"...
raided
Turkish Abductions
The Turkish Abductions were a series of raids that took place in Iceland between July 4 – July 19, 1627. Both Austurland and Vestmannaeyjar were raided by Barbary pirates from the regency of Algiers.In 1627, Jan Janszoon hired a Danish “slave”...
several towns on the south coast of Iceland and outlying islands. They attacked Grindavík
Grindavík
Grindavík is a fishing town at the peninsula of Reykjanes at the south-western coast of Iceland.It is one of the few cities with a harbour at this coast. Most of the 2,800 inhabitants work in the fishing industry...
and Heimaey. In Grindavík, townspeople could flee into the lava field of Reykjanes and hide indefinitely. Heimaey was so isolated that it was vulnerable and people suffered. Many heroic stories were told of the people who survived the invasion, most notably Guðríður Símonardóttir
Guðríður Símonardóttir
Guðríður Símonardóttir was one of 242 people abducted from the Westman Islands, Iceland in 1627. The attacks by Barbary corsairs came to be known as the Turkish abductions and Guðríður became known as Tyrkja-Gudda.-Life:...
. Better known as Tyrkja-Gudda (Turkish-Gudda), she was taken by the pirates from her home at Stakkagerði on Heimaey to the slave market in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. From there she bought her way back to Iceland through Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
—Iceland was then under Danish rule. Upon returning to Iceland, she married the poet Hallgrímur Pétursson
Hallgrímur Pétursson
Hallgrímur Pétursson was one of Iceland's most famous poets and a minister at Hvalneskirkja and Saurbær in Hvalfjörður. The Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík and the Hallgrímskirkja in Saurbær are named after him. He was one of the most influential pastors during the Age of Orthodoxy...
. The Hallgrímskirkja
Hallgrímskirkja
The Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74.5 metres , it is the largest church in Iceland and the sixth tallest architectural structure in Iceland after Longwave radio mast Hellissandur, the radio masts of US Navy at Grindavík, Eiðar longwave transmitter and...
Lutheran church in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
is named in his honour.
Eldfell
On 23 January 1973 at around one in the morning, a volcanic eruption of the mountain EldfellEldfell
Eldfell is a composite volcanic cone just over high on the Icelandic island of Heimaey. It formed in a volcanic eruption which began without warning just outside the town of Heimaey on 23 January 1973. Its name means Mountain of Fire in Icelandic....
began on Heimaey. The ground on Heimaey started to quake and clefts began to form. The clefts grew to 1600 meters in length, and soon lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
began to erupt. Lava sprayed into the air from fissures in the ground. Volcanic ash was blown out to sea. Later, the situation deteriorated. When the fissures closed, the eruption converted to a concentrated lava flow that headed toward the harbour. The winds changed, and half a million cubic metres of ash were blown on to the town. During the night, the 5000 inhabitants of the island were evacuated, mostly by fishing boats, as almost the entire fishing fleet was in dock.
The encroaching lava flow threatened to destroy the harbour, the main source of livelihood for most of the town. The eruption lasted until 3 July the same year. Townspeople constantly sprayed the lava with cold seawater, causing some of it to solidify and much to be diverted, thus saving the harbour from destruction. The people were elated that their livelihoods remained intact, even though much of their town had been destroyed. During the eruption, half of the town was crushed and the island expanded in length. The eruption increased the area of Heimaey from about 11.2 km² to about 13.44 km². Only one man died in the eruption: a sailor who was smothered while looting a pharmacy. The eruption is described by John McPhee
John McPhee
John Angus McPhee is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, widely considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction....
in his book The Control of Nature
The Control of Nature (book)
The Control of Nature is a 1989 book by John McPhee that chronicles three attempts to control natural processes. The residents of Heimaey, Iceland saved their harbor by spraying water on the volcanic lava flow threatening to close it off...
.
Present day
Vestmannaeyjar is home to around 4,500 people, and eight million puffinAtlantic Puffin
The Atlantic Puffin is a seabird species in the auk family. It is a pelagic bird that feeds primarily by diving for fish, but also eats other sea creatures, such as squid and crustaceans. Its most obvious characteristic during the breeding season is its brightly coloured bill...
s
every summer. Many millions of other birds migrate there for breeding and feeding.
The island is connected to the rest of Iceland by a ferry and Vestmannaeyjar Airport
Vestmannaeyjar Airport
Vestmannaeyjar Airport is a two-runway airport on the island of Heimaey, in Vestmannaeyjar , a small archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. It is also known as Westman Islands Airport....
.
Most people on the island live off fishing. They hold an annual festival. People are then allowed to catch a few puffins to share at the festival, or to eat at home.
In popular culture
- Some final shots of Chris Marker's Sans Soleil are of stark white Heimaey houses slowly buried by the deep black volcanic ash of the eruption. The backdrop reveals splashes of red lava as it flows into a steel-grey sea.
- Heimaey is mentioned in the song "Island"Leviathan (album)Leviathan is a concept album by sludge metal band Mastodon, released in 2004 by Relapse Records. The album is loosely based on the Herman Melville novel Moby-Dick, and the songs "Iron Tusk", "Blood and Thunder", "I Am Ahab" and "Seabeast" were released as singles...
by American progressive-metal band MastodonMastodon (band)Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...
. The line is "Lava goddess, Ice and fire, Settling down, Ocean Geysir, Gullfoss, Heimaey 73." This may refer to the eruption of EldfellEldfellEldfell is a composite volcanic cone just over high on the Icelandic island of Heimaey. It formed in a volcanic eruption which began without warning just outside the town of Heimaey on 23 January 1973. Its name means Mountain of Fire in Icelandic....
. - KeikoKeiko (orca)Keiko was a male orca / actor who starred in the film Free Willy and was perhaps the most famous of captive orcas.- History :...
the whale from the Free WillyFree WillyFree Willy is a 1993 family film directed by Simon Wincer, and released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a young boy who befriends an orca whale, named "Willy."...
films was in real life flown to Klettsvik Bay on Heimaey as his final home before being freed.