The Geyser of the Poltergeist Gunna

I recently journeyed to the Reykjanes peninsula, this wonder of nature that is so close to Reykjavik but we visit all too rarely.

The weather was as good as it gets in Iceland, warm with a breeze and not too much sun. Just the way I like it.

I drove from Reykjavik to Grindavik which is on the southern side of the peninsula. Just before I got there I turned right at a road with a sign which reads “Reykjanesviti” (Reykjanes Lighthouse). My intention was a photograph the lighthouse but first I was going to stop by one of the many geysers fields of the peninsula. This particular one is east to the lighthouse.

The main attraction there is one of Iceland´s best known geyser, Gunnuhver or Gunna´s Geyser. The geyser is named after a woman called Guðrún Önundardóttir (Gunna is a common shorthand for the name Guðrún). The story goes that Gunna had dispute with a rich farmer and official, Vilhjálmur Jónsson, from the nearby farm of Kirkjuból. She accused him of stealing a pot from her, probably to settle a debt. Gunna was a determined lady and after her death she resolved to kill Vilhjálmur when he was leaving her funeral. After the deed was done Gunna became a murderous poltergeist who attacked both people and beasts. A priest called Eiríkur was able to lead an attack on Gunna and eventually she was thrown into the geyser which is now named after her. According to legend you should be able to see her stooping by the geyser refusing to go in. I was unable to detect any paranormal activity so I can neither confirm or deny the veracity of this chilling tale.

Gunnuhver is as great place to visit. It has walkways that make it easy to travel around and safe for us tourists. This is an important point as geysers are dangerous and there are many sad examples of people stepping into boiling geyser burning themselves badly.

As you can see I got a nice picture of the geyser field so my mission was accomplished on my first stop on the Reykjanes peninsula. Until next time 🙂

Written by Sigurður Fjalar Jónsson

Another great destination close to the geyser is the Troll Bath.

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