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 that reads “Reykjanesviti” (Reykjanes Lighthouse). My intention was to photograph the lighthouse, but first I was going to stop by one of the peninsula’s many geyser fields. This particular one is east of the lighthouse.

The main attraction there is one of Iceland´s best-known geysers, Gunnuhver, or Gunna´s Geyser. The geyser is named after a woman named Guðrún Önundardóttir (Gunna is a common shorthand for Guðrún). The story goes that Gunna had a 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 a 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. There are many sad examples of people stepping into a boiling geyser and 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 🙂

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