Yoda cave combines Star Wars and Icelandic foundation myth

This summer, I visited the only place in Iceland where Star Wars and the legends surrounding the settlement of Iceland meet. The site is cape Hjörleifshöfði on the south coast of Iceland. It received international fame when it was the location of the opening scene of that great Star Wars film Rogue One. That is not its only Star War connection. The cape also has a large cave on its south side with an opening that looks just like Yoda.

Heading to Yoda Cave

Cape Hjörleifshöfði is an intriguing place, and I must revisit it. The day we visited, we were returning to Vík from exploring the magnificent Múlagljúfur canyon. It was cloudy, so we didn’t go to the top of the cape, where the view of glaciers and mountains to the north must be impressive on a clear day. Our objective was the cave Gýgagjá, better known as the Yoda Cave.

The legend of cape Hjörleifshöfði

Hjörleifshöfði, or the cape of Hjörleifur, is named after the Norse adventurer Hjörleifur. According to the Book of Settlements, Hjörleifur was the blood brother of Ingólfur Arnarson, the guy who was supposedly Iceland’s first settler. When they came to Iceland to settle the country, they split up. Ingólfur made his camp at cape Ingólfshöfði far east of Hjörleifshöfði. Hjörleifur built two houses on the cape and started farming there.

The slaver gets his comeuppance

Ingólfur had enslaved Irish men with him, but they revolted when they came to Iceland and killed Hjörleifur and his men. They kidnapped the women that had been with Hjörleifur’s party and fled to Vestamannaeyjar. Ingólfur found out what had happened, followed the enslaved people to the Westman islands, and killed them all. Ingólfur stayed one winter at Hjörleifshöfði before he proceeded west to settle at Reykjavik eventually. That is the story, anyway. I don’t believe a word of this, but the Book of Settlements is still gospel for some people.

The Yoda Cave is the place for geeky goodness

But Gýgagjá cave is not famous for its connection with Iceland’s foundation myth. It would make an excellent shelter for people who had spent days or weeks on the rough North Atlantic and just made landfall at an uninhabited island. I do not doubt that over millennia it has often been used as a shelter of last resort in rough weather for either sheep or humans. But the cave is famous for its Yoda-shaped opening, not for its connection with Hjörleifur and Ingólfur. Legions of people visit the cave every summer to get their Instagram-friendly image of that cave opening. And I am no exception, of course. After all, I love Star Wars in its all geeky goodness.

The horror at Yoda Cave

We were in a nasty surprise, however. While exploring the cave, we discovered a pile of human excrement in the center of the cave floor. I understand that if you got to go, you got to go. I am a former long-distance runner, so I get that “crisis” can hit any time. However, plenty of shrubberies and high lupin plants are in the vicinity. So this disgusting memento was left behind by somebody who enjoyed doing this. The cave is a popular destination, and while we were leaving, a car with two ladies stopped beside our truck. We had to suffer the indignity of warning them about the unpleasantness inside and assuring them that it was not from us. I

I had just enough

I must admit that I got tired and angry about how some travelers behave here in Iceland. We saw people at Dyrhólaey standing right on the cliffs’ edge. When I hiked up to the eruption at Meradalir, I had to have a word with parents who had placed their young children on top of the lava that ran glowing hot only a year before. Then there was this pile of human waste in this fun and popular destination. The disrespect and stupidity are just sometimes a little too much.

How to find the Yoda Cave

The cave is at the southern edge of cape Hjörleifshöfði. Drive past the parking lot where you go to the top of the cape towards the ocean. Follow the road and turn left until you reach the cave opening. Do not take a s**t in cave please.