Borg á Mýrum
About Borg á Mýrum
Borg á Mýrum is a historic farm and church site just north of Borgarnes in West Iceland, where the settler Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson made his home and his son, the poet Egill Skallagrímsson, later farmed. It is one of the main places tied to Egils saga, and both Borgarnes and the Borgarfjörður district take their names from it. Today the site holds a small white church, a farmhouse and a sculpture in Egill's honor.
The church, Borgarkirkja, was built in 1880 on ground that has held a church since Christianity reached Iceland around the year 1000. Unusually for an Icelandic church, it faces north to south. Its altarpiece of Christ blessing the children is a Pre-Raphaelite painting by the English artist William Gershom Collingwood, who traveled through Iceland in 1897, and its style is unique among the country's churches.
Near the road stands Sonatorrek, an abstract monument to Egill by the sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson, placed where the old homestead is thought to have stood. It takes its name from Egill's poem of grief for his sons Böðvar and Gunnar, one of the best-known poems of the saga age. Borg is still a lived-in farm, so keep to the church, the churchyard and the monument.
Borg is about 10 minutes by car from the center of Borgarnes on Route 54, the road toward Snæfellsnes, and about 1 hour 20 minutes from Reykjavík. A stop takes 20 to 30 minutes and pairs well with the Settlement Center in Borgarnes, which tells Egill's story in full.
Good to know
What is Borg á Mýrum?
Borg á Mýrum is the farm where the settler Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson lived and where his son Egill Skallagrímsson later farmed. It now has a church from 1880 and a sculpture honoring Egill.
Who lived at Borg á Mýrum?
Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson, one of Iceland's early settlers, claimed the land and built the farm. His son Egill, the warrior-poet of Egils saga, farmed there after him.
What is the Sonatorrek sculpture at Borg?
It is an abstract monument to Egill Skallagrímsson by the sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson. It refers to Sonatorrek, the poem Egill wrote after losing his sons Böðvar and Gunnar.
How old is the church at Borg á Mýrum?
The present church was built in 1880, but a church has stood at Borg since Christianity came to Iceland around the year 1000.
How do you get to Borg á Mýrum?
Take Route 54 out of Borgarnes toward Snæfellsnes and you reach Borg in about 10 minutes. From Reykjavík the trip takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Trip planning — free, no commitment
Put Borg á Mýrum on your route
Tell us your dates, pace and can’t-miss list — a local planner builds the route, stays and tours around it, and stays a text away while you travel.