Do the Icelandic Monster Mash!

It is a little known fact but the sea  around Iceland and especially the remote Westfjords are teeming with elusive monsters that usually reside in the deep sea.

But they sometimes venture up to dry land on beaches and coves to hunt. This means that being alone close to the sea when it is dark is not advisable.

The Ground Zero of this monster infestation is the picturesque village of Bíldudalur where you can learn all about the different kind of Icelandic monsters in the high tech Monster museum.

The museum was opened in June 2009 and boasts a state of the art interactive display designed by the renowned multimedia company Gagarin. It also contains many items related to monsters and monster sightings.

So what are the Icelandic Westfjords monsters like? Sightings and many tales from local people narrowly escaping  the teeth and claws of those mysterious creatures give us a fairly good idea on what we are dealing with. There seems to be a general agreement that there are four different types of monsters around Iceland and are concentrated in the Westfjords in the vicinity of Bíldudalur. They are the following:

• Fjörulalli ( Shore Laddie )
• Hafmaður ( Sea Man )
• Skeljaskrímsli ( Shell Monster )
• faxaskrímsli ( Combed Monster / Sea Horse )

Visit the Monster museum to find out more. But never ever go alone on the beach.

 How to get there?

Get directions on the web site of the monster museum.

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Images by Magnús Óskarsson

Written by Jón Heiðar Þorsteinsson