Reynisdrangar () are the

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

sea stacks A stack or sea stack is a geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion. Stacks are formed over time by wind and water, processes of coastal geomorphology. ...

situated under the mountain Reynisfjall near the village of

Vík í Mýrdal The village of Vík (), known as Vík í Mýrdal (, ) in full, is the southernmost village in Iceland. It is located on the main ring road around the island, and is around southeast of Reykjavík by road. Despite its small size (750 inhabitan ...

in southern

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. It is framed by a black sand beach that was ranked in 1991 as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world. In 2021 Reynisfjara was rated the sixth best beach in the world.

Legend

Legend says that the stacks originated when two

troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

s dragged a three-masted ship to land unsuccessfully and at the break of day turned into needles of rock. Contemporary legends note the story of a husband who found his wife taken frozen, having been abducted by the two trolls at night. The husband made the two trolls swear to never kill anyone ever again. His wife was the love of his life, whose free spirit he was unable to provide a home for; she found her fate out among the trolls, rocks, and sea at Reynisfjara.

In popular culture

Reynisdrangar appears several times throughout

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's Icelandic original series '' Katla'', and is particularly significant to the series' protagonist Gríma as the site of her mother's death.

References

External links

Beach at Reynisdrangar virtual tour
* - featuring Reynisdrangar Columnar basalts of Iceland Stacks of Iceland Volcanism of Iceland South Iceland Seismic Zone Geomyths {{Iceland-geo-stub

Legend

In popular culture

See also

References

External links