Monsters of the deep

“Alongside the land-based supernatural figures, there are a number of others more directly connected to water,” says Gunnell. Numerous eyewitnesses in East Iceland tell of a large monster living in the silvery glacial waters of Lagarfljót, the long lake that stretches out southwest from the town of Egilsstaðir.

Local residents of Arnarfjörður also claim to have seen sea monsters like Nykur, who resembles a horse with backward hooves, in the deep waters of the fjord, and on the shoreline. Legend has it that if you try to climb onto the horse’s back, you’ll get stuck to its sticky skin, whereupon Nykur will run back into the water to drown you.