Lagarfljót Worm

The gigantic serpentine sea monster, or worm, of Lagarfljót (Lögurinn) lake, is Fljótsdalshérað's most famous creature. As it was already mentioned in chronicles of 1345, it has reached ripe old age. Initially, the wyrm was merely a little slug that was placed on a golden ring - at that time suggested as a method of multiplying gold. However, when the girl who owned the ring opened the shrine containing the ring and the slug, she was dismayed by the rapid growth of the worm - swelling with pride over its treasure, while the ring remained the same. Panicking, the girl hurled the shrine and its contents into the lake. As time passed, the slug grew into a wyrm frightening the locals and belching poison over the farmlands. Some say that two Finnish magicians were eventually engaged to tackle the monster and that they managed to restrain the beast by shaking its extremities to the lakebed. Others claim it was the popular bishop of North Iceland, Guðmundur - nicknamed "the Benevolent"- who tied the wyrm down in this way, so tightly that it only manages to arch its back up above the surface. Legend declares that if the wyrm ever disengages itself, not only will it raise a ruckus, but it will bring about the end of the world...