Now tourists can enjoy them firsthand, too. Taking one of the many “saga tours,” through companies such as Isafold Travel, it’s not hard to get into the mythical, pagan spirit–especially as you drive through some of the world’s most stunning scenery. The craggy coast of western Iceland, with its beautiful fjords and bays teaming with islands, is the setting for “the Saga of the People of Laxardalur” tour. In this ancient tale, a man leaves his lover and sets out for Norway with his best friend, promising to be back in three years. But his friend returns alone and informs the woman that her fiance has stayed behind and married someone else. When the hero returns, the betrayer slays him, sparking a blood feud, revenge and agony for everyone involved–except those lucky enough to visit the scene of the crime centuries later.
The tour visits the verdant valley where the heroine grew up, stopping at the moss-covered hills near her farm where magic elves are said to reside. Then it’s on to the site where her returning lover was ambushed by those lying in wait to kill him. At the nearby seashore lies the grave of the heroine’s grandmother and the rock at which she prayed for the nice ending that never came. Too depressing? Don’t worry; at night the tour returns for a relaxing soak in the natural hot springs a few feet from the heroine’s birthplace.
On the tours of “Eiriks Saga” and the saga of “Graenlendingas,” travelers visit a replica of the farm of the famed and feared Erik the Red. Exiled to Iceland for manslaughter–and then kicked out after killing again–the notorious Viking with the bad temper discovered Greenland. His son Leif (the Lucky) Eriksson is said to have discovered America, before being driven out by angry Native Americans. It’s all in the sagas. But you don’t have to read them. Sitting in the dark as guides invoke images of the feared Viking, tourists examine coarse garments of the time, tied with rope belts. The men try on Viking helmets and armor and wave ancient swords. For dinner? Roast mutton leg, cooked over an open fire. No silverware, of course; after all, the Vikings didn’t use any. Visitors can also explore the excavation site of the Vikings’ real farm, a few hundred meters away.
The tales are gripping and there’s plenty to learn about this strange country on top of the world, where Aurora Borealis dances in the sky. But tour operators are careful not to lose sight of what really makes a successful trip: “The key is relaxation,” says guide Jon Baldur Thorbjornsson of Isaford Travel. “Good food and hot springs, and we never hurry.” Indeed, the sagas make it feel as if time is practically standing still.
