Arnarfjörður


Arnarfjörður is a large fjord in the remote Westfjords region of Iceland. "Arnar" is the genitive case of "Örn", the name of the first settler of the fjord.

Description

The fjord is 30 km long and 5 to 10 km wide, and is oriented NW/SE. It branches into two main bays, both containing a few coves. They are Borgarfjörður to the east and Suðurfirðir to the south. The largest settlement on the fjord is the small village of Bíldudalur. Lowland strips along the bay are very limited, with mountain slopes falling steeply into the sea in most places. The Westfjords' highest mountain, Kaldbakur, is also located between Arnarfjörður and the neighboring Dýrafjörður, a parallel fjord to the north-east.

Legends

According to folklore, the fjord is said to house the most monsters of all the country's fjords, and to have many sorcerers.