Elduvík


Elduvík is a small village in the Faroe Islands.
Elduvík is located in the Funningsfjørður-inlet on Eysturoy's northeast side. The village which has a population of 23 is split into two parts by a small river. The church in Elduvík dates from 1952. Visible from Elduvík is the nearby island of Kalsoy.

The legend of Marmennil

Anfinnur was a farmer in Elduvík and the legend concerns his encounter with a beast called Marmennil.
According to the legend, Marmennil has the appearance of a small human with long fingers, and lives at the bottom of the sea. He would tease fishermen by eating their bait, then attaching their hooks to the sea bed so that they would break their fishing lines. One day, however, Marmennil was fixing Anfinnur's hook to the bottom when the hook became fixed in his hand, and he was pulled up into Anfinnur's boat. The fishermen in the boat made the sign of the cross, and then brought Marmennil home with them.
He proved to be very useful on their fishing trips, so they always took him with them, remembering always to make the sign of the cross on him when he was taken on board. As soon as there were fish under the boat, Marmennil would start to laugh and play, and the fishermen could then make their catch.
Anfinnur kept Marmennil for a long time, but one day the sea was so rough that they forgot to make the sign of the cross. Because of this, when they were afloat, Marmennil sneaked overboard into the sea and was never seen again.