Borg á Mýrum gives Egils saga a physical setting

The farm stands west of Borgarnes at the head of Borgarvogur, in the landscape associated with Skalla-Grímur Kveldúlfsson and his son Egill.

According to Egils saga, Skalla-Grímur settled at Borg after his family came to Iceland. Egill grew into one of the saga age's most memorable figures: a farmer, warrior and poet whose story remains closely tied to Borgarfjörður. The site matters because it places that literary family in a real farm landscape rather than presenting the saga only as text.

Borg and Egils saga

Photo guide

Borg á Mýrum in photos

Interior imagery is included only as place-specific context; check official visitor details before depending on entry.

Interior of Borg á Mýrum church with wooden pews and the altar at the far wall

Interior imagery is included only as place-specific context; check official visitor details before depending on entry.

The church and Sonatorrek carry different layers of history

The present white church was erected in 1880, while the sculpture outside turns one of Egill's most personal poems into a modern memorial.

Inside the church is an altarpiece by English artist W.G. Collingwood, painted after his 1897 journey in Iceland. Interior entry should not be assumed, but the exterior remains the clearest architectural marker at the farm.

The 1880 church is the most immediate landmark at the historic farm.
White Borg á Mýrum church with red trim under a clear blue sky.

The 1880 church is the most immediate landmark at the historic farm.

Ásmundur Sveinsson's Sonatorrek was erected here in 1985. Its title comes from Egill's poem mourning the loss of his sons, giving the quiet site an emotional focus that is easy to miss without knowing the story.

Sonatorrek links the farm landscape to Egill's grief as a poet and father.
Sonatorrek sculpture at Borg á Mýrum with mountains and Borgarnes in the distance.

Sonatorrek links the farm landscape to Egill's grief as a poet and father.

Church and sculpture details

Keep the visit short and context-rich

About 10-25 minutes is enough to see the church, sculpture, name-giving rock and surrounding landscape from the public exterior area.

Borg á Mýrum is not a large attraction with a sequence of exhibits. It works best after some background reading or alongside the Settlement Center, where the settlement story and Egils saga receive fuller interpretation. Borgarnes provides the wider local setting.

Stop when the saga connection genuinely interests you; otherwise the farm may feel like a small church and sculpture in open countryside. That honest scale is part of its appeal and the reason it should remain a brief cultural page.

By ThorPublished Updated