The Caves of Ægissíða

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• Caves of Hella

Barn Cave, one of the biggest man-made caves in Iceland

The Caves of Hella are a series of ancient man-made sandstone caves located on the bank of the river Ytri-Rangá in the southern part of Iceland, just across the river from Hella. They are now a popular tourist attraction but mystery surrounds their creation and history. Twelve man-made caves have been discovered on the land of Ægissíða by Hella. Four of them have been open to the public. All of them ancient - with some believed to date even further back than the settlement of the Nordic Vikings.  

The wonders of the Caves of Hella include ancient crosses, wall carvings and carved seats.

History

Through the past centuries the caves have been used by Icelandic farmers as sheepsheds, barns, food storage etc.. Although over 300 man-made caves can be found in the southern part of Iceland, it is unheard of to find as many caves together at one farm. Usually only one or two caves can be found at the same location. However, 12 caves have been found at Ægissíða. The most recent one found in 2017. The most famous cave is Fjóshellir or Cow Shed Cave as it is one of the biggest man-made sand caves that has been found in Iceland. Furthermore, a cross can be found embossed in one of the walls at Cow Shed Cave. Nobody knows who made the cross and what for. As a matter of fact, the same can be said about the caves. Nobody knows for certain who made them and for what purpose. However, throughout the centuries the people from Ægissíða have said the caves were built before the Viking settlement. Most likely by Celtic monks.

The first written source about a man-made sand cave can be found in Jarteinabækur Þorláks helga that was written in 1199. The story is about cows inside a cave that collapses. The story focuses on the cows and not the cave, which indicates that at that time it was not unusual to use manmade sand caves as cowsheds. This suggest that there are manmade sand caves that date back to at least the 12th century. That makes them, by far, the oldest standing “buildings” in Iceland.

According to Landnámabók and Íslendingabók, Celtic monks from Ireland known as papar lived in Iceland before Scandinavian settlers arrived. Many Icelandic scholars have pointed out that the caves are probably built by the Irish monks. These scholars pointed out that a cross had been embossed in the walls of Fjóshellir centuries ago. The fact that the cross was embossed, but not carved inside the sandstone like all other crosses found in man made caves in Iceland, was a proof that the cross was constructed at the same time as the cave and therefore must have been made by the builders.

Other scholars have denied these theories on the grounds that no archaeological remains have been found that proof that the papar were in Iceland before the island was settled around 874.

The first written sources of the caves in Ægissíða are in a poem from the late 18th century, where the author names eighteen caves at Ægissíða. In 1818 a priest tells in writing of caves at Ægissíða and emphasis in his writings that the caves are very old.

Modern interest

Cow Shed Cave, known for a carved cross at the end of the cave.

For centuries the caves have been a source of interest for many people both foreign and Icelandic. The Icelandic poet and lawyer Einar Benediktsson was very interested in the caves and was one of the key figures in exploiting the theories about the Irish monks building them. Later on the Icelandic writer Þórbergur Þórðarson investigated the caves. He disagreed with Einar Benediktsson about the origin of the caves. Matthías Þórðarson, the director of the National museum of Iceland came to the conclusion that the caves were ancient but nothing suggested they were made before Iceland was settled. Einar Benediktsson had his friend and painter Jóhannes Kjarval sketch the cave murals. The Icelandic poet and priest, Matthías Jochumsson held a mass in one of the caves known as Kirkjuhellir or Church-cave (named for his similarity to an old church). The caves at Ægissíða are a part of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir's first crime novel, Last Rituals, and the sand caves are also mentioned in Blóðug jörð by Vilborg Davíðsdóttir.

But interest in the caves is not only found with Icelanders. In 1936 the Ahnenerbe (a Nazi institute that investigated the history of the Aryan race) organized an expedition to Iceland to investigate ancient temples. When they arrived they got thrilled by the man-made caves and assumed that they might have been an ancient Hof. All investigations were drawn to a halt because of World War II.

The caves are now a tourist attraction but were for decades forgotten. In the middle of the century Icelandic farms grew bigger and cement houses more common. Farmers stopped using the caves to store their livestock, telling their story and showing them to Icelanders and foreigners. The interest in the caves diminished and for the past four decades they have stood open to winds, rain and snow damage and little had been done to protect them. Few Icelanders knew their story and they could easily be ruined and forgotten.

Since 2016 the family at Ægissíða has worked hard to restore the caves and share their history. Four caves have now been opened for the public and guided tours can been booked.