Surprising Discoveries In Mysterious Giant Viking-Era Cave In Iceland Can Confirm Norse Sagas

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - It has happened in the past that archaeological discoveries have confirmed events described in Norse Sagas. We know for example that Norse Sagas tell of early Viking Voyages to foreign, distant lands. One of them was America, but these accounts have long been dismissed as fictional tales, but archaeological discoveries force scientists to reconsider previous theories. The discovery of the Viking site L'Anse Aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada, changed historians' understanding of early Viking exploration and confirmed the Vinland Sagas, written between 1220 and 1280.

The excavation site seen from above. Credit: Kristborg Þórsdottir. 

Iceland is also very associated with the Vikings. When one visits Iceland one can see many ruins and burial mounds that testify to the Vikings' presence in this part of the world.

According to an interesting report from Iceland, the first intact, man-made cave at Oddi is currently being excavated by scientists and the results are very intriguing. The Viking-era cave located in South Iceland consists of a vast network of caves. The whole underground complex is much older and larger than previously thought.

Mbl.is reports that excavations, substantiated by tephra layers, show that the caves at Oddi were first dug out in the middle of the 10^th century.

“There really are no words to describe it,” archeologist Kristborg Þórsdóttir said of the experience of standing in what is one of the best-preserved man-made structures of the Viking era. Kristborg is leading the current interdisciplinary study on the caves, which has been ongoing since 2020.

“The size of these structures is just so vast, there hasn’t been a study of such large structures, and definitely not from this time period in Iceland.”

Oddi is an interesting historical place associated with Sæmundur The Wise (1056 – 1133), who among many things is famous for having tricked the Devil on three occasions according to Icelandic beliefs.

"The historic site of a church, farm, and vicarage, Oddi was once one of Iceland’s most important cultural and political seats and home to a powerful clan known as the Oddverjar. The current study has been ongoing for two years, with the primary aim of shedding light on the writing culture that was there during the 11^th and 12^th centuries, when the Oddverjar were at the height of their powers. Sæmundur fróði (Sæmundur the Learned, 1056-1133) was the most famous member of the clan.

Credit: Ljósmynd/Kristborg Þórsdóttir

He studied in France and wrote one of the earliest histories of the Norwegian kings, although that manuscript was lost. Sæmundur’s grandson, Jón Loftsson, was a powerful chieftain who fostered Snorri Sturluson, the renowned historian, poet, and lawspeaker who is thought to have authored or partially authored major medieval works such as the Prose Edda (known as Snorri’s Edda in Icelandic), the most significant extant source on Norse mythology, as well as the Heimskringla, a saga of the Norwegian kings that was likely based on Sæmundur fróði’s lost manuscript.

“We’ve just partially opened up the large, collapsed cave that our little cave is connected to,” Kristborg told the Icelandic Review. “We still have deeper to dig; we’re just working on making conditions safe. It’s gotten very deep and the rock isn’t sound. So it’s taken some time.”

Credit: Kristborg Þórsdottir

Kristborg emphasizes investigating the cave thoroughly must be done as soon as possible because it is built into sandstone.

“The rock is so porous that it just crumbles before our eyes.” It’s thought that the caves were not used for very long because they are so prone to disintegration.

Resources for archeologists also remain limited. “We only have limited funds and time and you never know what’s going to happen next year. Maybe we can continue, maybe not. And information is always lost from year to year, preservation gets worse.”

As reported by the Icelandic Review, "Kristborg says that the cave currently being excavated may possibly be Nautahellir, Bull Cave, which is mentioned in Jarteinabók Þorláks Biskups (Bishop Þorlákur’s Legends of Saints), which dates back to 1210 – 1250. The manuscript relates how Nautahellir collapsed with 12 bulls in it. One was then rescued from the rubble.

“Although it’s older than that, it’s likely that [the cave] was used for livestock,” explained Kristborg. “Whether it was for that specific bull, we don’t know. But the history of its use obviously goes back further than we’ve managed to trace yet.”

The caves at Oddi have a complex and fascinating story to tell, says Kristborg, but the scope of the current investigation is such that she and her team need to keep their focus narrow. “These are huge structures and an unbelievably large system of caves that we’re only just starting to come to grips with. […] We’d need to undertake a much, much larger study with a much bigger crew in order to get to the bottom of this and trace this history in full, the history of these caves’ use.”

See also: More Archaeology News

Icelanders are undoubtedly the descendants of Vikings, and the caves at Oddi could provide scientists with historical information about the connection between Norse Sagas and Sæmundur fróði’s lost manuscript.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer