"Meet" an ancient Icelandic fortune teller
The fortune teller by her hut. Photo: Spákonuhof
Spákonuhof is a museum dedicated to Þórdís the fortune teller, the first settler in what later became the town of Skagaströnd in North Iceland. She was one of the strong women you hear about from the Icelandic Sagas, independent and did not care a bit about who she pissed off. She was so revered that a great mountain looming over the town is named after her, Spákonufell, the fortune teller’s mountain.
The exhibition tells the story of Þórdís, entwining it with descriptions of fortune telling in the first decades of settling in Iceland. The theme of fortune telling spans on over the centuries to this day, and visitors to the museum can have their fortune told by many different means.
At the museum visitors can have their fortunes told by old ways and new.
The museum is located in an old army barrack, built in the Second World War. After the war it had the role of a community centre and today it’s a museum.
The exhibition is small but very well done, the lifelike figures made by one of the best in Iceland. The size however means that the experience of the visitor relies heavily on the guide leading him through the exhibition. This does not let the museum down, the staff seems to be truly interested in the story, reliving it as they tell it. The two founders of the museum often guide themselves and you can truly hear their passion for the museum and the woman who inspired it.
The museum has a gift shop, mostly selling handcraft from area. There is also a small café offering traditional Icelandic refreshments. Combined with the fortune telling theme, this is without a doubt one of the most interesting pit stop for coffee in the area. It is just 23 km from the ring road, which makes for a nice detour on a trip.
In summer the museum is closed on Mondays but open all other days, in winter the opening hours are limited and visitors must contact the museum in advance .
The museum is in an old army barrack.
