The mountain Lómagnúpur is among the most photographed mountains and natural wonders in the Icelandic Landscape. The 690 meters high cliff at the southern end of the mountain stands tall. Something visitors driving the Ring Road approaching the mountain can not but admire as it lifts from the endless sand Skeiðarársandur south of Vatnajökull and Skaftafell. The mountain is like a magnet for the eye, and with its small ponds, rocks, and vegetation surrounding the cliffs is just a perfect item in the landscape to photograph. It is almost too easy to take beautiful photos of this magnificent mountain on a beautiful, calm day.
A cliff that has been around for a long time in Icelandic history
Stories related to Lómagnúpur have been around for a long time. One of the oldest ones is from the famous Saga, Njála. One of the main characters, Flosi, originally came up with the idea to burn Njáls farm and lived at Svínafell farm near the Svínafell glacier. In one of his dreams, he saw a giant walk out from the mountains as it opened and named 25 men out loud, putting the flames to Njal's farm. After that, he walked back into the mountain. Possibly the story has its roots in the cliffs being so steep and high that people feel dwarfed in the presence of the mountain and gave it a supernatural force.
An unstable mountain with a history of landslides
One could argue that Lómagnúpur is one of the few mountains in Iceland that have unexpected landslides, even loaded with large bergs and rocks. One quite significant was documented around the middle of the 17th century on the west side. The landslide is still visible from the farm Núpstaðir. Another smaller landslide, also visible today both as a scar in the mountain and also at the root of the mountain, occurred on the east side in 1988. It is an unstable creature and possibly as it is the home of large giants.