Strandagaldur (), also known as The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft, is a privately operated and publicly accessible museum dedicated to the folklore and history of

sorcery Sorcery may refer to: * Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces ** Witchcraft, the practice of magical skills and abilities * Magic in fiction, ...

and

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. First opened in 2000, and curated by Sigurður Atlason (d. 2018), the museum is located in the coastal town

Hólmavík Hólmavík () is a village in the western part of Iceland, by Steingrímsfjörður. It is the largest settlement in Strandir and serves as a centre of commerce for the county. Hólmavík is part of the Strandabyggð municipality and has 375 inh ...

. Based on research which began in 1996, the museum contains various permanent and special exhibitions on subjects such as the

Nábrók (calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from anothe ...

, or necropants,

Icelandic magical staves Icelandic magical staves () are sigils that were credited with supposed magical effect preserved in various Icelandic grimoires, such as the Galdrabók, dating from the 17th century and later. Table of magical staves See also * Galdr A (pl ...

Tilberi The tilberi (carrier) or snakkur (spindle) is a creature of Icelandic folklore, created by witches to steal milk. Only women can create and own them. The two terms are regional variants: both are used in eastern Iceland, 'tilberi' in the north and ...

and Icelandic grimoires. An upstairs area focuses on the history of witch hunts in Iceland, and the genealogy of witches and their accusers. A note invites visitors to consider how they might be related to the historical figures.

Restaurant Galdur

Restaurant Galdur is the restaurant located within Strandagaldur, offering meatsoup, seafood soup and beef steak as well as a vegetarian and vegan option, plus a variety of beer, coffee and wine.

References

External links

{{commonscat, Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft
Official websiteOfficial TwitterRestaurant Galdur on InstagramRestaurant Galdur on Facebook
Museums in Iceland Icelandic folklore Witchcraft museums Viking Age museums Buildings and structures in Westfjords