The Flugumýrarbrenna ( en, the Flugumýri Arson) was a

quickfire Arson in medieval Scandinavia (Old Norse ''hús-brenna ''or ''hús-bruni, ''"house-burning") was a technique sometimes employed in blood feuds and political conflicts in order to assassinate someone. In committing arson, a group of attackers wou ...

that took place 22 October 1253 in

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 ...

during the

Age of the Sturlungs The Age of the Sturlungs or the Sturlung Era ( is, Sturlungaöld ) was a 42–44 year period of violent internal strife in mid-13th century Iceland. It is documented in the Sturlunga saga. This period is marked by the conflicts of local chieftai ...

. The powerful Icelandic ''

goði Gothi or (plural , fem. ; Old Norse: ) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religious structure and com ...

'' chieftain

Gissur Þorvaldsson Gissur Thorvaldsson (1208 – 12 January 1268; Modern Icelandic: ; Old Norse: ) was a medieval Icelandic chieftain or ''goði'' of the Haukdælir family clan, and great-grandson of Jón Loftsson. Gissur played a major role in the period of ...

had returned from Norway with the Norwegian King's favour, and had settled in Flugumýri, an old homestead in Blönduhlíð in

Skagafjörður Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland. Location Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi Peninsula to the west. There are t ...

where the chieftains of the Ásbirningar held their seat. Gissur was at this time engaged in making amends and settling his quarrels with the

Sturlungar The Sturlungs ( Icelandic: ) were a powerful family clan in 13th century Iceland, in the time of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Their story is partly told in ''Sturlunga saga'', and members of the clan were significant participants in the civil war ...

clan. Not all the followers of the

were ready to forgive and forget. On 22 October 1253, Eyjólfur ofsi Þorsteinsson and his followers put Flugumýri to the torch and clashed with Gissur and his men. Eyjólfur was seeking vengeance for his expulsion from

and for the death of his father-in-law

Sturla Sighvatsson Sturla Sighvatsson (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; 1199 – 21 August 1238) was an Icelandic chieftain or ''goði'' of the Sturlungar family clan who played an active role in the armed conflicts in Iceland during the Age of the Sturlungs (Ic ...

who had died in the

Battle of Örlygsstaðir The Battle of Örlygsstaðir was a historic battle fought by the Sturlungar against the Ásbirningar and the Haukdælir clans in northern Iceland. The battle was part of the civil war that was taking place in Iceland at the time between various ...

at the hands of Gissur and his men. 25 people died in the ensuing fire and conflict, including Gissur's wife Gróa and their sons. Gissur himself escaped death by hiding in a barrel of sour whey and wrought vengeance on those involved, but Eyjólfur, the leader of the attackers, escaped him. Eyjólfur would later fall in the Battle of Þverá on 15 May 1255. The Flugumýri Arson lived for a long time in folk tales, and some scholars believe that it was inspired by the arson in

Njáls saga ''Njáls saga'' ( ), also ''Njála'' ( ), ''Brennu-Njáls saga'' ( ) or ''"The Story of Burnt Njáll"'', is a thirteenth-century sagas of Icelanders, Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 and 1020. The saga deals with a process of ...

(or vice versa).

References

13th century in Iceland 1253 in Europe {{iceland-stub