Elduvík ( da, Eldevig) is a small village in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic archipelago, island group and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotlan ...

. Elduvík is located in the Funningsfjørður-inlet on

Eysturoy Eysturoy (pronounced estroimeaning 'East Island') is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, both in size and population. Description Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely ...

's northeast side. The village which has a population of 12 is split into two parts by a small river Stórá. Visible from Elduvík is the nearby island of

Kalsoy Kalsoy ( da, Kalsø) is an island in the north-east of the Faroe Islands of Denmark between Eysturoy and Kunoy. The name means man island; by contrast with the parallel island to the east, Kunoy, the name of which means woman island. The northernm ...

. The village lies by the shore at the end of a long, lush valley surrounded by stunning mountains. West of the river is the old part of the village, where the colourful small houses surround the school and the church. On the other side of the river is the dock, where boathouses form an amphitheatre-like semi circle around the pier. From here, the old village path passes through a hillside to the town of Oyndarfjørður, where Elduvík locals attended church before the village got its own church. The church in Elduvík was inaugurated in 1951, although the churchyard has been used since 1926 to avoid the hassle of carrying dead bodies along the old village path to Oyndarfjørður. The magnificent gorge to the east of the village is popular with divers, who are treated to a spectacular undersea landscape with a rich population of crabs on the bottom of the sea. Elduvík is a heavy surf area, and visitors are advised to beware of big waves crashing on the shore. Elduvík offers you a variety of charming yards, paths, steps, and ledges. Elduvik Camping is a small campsite in the village on the Funningsfjørdur. There are a nice walking area.

The legend of Marmennil

Anfinnur was a farmer in Elduvík and the legend concerns his encounter with a beast called Marmennil. According to the legend, Marmennil has the appearance of a small human with long fingers, and lives at the bottom of the sea. He would tease fishermen by eating their bait, then attaching their hooks to the sea bed so that they would break their fishing lines. One day, however, Marmennil was fixing Anfinnur's hook to the bottom when the hook became fixed in his hand, and he was pulled up into Anfinnur's boat. The fishermen in the boat made the

sign of the cross Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...

, and then brought Marmennil home with them. He proved to be very useful on their fishing trips, so they always took him with them, remembering always to make the sign of the cross on him when he was taken on boa