Espihóll is a farm and old manor in

Eyjafjarðarsveit Eyjafjarðarsveit () is a municipality located in northern Iceland. Most of Eyjafjarðarsveit is located inland, but the northern tip borders a fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narr ...

county,

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

that previously belonged to the rural municipality Hrafnagilshreppur. There is a large hill of the same name (the in is the Icelandic word for "hill") south of the farm.

History

According to the ''

Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and ov ...

'', the first farmer in Espihóll was , the son of and grandson of Helgi "" ("the meager") Eyvindarson. The farm is mentioned in several sources in old Icelandic literature and appears in

Víga-Glúms saga ''Víga-Glúms saga'' (Modern Icelandic pronunciation: ) is one of the Sagas of Icelanders. It takes place mostly in and around Eyjafjörður in North Iceland, and recounts the life and fall of Glúmr Eyjólfsson, a powerful man whose nickname, '' ...

. Espihóll is also named in

Sturlunga saga ''Sturlunga saga'' (often called simply ''Sturlunga'') is a collection of Icelandic Norse saga, sagas by various authors from the 12th and 13th centuries; it was assembled in about 1300, in Old Norse. It mostly deals with the story of the Sturlun ...

, in which Kolbeinn "" ("the mustachioed") Dufgusson was killed by Gissur Þorvaldsson's men in 1253 in retaliation for the

Flugumýri Arson The Flugumýrarbrenna () was a quickfire that took place 22 October 1253 in Iceland during the Age of the Sturlungs. The powerful Icelandic ''goði'' (chieftain) Gissur Þorvaldsson had returned from Norway with the Norwegian King's favour, and ha ...

. In Espihóll there was a ranch where some of the major

Eyjafjörður Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri. Physical geography The fjord is ...

county chiefs lived. The farm long served as the residence of the

sýslumaður (; plural: ; , , ) is a governmental office or title used in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Norway. The position originated in Norway in the Middle Ages, where it was used as a noble title, and the was granted a fief called a '' sýsla'' (pl ...

, or sheriff. In the 17th century, Sheriff Björn Pálsson, the grandson of Bishop

Guðbrandur Þorláksson Guðbrandur Þorláksson ( – 20 July 1627) was bishop of Hólar from 8 April 1571 until his death. He was the longest-serving bishop in Iceland and is known for printing the ''Guðbrandsbiblía'', first complete Icelandic translation of the ...

lived there and so did his son Magnús after died. Magnús' wife was the elder, the daughter of Bishop

Jón Vigfússon Jón is an Old Norse common name still widely used in Iceland and the Faroes. According to Icelandic custom, people named Jón are generally referred to by first and middle names and those without a middle name are referred to with both first nam ...

, and together they were had many children. In the latter part of the 18th century, Sheriff Jón Jakobsson lived in Espihóll. He was among the pioneers who ushered in the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...

and, among other things, conducted some of the first known Icelandic experiments on

sheep shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the Wool, woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a ''Sheep shearer, shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (depending upon dialect, ...

. His son,

Jón Espólín Jón is an Old Norse common name still widely used in Iceland and the Faroes. According to Icelandic custom, people named Jón are generally referred to by first and middle names and those without a middle name are referred to with both first nam ...

, a sheriff and chronicler who was named after the farm, was born in Espihóll in 1769. Stefán Thorarensen, son of the

amtmann __NOTOC__ The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff A bailiff is a ...

, lived in Espihóll and drowned in the Eyjafjarðará river in the spring of 1844. Afterwards, the area was thought to be haunted, especially at Stórholt hill between Espihóll and the barn. Shortly after the beginning of the 19th century, Sheriff Eggert Breim lived in Espihóll for some time. His daughter, Elín Briem, school director and author of (''The Female Teacher''), was born there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espiholl Northeastern Region (Iceland) Populated places in Northeastern Region (Iceland) Eyjafjörður