text and images britt-arnhild
When I was in Reykjavik in January, I visited the bishop´s office, and met several people who work for The Church of Iceland. Among them was Gunnthor, a man who is interested in pilgrimages. We started to talk and I discovered that Gunnthor has several interests. What especially caught my attention, was his interest in signs and evidence of early Celtic Christianity on the island.
When I came back home I emailed Gunnthor, asking for more information.
Here is part of what he has written me:
..... information on places and place names which may witness directly of ancient Celtic impact in Iceland is not easily available as the Celtic interpretation of such places is still much controversal. Man made caves with incisted crosses in southern Iceland would in my opinion, however, point rather convincingly to such an influence. The most remarcable of these caves are found at Seljaland close to the renowned Seljaland Waterfall......
::::::::::::::::
We visited Seljaland Waterfall yesterday. An amazing place, on the southern coast, with a view directly out to Vestmannaeyri.
The most spectacular part was may be the possibility to walk behind the waterfalls.
To get wet, icy cold wet, to look through the shower of rain and to imagine life as it was then the early Celts came here, hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
High up on the hillside we spotted the caves.
We did not climb to get to them,
but for my inner eye I could easily see the crosses carved inside them.
