Tradition: Icelandic Mythology
Alternative Names: Lagarfljótsormur, Lagarfljót Worm, Vatnaormur
Category: Mollusc
The Myth
Iceland is said to be home to numerous vatnaormar, or water serpents, monstrous creatures that inhabit lakes and rivers. Among the most famous is the Lagarfljót Serpent, a gigantic beast that dwells in Lagarfljót Lake near the Herad region of eastern Iceland. Its origins began when a woman gave her daughter a golden ring and suggested that she place it beneath a lyngorm, a small slug-like creature whose name literally means “heath snake.” Within days, the creature had grown so enormous that it burst through the linen box in which it was kept. Terrified, the girl threw the box, serpent, and ring into Lagarfljót.
The serpent continued to grow until it became large enough to prey on people and livestock. It could also spew venom across the surrounding land, making it a danger to anyone living nearby. Eventually, a powerful figure was summoned to subdue it. Accounts differ on whether this was Bishop Guðmundur Arason, two Sámi sorcerers, or a poet empowered by magic. Whoever confronted the monster discovered that it was too powerful to kill. Instead, they bound it with ropes tied around its neck and tail, trapping it at the bottom of the lake. The serpent remains there, although it occasionally arches its back above the water. Such appearances are regarded as ill omens, and the creature has reportedly been sighted in several different years, including 1479, 1555, 1594, 1749–1750, and 1819.
Descriptions of the Lagarfljót Serpent vary. It has appeared as an enormous snake with humps or spikes along its back, as a monstrous horse, or as a creature that stretches onto the riverbanks while releasing great quantities of poison. A geographical map of Iceland from 1590 reportedly warned that a huge monster inhabited the lake, threatening the surrounding inhabitants and appearing before significant events. The serpent also belongs to a wider tradition in which a snake grows alongside the treasure it guards, a motif found in the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok.
Other Icelandic waters are said to harbor similar monsters. The serpent of Skorradalsvatn has a story almost identical to that of the Lagarfljót creature and may represent an older version of the same legend. Other reported water serpents include the striped, cat-headed creature of Hvalvatn; the enormous, brightly colored or striped serpents of the Hvítá River; the black serpent of Kleifarvatn, said to measure 30–40 meters; and the multicolored serpent of the Skaftá River. Even the dry land around Surtshellir is associated with a mysterious serpent.
Sources
“Vatnaormur.” A Book of Creatures, December 21, 2020. https://abookofcreatures.com/2020/12/21/vatnaormur/