Visiting the Burial Rites Locations in Iceland

Before moving to Iceland, my partner and I were keen to read lots of books written by Icelandic authors or set in Iceland.

One such book that we both enjoyed reading was Burial Rites by Hannah Kent.

Burial Rites tells the story of Agnes Magnusdottir, a young woman accused of the murder of Natan Ketilsson, which took place at a remote farm in 1829.

Agnes is placed at a different remote farm during the trial. She is housed, rather reluctantly, by a local family as she faces the final days leading up to her execution.

There is great mystery in the book regarding whether or not Agnes actually committed the murder and, as the story unravels, we learn more about what happened on the night in question.

While it is not known exactly what happened on that night, in Burial Rites, Hannah Kent imagines what may have happened. By doing so, she invites us to consider the life lived by Agnes and the circumstances leading up to her execution.

My partner and I both read Burial Rites extremely quickly while on holiday in early 2019. We were both completely absorbed in the reading experience and thought it was a brilliant book.

If you haven’t read it yet, I would absolutely recommend you do so before setting off on your adventure to Iceland.

This article is written on the assumption that you have read the book (spoilers below) and that you are now are looking to find the locations mentioned in the book.

We set off from Reykjavik and approached the Vatnsnes peninsula from the West side, turning off at Laugarbakki and heading around the peninsula in a clockwise direction.

Sites visited: Illugastadir Farm, the Church that Agnes and Fridrik are buried (Tjarnakirkja), the location of the final execution in Iceland (Thristapar) and Hvitserkur.

Total travel time: We travelled from Reykjavik, completed this route and returned to the city in around 12 hours.

Illugastadir Farm

This is the location of Natan’s farm, where he lived with Agnes.

Agnes and Natan lived at the farm with Sigga, Natan’s supposed lover. At the next farm lived Fridrik, Sigga’s fiance and Natan’s farmhand.

The farm is the location of the death of Natan Ketilsson and Petur Jonsson; the deaths which lead to Agnes’ murder trial.

However, the story is told in Burial Rites that it was Fridrik who committed the murders and Agnes simply helped to cover up what happened at the farm, both to protect Fridrik and to put Natan out of his pain.

Illugstadir farm was one of the least well-marked stops on this trail.

This is understandable when you consider that it is a working farm and a family home, and therefore the family will likely want some privacy.

We found the rough location of the farm through GPS and then were unsure which of the series of farms was Illugastadir.

We stopped at a couple of different farms before realising which was the correct site. It was the last (if I remember rightly) in a sequence of 3-4 farmsteads.

Thankfully, when we approached Illugastadir, it was marked by a small sign.

When you arrive on site you will notice a public toilet and car parking area, suggesting that the owners are open to visitors and for its history to be learned about by travellers to Iceland.

Indeed, there are toilets, a bench space to eat lunch and well-maintained paths for travellers to traverse the parts of the farm that the owners are happy for visitors to explore.

Further to this, there are a few information notices which tell you more about the dark history of Illugastadir and the animals which now live in this area.

The combination of information, facilities and well-signposted trails made us feel more at ease with exploring what was essentially somebody’s private property.

Further to this, the people who I assumed were the farm owners/workers were out working – both on the land and with the farm animals – and they gave us a (very socially distanced) wave, making us feel welcome.

Travel the pathways and you will feel you are able to picture and imagine the scenes from Hannah Kent’s historical fiction novel.

This location is rich in history and culture and will likely have a transporting effect on you.

This was certainly the case for me, as I pictured some of the most dramatic scenes from the book. Imagining these events, I was tense and uncomfortable.

As the biting wind swept through the farm and the gentle trickle of water sounded from the stream behind me, I imagined how suffocating and isolating it would feel to to Agnes and live with Natan on this extraordinarily remote farm.

I thought about the power imbalance in something so simple as the location of the farm, and couple that with the Lothario behaviour of Natan; I began to empathise with Agnes all the more.

It is believed that one of the ruined buildings on-site (above) may be the remains of Natan’s mysterious workshop, which has a prominent feature in the story.

Standing at this spot and looking out upon the water, it was easy to place myself in Agnes’ shoes and think about the harsh weather, beautiful landscapes and daily monotony that she experienced in her time living at Illugastadir.

Slightly detached from the farm (approximate 5 minute walk) is also a great spot to see a range of Icelandic wildlife.

In particular, this is a great location to witness seals playing in the water and to see the eider duck nesting.

We spent a considerable amount of time here watching the birdlife and the seals playing.

While there was a little bit of an eerie feeling around the farm – which was likely caused by how easy it became to imagine the history which took place here – I did thoroughly enjoy decompressing by soaking in the tranquility of the nature, especially down by the water where the seals reside.

Indeed, I would absolutely recommend visitors spend some time down by the water watching the wildlife.

This route is an emotionally heavy one and I feel that spending some time mindfully watching the nature at this location should be an essential part of completing this trip.

Tjorn: The Church Where Agnes and Fridrick Are Buried

The story goes that Agnes was initially buried at an unknown location.

However, in recent years, a psychic from Reykjavik mysteriously started receiving messages from Agnes. The psychic said that she had been visited by Agnes, who asked her to move her body to a more dignified location.

The psychic was able to take the excavation team to the location of Agnes’ unknown burial location and she was buried again in a nearby graveyard. This graveyard is located to the rear of Tjarnakirkja church.

Fridrick and Agnes share a headstone, with the burial site being located around the back of the church.

Visiting this site was eerie. I began to strongly feel the presence of Agnes at this location.

I felt that she was curious about our arrival and angry about me taking pictures of her burial site. I felt that our visit was disturbing her tranquility and I felt deeply uncomfortable about standing close to her final resting place.

While there was no history to imagine at this location, I thought a lot about the effect this dark history must have upon the local families. I also thought about how many other people had said they felt the presence of Agnes strongly while visiting these sites.

Tjarnakirkja church was the most difficult location to find on this trip.

The sat nav was taking us to a general area (Tjorn) but not to the actual location (Tjarnakirkja).

To find the actual location, we took the road named Vatnsvegur, and turned off at Thorgrimsstadir 712. Follow this road to what looks like a private property. You will soon see that the road leads you to the church. The church is located next to two private houses/farms.

Thristapar (Three Hills): The Location of Agnes’ Beheading

The final location on this Burial Rites route; this is the location where Agnes and Fridrick were beheaded. Thristapar is therefore, also, the site of the last execution in Iceland.

This means that this location has a real historical significance for Icelandic people, and I have heard locals say that the fate of Agnes Magnusdottir is a dark patch in Icelandic history.

This, to me, was the more eerie location on this route. I have said that every stop is eerie, but nothing prepared me for how deeply I would be affected by this final stop.

I felt deeply uncomfortable being at this location, and even writing this and reminding myself of it has had a profound effect on me.

Again, I sensed that Agnes was intrigued but angry about our visit. The spookiest part of this visit was that I sensed Agnes join us in our car and travel back to Reykjavik with us. This may sound completely bizarre but I fully believe that this happened.

For the duration of the journey, Agnes was angry.

I sensed this anger was about the way in which her story was told and I sensed that she was angry that we believed the story told in Burial Rites. I’m not sure what the actual story is but I sensed that Agnes felt wronged by the novel and that she was more innocent than the novel made out.

I can’t fully explain why I had such a connection to Agnes at this location (because I don’t understand it), but I can share that I fully believe her spirit has been following me around since I visited these locations. I hope that by writing this blog, I can put this connection to rest.

The site of the final execution in Iceland is marked by a small engraved stone.

This stone is located on the furthest hill from the car park. Follow the walking trail to reach this location.

The stone marking simply says that this is the site of the final execution in Iceland, with the date of the execution: January 12th, 1830.

I found it deeply upsetting to think about the final fate of Agnes. I strongly believe, based on the spiritual connection I felt with Agnes, that she was wronged and should not have been executed.

In addition to this, the final scenes in the Burial Rites book were so haunting to me that I felt completely transported back into the book, and could clearly visualise the scenes I had created in my mind while reading.

Looking out upon the snow capped mountains, I thought about the harsh and bitter wind that would sweep through this open plain in the winter months.

Walking along the trail to the stone marking, I felt that I was having some kind of an outer body experience in having a graphic imagining of the final scene in Burial Rites, where Agnes walks to her final execution.

While I found following this trail to be difficult on a personal level, I am very glad to have completed the route and I do feel that it brought the history of Iceland to life for me. 

If you’re also interested in learning more about this nation’s history, I would suggest reading The Sealwoman’s Gift by Sally Magnusson.

The Sealwoman’s Gift follows the history of Heimaey and builds fiction around what is known about the experiences of the islanders when this small island was attacked by Algerian pirates in the 1500s.

Specifically, Magnusson imagines what it must have been like to be a woman during this time.

We visited the sites on Heimaey when we first arrived in Iceland and it was a fantastic experience.

Other Sights to See in the Area:

While on Vatnsnes Peninsula, it’s worth making a few other stops to really get the most out of your trip.

Both of the sites mentioned below are on the route you will take to see the Burial Rites locations, and will only serve to break up the journey and emotional intensity of visiting the historically significant locations.

Hvitserkur Sea Stack

Hvitserkur is a fantastic rock in the ocean that many say looks like an elephant taking a drink of water. Do you see it?

You can take a walk via footpath to a lookout point above Hvitserkur so you are looking down upon it.

We did this before realising that there is also a well-marked footpath (going in the opposite direction from the carpark) that leads down to the beach. This walk took roughly 15 minutes.

Please do use the footpaths at this location as this is a popular spot for birds to nest and it’s important that they are not disturbed.

When the tide is out, I believe it is also possible to walk out to Hvitserkur.

The tide was in when we visited so we enjoyed watching the birds weave in and out of the gaps in the seastack and listening to the crashing sounds coming from the nearby waterfall.

Hvammstangi

We have been told this is a lovely location to stop for a bite to eat or a coffee. It’s also meant to be a hub for seals and other wildlife.

We stopped here but didn’t get out of the car as it is a village where lots of people were out walking and we were avoiding contact with others due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Visiting this trail and learning more about this part of Iceland’s history is absolutely worthwhile.

If you’ve read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, then visiting these location is an absolute must.

You may feel spooked or have visceral experiences like I did, but this only speaks to how alive with history these locations are.

I do hope that more travellers in Iceland will take the opportunity to learn more about this dark period in Iceland’s history. This trip was fascinating, insightful and full of mystery and intrigue.

Have you read Burial Rites? Can you imagine the history coming to life at these locations?