Iceland has about 130 volcanoes and about 30 active volcanic systems. This is an image of one of the smallest volcanic systems in Iceland - Hrómundartindur (Hrómundars Peak). Squeezed between Þingvallavatn lake and Hengill volcano, this system has not erupted since early Holocene time about 11 000 years ago. System is about 25 km long and the central volcano is about 550 meters tall. At the foot of the volcano lies Ölkelduháls with numerous mud pools, fumaroles and warm springs. In 1994 scientists observed increased seismic activity and slow land uplift indicating magma flow into the roots of the volcanic system. It has been quiet for time being, but it's certainly still very active. In the bottom right corner of the image you can see Tjarnarhnúkur. It's a single slag crater and is the youngest in a series of mountain ridges around Hrómundartindur.
Hrómundartindur is named after viking berserker Hrómundr Gripsson. Hrómundr is said to have been the great-grandfather of Ingólfr Arnarson, the first settler and founder of Reykjavik. Hrómundr served under the Danish king Óláf, in his battles against the draugr Þráinn and the kings of Sweden. Þráinn was once a Gaulish king but became an undead draugr after he was buried, he carried the mighty sword Mistilteinn (Mistletoe) in his hand and with it he slaughtered an army of 420 people led by King Semingr of Sweden when they came to ransack his burial mound full of treasure. Óláf himself led his men to Þráinn's burial mound in order to take his treasure, but no one except for Hrómundr dared to enter. He engaged Þráinn in a battle that was long and fierce, but in the end he emerged victorious, defeating the powerful undead king with his bare hands, claiming Mistilteinn as his own sword before finally burning the corpse.
Images taken with Mavic 2 and Nikon D810.
