Stekkjargjá (Dead Man Walking)

Dead man walking
During the time of the Old Commonwealth (930-1262) executive powers in Iceland were very limited. At the Alþingi (national assembly) at Þingvellir, laws were enacted, and cases were tried in accord with those laws, but verdicts had to be enforced by individuals.In minor cases, fines were imposed, while
graver cases entailed exile for three years or even lifelong outlawry. If a convicted person flouted the verdict and turned up where he was not allowed to be, he might be killed by the family of his victim: such cases of vengeance are common in the Sagas of Icelanders.After the Icelanders submitted to be ruled by
the King of Norway in 1262, legal codes provided for punishments to be implemented by royal officials, at Alpingi and regional assemblies.Punishments and placenámes
Many placenames at Þingvellir are reminders of the harsh punishments inflicted here. Women were drowned in Drekkingarhylur (the Drowning Pool), men were beheaded on Höggstokkseyri (Execution Block Spit), which may have been on an islet in the Öxará river. Kagahólmi (Scourge Islet) is probably where offenders were flogged, while Brennugjá (Fire Gorge), to the west of Flosagjá, derives its name from the burning of alleged wizards and witches in the witch-hunts of the late 17th century.Gálgaklettur (Gallows Rock)
Hanging was the penalty for theft. The rift
Stekkjargja is believed to have been the site of the hangings.As follows did Einar S. Einarsen priest at
Þingvellir 1822-1828 Gálgaklettur.
"The gallow ... was between two independent
rocks that were called Gálgaklettar (Gallows Rock) in Almannagjá, east of the road that lies along the gorge toward Langistígur. I don't think that there was space for more than one each time but it is possible that two were able to hang in a row. There [Gálgaklettar] human bones were found and quite near my time a leg bone was found."Seventy-two people are known with certainty
have been executed at Þingvellir from 1602 to 1750: 30 males were beheaded, 9 burned
to at the stake and 18 women were drowned in Drekkingarhylur. Here in Stekkjargja 15 men
were hanged.Source: Local signage

Enter the era of the Old Commonwealth. During this era, government power in Iceland was not like it is today. The Alþingi, the National Assembly, met here in Þingvellir, passed laws and tried cases. But the implementation of a judgment? That was in the hands of individuals. Imagine: your fate, which lay in the hands of your neighbors.Imagine the tension of the congregation when punishments were imposed. Some sentences were as simple as fines for minor offenses. But more serious offenses could be punished with a three-year banishment or even lifelong banishment. If an exile did not follow these rules and returned to areas from which he had been exiled, then he became a "dead man on foot" because revenge could be taken by the victim's survivors.And then the place names – they are a direct echo of this cruel time. At Drekkingarhylur, the drowning pool, you can almost hear the desperate splashing and sobbing of the condemned women. Höggstokkseyri, the execution block spit, evokes images of men being beheaded in front of a gathered crowd. Kagahólmi, Scourge Island, still bears the echoes of the screams of those who were whipped here. And at Brennugjá, the Gorge of Fire, you can almost smell the smoke rising into the cold air, a remnant of witch hunts in which suspected sorcerers and witches were burned.But despite these dark stories and memories, Þingvellir is today a place of reflection and beauty. A place where you can feel the connection between history, culture and nature. A place that reminds you how far Iceland has come and the stories that linger in its heart. It is a place you simply have to experience on your trip to Iceland.

Stekkjargja, also known as “Dead Man Walking”, is a historic site in Þingvellir National Park. During the time of the Old Commonwealth (930-1262), executive powers in Iceland were very limited. In serious cases, punishments such as banishment for three years or even banishment for life were imposed. If a convicted person ignored the verdict and showed up where he was not supposed to be, he could be killed by his victim's family. Stekkjargja is believed to have been the place where the hangings took place. Here in Stekkjargja 15 men were hanged.