Mikladalur
Ivana
After visiting the Kallur lighthouse the next station was a village from a fairytale, Mikladalur. A fairytale which is pretty seriously dark and grim, but a fairytale nevertheless.
According to the local legends, seals were believed to be humans who took their own lives by jumping into the ocean. They were allowed to return back to land once a year – they would shed the seal fur, dance and enjoy the company of their loved ones.
A young farmer once watched selkies, seal women, dancing near the coast of Mikladalur. He saw a beautiful selkie maiden and fell in love with her. To be able to make her stay on the ground and marry her, he stole her seal skin knowing she cannot return to the ocean at night and hid her fur in a locked chest. They got married, had children, and lived a happy life.
One day, he forgot the key at home. The selkie stole the key and ran away back to the ocean, leaving their children behind. She put the fire out and removed the sharp objects, to keep them safe until their father returned. The farmer was angry and upset, but tried to return to his everyday life.
The locals planned to hunt the seals in the nearby caverns. The selkie appeared in the farmer’s dreams, begging him not to kill the seals, mentioning a few particular ones – which were her husband and children. The farmer went against her will and killed them, including every seal he stumbled upon. Upon returning home, he decided to cook the remains of the seal father and flippers of young pups. The selkie returned as a large troll woman, angry and completely devastated. Screaming in the night, she cursed the men of Mikladalur to fall off the cliffs and drown in the amount that they can hold hands around Kalsoy island.
On the shores in Mikladalur there is a statue of a woman, removing seal skin from her body, hit by the waves, named Kópakonan. She is the number one reason why every tourist comes to Mikladalur.
The entire village around her is very scenic and I had a lot of fun exploring it. When I arrived, it was still drizzling. I realized in Mikladalur how much I love humidity. Cold humidity, not warm and damp. This is the weather of my dreams.
Later, the weather cleared up and everything started to glow. This is the finest example of how the weather changes and how it impacts such places. This means that I re-took the pictures of everything, just under a different light.
Just outside the village lies a small forest. The Faroe islands are often described as barren and tree-less, and it made me very happy when I found out that there are several tiny forest-”parks” through which is allowed to walk.
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I approached to the forest from the wrong side, where a wired fence was put up. I was under impression that coming inside is not possible, for whichever reason. Luckily, I found a tiny entrance, came in and went for a walk.
After Mikladalur, it was time to go further, to Husar and Syðradalur, to wait for the ferry to Klaksvik.
