Gálgaás

Gálgaás is an old execution place in Egilsstaðir. The cliff Gálgaás, just east of Egilsstaðir Church, may seem unimposing, yet it has been the location of many a lugubrious destiny in centuries past. The most renowned person to lose his life at Gálgaás was a farmer named Valtýr, living at Eyjólfsstaðir some 10 km southwards. He was hanged in the wake of being tried for theft and murder, accusations which he steadfastly denied. Fourteen years later, the real murderer was unmasked by mere chance - also named Valtýr und suffered the same fate as his innocent namesake. Both skeletons were left lying below the cliff, which now bears a bronze plate commemorating these events.