Statues - Hither & Thither

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Búðardalur

Leifur Eiríksson

Statue of Leif Eriksson

Nína Sæmundsson
2000 (1930)

Description

Small bronze statue of Leifur standing on the bow of a ship by the Icelandic sculptor Nína Sæmundsson (1892-1965) near the birth place of Leifur in Eiríksstaðir at Haukadalur near Búðardalur.

Inscription(s)

Front:

LEIFUR
EIRÍKSSON

Back:

NINA SÆMUNDSSON
1930

DALABYGGÐ
2000

Annotation

This statue received the second prize in a competition held in 1930 in the USA on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Iceland's parliament, the Alþing. The first prize was won by Stirling Calder, his statue is in Reykjavik.

Eiríkur raudi Þorvaldsson lived in Haukadalur valley in Dalasýsla, at a farm called Eiríksstaðir. There he married Þjódhildur, daughter of a local farmer, and in AD 984-5 they pioneered the settlement of Greenland. His son Leifur Eiríksson was born in Eiríksstaðir around 980.

The Leifur Eiríksson Heritage Project built for the 1,000th anniversary of the discovery of America, a reconstruction of Eiríksstaðir, the Eiríksstaðir-The Leif Eriksson Museum.
In the foreground the location of the original farm. Lower on the slope the reconstructed house.

Helga and Þorgrimur act as guides for the tourists at Eiríksstaðir
Peter van der Krogt in Viking costume (a tourist trap?)

Sculptor

Nína Sæmundsson

Sources & Information

Photos: Peter van der Krogt, 10 June 2003.

Locatie (N 65°3'31" - W 21°32'36") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: is003; Photograph: 10 June 2003
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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