Dverghamrar
{{Short description|Cliffs in Iceland}}
{{Infobox landform
| name = Dverghamrar
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| type = Columnar basalt cliffs
| photo = Dverghamrar Icleand.jpg
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| map = Iceland
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| map_caption = Location in Iceland
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| coordinates = {{coord|63|50|57.5|N|17|51|36.4|W|region:IS_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
{{cite journal
| last1=Hetényi
| first1=György
| last2=Taisne
| first2=Benoît
| last3=Garel
| first3=Fanny
| last4=Médard
| first4=Étienne
| last5=Bosshard
| first5=Sonja
| last6=Mattsson
| first6=Hannes B.
| title=Scales of columnar jointing in igneous rocks: Field measurements and controlling factors
| journal=Bulletin of Volcanology
| volume=74
| year=2012
| pages=457–482
| doi= 10.1007/s00445-011-0534-4
| hdl=20.500.11850/47354
| hdl-access=free
}}
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| location = South of Iceland
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| formed_by = Lava flow
| geology = Basalt and pyroclastic material
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| nickname = "Dwarf Cliffs"
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Dverghamrar (also known as "Dwarf Cliffs" or "Dwarf Rocks"){{cite book |last=Einarsson |first=Stefan |url=https://archive.org/details/icelandicgrammar0000stef |title=Icelandic: Grammar, Text and Glossary |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1949 |page=324 |access-date=10 January 2025}} is a geological formation in Southern Iceland, consisting of columnar jointing of volcanic rocks. The formation appears as vertical, hexagonal columns of varying heights. Situated off the Ring Road in the town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, the cliffs are a popular destination for tourists.{{cite book |last=Eriksson |first=Karin |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/100_Geosites_in_South_Iceland/P_AXAAAACAAJ?hl=en |title=100 Geosites in South Iceland |publisher=Pjaxi |year=2005 |isbn=9979783109 |location=Reykjavík |page=70 |access-date=10 January 2025}}
Geological features
Dverghamrar formed from a lava flow that cooled into columns. The bottom of the structure consists of a hexagonal pattern, while the upper part appears irregular in shape. Layers of solidified lava and volcanic ash deposited on the surroundings. The formation likely began during the Ice Age.{{Cite web |title=Dverghamrar |url=https://www.your-friends-in-iceland.com/activities/dverghamrar |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Your Friends in Iceland |language=en |quote=According to popular geological explanation, these cliffs were formed during the Ice Age when sea levels were higher.}}{{Cite web |date= |title=Dverghamrar |url=https://www.south.is/en/place/dverghamrar-dwarf-rocks#:~:text=Dverghamrar%20(Dwarf%20Rocks),%20just,sided%20formation%20of%20the%20columns. |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Visit South Iceland |language=en |quote=The landscape is thought to have been molded at the end of the Ice Age.}}
Folklore
The cliffs occupy a place in Icelandic mythology. A popular story involves a young girl, who, in 1904, heard singing while herding sheep there.{{Cite web |title=Dverghamrar Cliffs |url=https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/dverghamrar |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Guide to Iceland |language=en |quote=According to local myths and legends, dwarfs live within the Dverghamrar Cliffs — that’s why they’re known as the Dwarf Cliffs. A famous story about the area is that in 1904, a young girl living in a nearby farmhouse was walking near the Dverghamrar columns when she heard a sound coming from the rocks.}} The book Íslenskar Þjóðsögur og sagnir gives an account of the event:{{cite book |last1=Sigfússon |first1=Sigfús |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/%C3%8Dslenskar_%C3%BEj%C3%B3%C3%B0s%C3%B6gur_og_sagnir/GaQ5wgEACAAJ?hl=en |title=Íslenskar þjóðsögur og sagnir |last2=Halldórsson |first2=Óskar Ó. |last3=Helgason |first3=Grímur M. |last4=Grímsson |first4=Helgi |publisher=Bókaútgáfan Þjóðsaga |year=1982 |volume=1 |language=Icelandic}}
{{blockquote|She reported hearing a beautiful song. This stopped her in her tracks as she did not expect to encounter anyone there, and it did not seem to be someone she already knew. She said she then sat for a moment to listen to the song. It was the hymn "Faðir á himna hæð" ("Father in Heaven" in English) that was being sung. When she was certain she had identified it correctly, she returned home but said she could still hear it for a while behind her. However, when it was confirmed that no one had been there [at that time], some believed it was the dwarfs in the cliffs who had sung, and according to this account, they must have been Christian beings, part of the race of the high elves.}}
