In the 19th century, one of Iceland’s greatest strong independent women, Þuríður formaður lived in Stokkseyri. Formaður was what we call a ship’s captain in modern language. Þuríður worked at sea until 1843, when she returned to the shore at 66 years old. She was born in a neighbouring town Eyrarbakki in 1777, which was at the time one of the biggest trading places in the country. In 1949, Þuríðarbúð was rebuilt, near the place where the old Þuríðarbúð used to stand. It was not common at the time, and in fact still isn’t, that women worked out at sea, let alone be captains.
Today, Stokkseyri is one of these hidden gems. There, the present and the past meet in a wonderful mix by the beautiful south coast. Today, 521 people live in Stokkseyri, but the town gets its name from beams that were used for sitting in the olden days, which the settler Hásteinn Atlason, son of Earl Atli the Slender, threw overboard in 899, and lead them to land where Stokkseyri is now. He settled there.
Photographs & text: Páll Stefánsson
Stokkseyri 17/07/2023 : A7R IV, A7C : FE 1.2/50mm GM, FE 1.8/20mm G
