Saga Museum

The museum covers the early history of Iceland. It takes you on a tour of the early settlers that arrived in Iceland in the late 800s all the way up to the 1550s, when the Reformation put an end to the Catholic era in the island. This period is also more commonly known as “The Saga Age” in Iceland.

The tour consists of an automatic, audio-guided tour combined with silicone figures that depict scenes from the sagas that are being told in the audio-guide. Each scene depicted in the museum has a number from 1-17, which co-relates to one of the tracks on the audio-guide. During the tour, it is possible to touch the figurines, and visitors are encouraged to take pictures with the scenes and figures as long as this is done in a responsible manner.

At the end of the tour there is a short, silent movie playing in the entertainment area, which shows the making of the museum by owner and artist, Ernst Backman. Other than the movie, the entertainment space houses a dressing-up area where visitors can try on authentic clothing, mail shirts and hoods, helmets and swords (all metal), while children can play with wooden swords and shields. This area is also for people to enjoy a fun experience as well as to take pictures to remember the visit by.

Also in the museum there is a well-stocked gift shop that sells hand-crafted items, books, clothing, jewellery and souvenirs relating in some way to the Viking or Saga Age. A programme can also be purchased that recounts everything the visitor has just heard about on the tour. In the shop, some of Ernst Backman’s own work can be bought.