Eldfell — The Night Heimaey Burned

Heimaey, Westman Islands, Iceland

At 1:55am on January 23, 1973, a fissure opened in the earth 200 metres from the last house in Heimaey town. Five thousand people had three hours to evacuate by boat. Some say a figure stood in the lava flow directing the evacuation — a figure no one could account for afterward.

The 1973 eruption of Eldfell on the island of Heimaey in the Westman Islands began without warning at 1:55 in the morning. A fissure two kilometres long opened and began pouring lava toward the eastern quarter of the town. The entire population of the island — approximately 5,300 people — had to be evacuated by fishing boat across the rough winter sea to the mainland. The evacuation was a near-miracle of logistics: the fishing fleet happened to be in harbour that night — it had been too rough to sail the previous evening — and every available boat was pressed into service. By morning, the town was empty. The eruption continued for five months. Lava buried the eastern third of Heimaey town. The local cinema disappeared. The church was buried to its eaves. The harbour, threatened by the advancing flow, was saved by an unprecedented effort: seawater pumped onto the lava front to cool and solidify it, deflecting the flow. It was the first time in history that a volcanic eruption had been steered. Among the accounts collected after the eruption, several from different evacuees describe a figure they saw on the road leading to the harbour — a tall man, lit from behind by the glow of the lava, who directed people to the correct boat without speaking. Several evacuees said they had followed him when they could not see in the smoke and darkness. No one could say who he was. The figure did not appear in the boats and was not among the evacuated. The name given to him in the local tradition afterward is Guðmundur — a common Icelandic name, and also the name of a local saint whose protection of fishing boats was already in the tradition. No one insists on the identification. They simply note that whoever it was, the harbour was not missed.

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Folklore Disclaimer: These accounts are drawn from local tradition, oral history, and community memory. They are not presented as factual claims.

Location accuracy: Approximate. Coordinates indicate the general area.