Arctic Henge: Iceland's modern neolithic Monument

Imagine you are driving in the remote northern region of Iceland. You are near the northernmost point of the island when you come across what looks like a stone circle. Is this the Icelandic answer to Stonehenge? If you think so, you are not alone. This is the Arctic Henge.

The Arctic Henge is located in Raufarhöfn, one of the northernmost and most remote villages in Iceland; it is as close to the Arctic Circle as you can come on mainland Iceland, which lies just off the coast of this village.

Arctic Henge, or Heimskautsgerðið in Icelandic, is an ongoing project by Erlingur Thoroddsen, who wanted to use endless vistas and the midnight sun to draw people to this remote village. His idea was to incorporate Viking history, Norse mythology and Iceland’s fascination with dwarves and elves into a neolithic monument. Through all of this would also run the Bifrost, a fiery, rainbow bridge in Norse mythology that connects Midgard (Earth) to Asgard (the realm of the gods), guarded by the god Heimdal.

The Bifrost would connect various elements, such as the dwarves from the old sagas, by connecting them via the meaning of their names with seasons, allowing each to be represented by a different week in a cirlce around the henge. Other allusions to mythology and folklore were also added and the troject’s idea was finalised in 2004.

Construction began shortly after but the financial crisis in 2008 put a halt to the project, at least temporarily. The artist and his backers then focused on creating infrastructure for the project but work was stopped again through lack of funding and the COVID pandemic. A project that was supposed to take only a couple of years to finish has now been ongoing for over 20 years.

Due to its remote location, it is difficult to get to the Arctic Henge and Raufarhöfn. Driving from Reykjavik takes over 8 hours, although you can also take a domestic flight to Akureyri, which then takes 2.5 hours. From Reykjavik and/or Akureyri, continue towards the northeast on Route 1, turning onto Route 85 just past Ljósavatn and then onto Route 870 to reach the village.