We are building a new website for the Njál’s Saga Tapestry Project of Iceland.
The Njál's Saga Tapestry Exhibition in Hvolsvöllur, Iceland
We are building a new website for the Njál’s Saga Tapestry Project of Iceland.
Apr 16, 2025 – A group of designers are preparing a permanent exhibition to open in the town of Hvolsvöllur, South Iceland. While we are working on the exhibition space we are able to show a shorter version of the Tapestry to the world, the Traveling Tapestry.
The Njál's Saga Tapestry is 90 metres long and is based on Njál's saga, also known as Saga of the Burning of Njál. It is the greatest of the Icelandic sagas, written in the late thirteenth century in Iceland. This is a family saga that revolves around friendship, feuds and battles, passion, power-struggle and vengeance, honor, shame and reconciliation.
A tapestry is a long and narrow textile intended to hang vertically on a wall. The Njál's Saga Tapestry was embroidered using methods of stitching that is often referred to as the Bayeux-stitch as it was used for the famous Bayeux Tapestry in France
The Njál’s Saga Tapestry was created and embroidered in Hvolsvöllur where most of the Saga takes place. It was founded by Christina M. Bengtsson, a history teacher and Gunnhildur Edda Kristjánsdóttir, a regional librarian. The images were drawn by award-winning artist Kristín Ragna Gunnarsdóttir. Then they got a remarkable idea and invited the world to join them and sew. Njál's Saga tapestry is embroidered in Hvolsvöllur by people of all ages from 150 countries and six continents, along with many local Icelanders. The log book that was kept records 12,518 entries of sewing sessions by thousands of people. The project took 7 years and seven months and the final stitch was taken in the autumn of 2020.
The Traveling Njál's Saga Tapestry
A few of the most dedicated women that worked on the Njál's saga tapestry continued to sew the Travelling Tapestry which is a 5 m long excerpt of the Saga.
A great supporter of the project, Claudia Pétursson will participate in more than 15 events and festivals in N-America starting end of April and throughout September 2025. She will speak at conferences, art centers and festivals and the traveling tapestry will be on display.
You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and support the project by using the following form: Icelandic Roots Donation Form.