Filmmaker explores folklore surrounding Hegranes road

Filmmaker Árni Gunnarsson’s documentary about strange events during road construction in Hegranes is screening at the Reykjavík International Film Festival, mbl.is reports.

The film, “Road 75 – Gríma’s curse,” looks back at work on the road across Hegranes in Skagafjörður in 1978. The broad, island-like stretch of land lies between the Western and Eastern Héraðsvötn rivers. Local people believe hidden beings live among its prominent cliffs and that their permission should be sought before construction disturbs the ground.

According to stories told in the film, construction went badly until an agreement was reached during a séance with Gríma, who was said to have lived in the area 500 years earlier. The agreement was that workers would not use explosives at Tröllaskarð, although that would have made it easier to route the road down over a blind crest. In return, assurances were given that serious accidents would be avoided there. The film recounts incidents in which crashes came close to causing harm, but no one was injured.

The documentary also examines incidents at the farm of Ríp. In the early 2000s, several lambs left their mothers, fell into a ditch and drowned. The farmers believed this happened because they had disturbed hidden beings by covering rocks with soil without permission.

Drilling for drinking water at Ríp in 2016 also ran into repeated problems: drill rods became stuck or broke, equipment failed, household appliances malfunctioned and a truck tipped onto its side. At the request of an elderly neighbour, a medium was contacted. The medium said the drilling was taking place in a dwelling and that the rig should be moved five metres west. After it was moved, the problems stopped, according to an account published by Morgunblaðið in July 2016.

Gunnarsson says the film features people with stories about hidden forces in Hegranes, as well as people who shared their experiences privately and did not want to appear in public.