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Background

Hafthor is a Grindevik native, one of the only residents who has lived there for over 50 years. He’s an expert on volcanoes and loves sharing his unique knowledge of Iceland’s lava flows. This is his story:

Dailey Life

After the devastation and lava flow from the 2023 eruption in Grindevik, Havthor was relocated for a few years in Selfoss. Yet he always wanted to return home, despite the danger and the lack of grocery stores or basic necessities.

His knowledge of the history of volcanic eruptions in Iceland goes back hundreds of years. He can name each eruption and has stories from the fallout and results of each experience. There are several eruptions on Iceland most years, so his expertise is quite extensive. One story he told of the Icelandic puffins that suffered from one eruption so that the baby puffins weren’t able to navigate to the sea. Instead the fell out of the sky and were picked up by local children in the town and carefully placed in boxes and then hand delivered out to sea, because of the volcanic ash that was blocking their flight patterns.

His name meaning Thor of the sea, is quite fitting for his level of experience, both with as a fisherman and as a volcano guide. He can navigate lava fields that have been cooling for 5 to 10 years, and find the steam vents hot enough to cook food over. He is lucky to be back in his hometown of Grindevik, after the fissures that ripped through the town are slowly being filled. He called the event a once in every 2000 years type scene, and considers himself lucky to be back home, when more than 90% of the town has not returned.

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His Perspective

Hafthor believes life’s memories and experiences are meant to be shared. It’s a rare moment that he is not explaining insights into some life changing experience where he gained a new and unique perspective on life. With a near death experience while out on a volcano tour one day, where the tourists who were doctors essentially saved his life, he has gained new appreciation for the fragility of life. He had suffered internal bleeding in his head, and after the cat scan the doctors are surprised he’s alive, let alone back hiking up the volcanoes in the area. Yet he wastes no time focusing on what he loves, grateful for every day he has left!

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