Who was Bænadikt?
A tribute to the late sheriff of Sandur
Bænadikt í Skála Jonsen was the sheriff in Sandi from 1588 – 1599. Close to Gróthúsvatn is a pond named Bænadiktspond.Here Bænadikt once caucht a giant eel. It was an impressive catch because both ends reached his feet when Bænadikt hanged the eel across his neck.
As you would expect, Bænadikt was incredibly proud of his achievement. Therefore, he decided to walk around the village with the eel over his neck as a trophy.
Now, Bænbadikt was a self-publicist, so anyone he met on his way would get the whole story about his impressive catch. It was a beautiful sunny day, and because Bænadikt was so occupied bragging about his successful catch, he forgot all about time and place.
When he finally sat down on a bench to rest, he realised how warm he was and noticed that his skin was aching around the neck where the eel had been hanging all day.
We don't know if the sharp fish scales and the heat made his skin sore, but Bænadikt ended up with a gangrene wound, which caused his death.