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All Iceland The Eggs of Merry Bay

The Eggs of Merry Bay

These enlarged egg sculptures represent the native birds of eastern Iceland.

Iceland

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brazellrobert
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The Eggs of Merry Bay by Sigurð Guðmundsson.   Jennifer Boyer/CC BY-ND 2.0
The Eggs of Merry Bay by Sigurð Guðmundsson.   Jennifer Boyer/CC BY-ND 2.0
Eggin í Gleðivík (Eggs of Merry Bay) sculpture in Djúpivogur, Iceland.   Ira Goldstein/CC BY-SA 3.0
Signs describe the species of bird each sculpture represents.   brazellrobert / Atlas Obscura User
One of the egg sculptures.   brazellrobert / Atlas Obscura User
The egg sculptures.   brazellrobert / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Almost three dozen large, granite eggs line the road along the bay in Djúpivogur, Iceland, each perched atop its own slab of concrete. The Eggs of Merry Bay (Eggin í Gleðivík in Icelandic) are a tribute to the native birds of eastern Iceland.

In 2009, Icelandic artist Sigurður Guðmundsson created the 34 enormous eggs in honor of the 34 species of bird that nest within the area. Each stone specimen accurately depicts the shape, patterns, and colors of the individual bird egg it represents. The eggs, though differing slightly in appearance, are all close to the same size. Except, that is, for one. The sculpture honoring the red-throated diver, the official bird of Djúpivogur, is larger than the rest.

The eggs are all accompanied by a sign giving the bird's name (both genus and species) in Latin and its common name in Icelandic, making this beautiful piece of art a fun science lesson and linguistics exercise.

Related Tags

Birds Eggs Sculptures Art Animals
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Added By

brazellrobert

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe

  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

July 31, 2017

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Sources
  • https://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/regina/djupivogur-village-in-east-iceland-and-the-egg-sculptures-at-gledivik-bay
  • https://www.afar.com/places/djupivogur-djupivogur-5
  • https://beiceland.is/the-eggs-of-merry-bay
  • https://iceland.nordicvisitor.com/travel-guide/attractions/east-iceland/djupivogur/
  • http://www.myvisiteasticeland.is/item/djupivogur/
The Eggs of Merry Bay
Víkurland
Iceland
64.662966, -14.294833
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