From a distance, the Njálurefill, often called the Njál’s Saga Tapestry in English, appears as a single long band of textile art. Stretching over 91 metres, nearly the length of a football field, this narrative embroidery stitches together not just the story of Njáls saga but also the efforts of thousands who contributed their skills to its creation.
Embroidering a saga through community hands
The project began on 2 February 2013 in Hvolsvöllur, a town in southern Iceland closely tied to the events of the saga itself. Conceived by history teacher Christina M. Bengtsson and regional librarian Gunnhildur Edda Kristjánsdóttir, and designed in full by artist Kristín Ragna Gunnarsdóttir, the Njálurefill was always intended to be more than a display piece. It aimed to create a physical and social link to medieval storytelling and handicraft traditions.
Over seven years and seven months, the tapestry grew under countless hands. The embroidery room (refilstofa) at the Saga Centre in Hvolsvöllur became a creative hub. Regular local embroiderers moved the project along, guiding first-time stitchers and experienced guests alike. The logbook records 12,518 sewing sessions, representing participants from more than 150 countries. This did not mean over twelve thousand people, many returned repeatedly, but shows the global reach of the project. Children, adults, residents and travellers all sewed side by side, each adding a piece to the unfolding story.
The resulting 50-centimetre-high band forms a pictorial retelling of Njáls saga (also known as The Story of Burnt Njáll), a thirteenth-century Icelandic prose epic. The embroidery follows the saga’s central households through alliances, violence, legal strife and reconciliation, mimicking the flow of medieval textiles that blend image and inscription across space. Short written passages punctuate scenes as the thread carries viewers from battlefields to Icelandic farmhouses, all set within the landscapes of South Iceland.
Icelandic technique meets international inspiration
Njálurefill was created using refilsaumur, a technique common to Icelandic laid-and-couched embroidery. Thick strands of specially spun Icelandic wool, most of it hand-dyed with native plants, are laid over printed linen then secured with finer couching threads. Blue was the one exception in the tapestry’s palette, as Iceland lacked the right dye plant for that colour.
Although the Njálurefill and the Bayeux Tapestry are called tapestries, both are technically embroideries, with images stitched onto existing cloth rather than woven on a loom. The Bayeux Tapestry, an 11th-century narrative work from Normandy, directly inspired the Njálurefill’s format and stitching style. There are differences in scale, the Njálurefill is longer than Bayeux’s 68 metres, but both pair pictures and words to advance complex stories.
Iceland’s own textile past includes at least fifteen surviving examples of laid-and-couched works, dating back to the 14th century. Most were used as church decorations. The Njálurefill project built on this heritage by restoring the tradition to public, collective use. In 2014, the effort received South Iceland’s Education Prize for its achievements in education and community engagement. A travelling five-metre version, finished in 2024, was sent to venues in Canada and the United States, and a non-profit foundation now preserves and exhibits the full embroidery while plans for a dedicated display in Hvolsvöllur continue to develop.
In its final form, the Njálurefill is a testament to Icelandic creativity, communal effort and the enduring power of storytelling. Every stitch traces centuries of heritage, gathering the hands and voices of many into the ongoing history of Njáls saga and the sagas of those who made it.
