The Sjöundá Case: Part II
- Icelandic Roots
- Oct 24
- 6 min read
By Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir
One of the most famous murder cases in Iceland´s history is that of Bjarni Bjarnason and Steinunn Sveinsdóttir (I87649), who were sentenced to death in 1802 for killing their spouses while living as tenants on the farm Sjöundá in Rauðisandur, Western Iceland. Given its connection to this farm, it is commonly known as the “Sjöundá Case.”
Guðmundur Scheving´s misconduct
Right after the trial in Sauðlauksdalur in early November 1802, the belongings of Bjarni and Steinunn were put up for auction, as if they were already dead. This was customary for people who were executed according to the death penalty, but the truth is that their death sentence had not yet been accepted by the country’s highest court, Landsyfirréttur. In fact, this approval was not given until some months later.
The procedure required that the trial in Sauðlauksdalur be documented in writing, and a copy of it was sent to Landsyfirréttur around the New Year in 1802–1803 for final acceptance. Oddly enough, a comparison made in 2024 of the original trial books from Sauðlauksdalur and the copy of it indicated that the version which was sent to Landsyfirréttur was largely altered and faked. At a minimum, basic facts contained in the original report were modified. It is easy to get the impression that the appointed sheriff, Guðmundur, altered the facts to make sure that the case was successfully closed. In addition, he might have wanted to ensure that he would be appointed as the sheriff of Barðastrandarsýsla after his grandfather left the position, and this did happen in 1806. The true motivation for falsifying the trial document is not known for certain.
Moreover, the auction of the property of the accused parties was still not enough for
the appointed sheriff Guðmundur Scheving. In November 1803, he sailed with his men from Hagi to the Sjöundá farm and stole whatever else was left there: a boat and tools,
valuable timber, and whalebones from the houses. This is known because he was then
prosecuted for this act by the owner of Sjöundá, Madame Arnfríður in Saurbær. Next,
Guðmundur was also ordered to pay fines and penalties for his other misconduct, notably the delay of the trial, but this did not affect the decision later to appoint him as the sheriff of Barðastrandarsýsla.
As was previously mentioned, no one investigated the sheriff appointed to the case, Guðmundur. He was never asked why he failed to examine the key facts. In addition, no one, including Guðmundur, ever questioned how or why the body of Jon could drift “up” on Bjarnanes, as the locals there know that nothing can drift up there from the shore. All objects coming in from the sea end up on the front of the sandy beach of Bæjarvaðall, not “above” on Bjarnanes. Thus, the corpse must have ended up there some other way. Next, why the corpse did not rot more than it appears to have done during half a year floating in the sea is also odd. Another strange thing is that Jón was dressed in his best clothes when, as explained below, he was thought to have been doing farmwork when he disappeared. Jón wore a dress shirt with silver buttons, from which he was recognized, but according to the auction of his belongings, he owned more casual shirts for farming and working.
According to the trial record, Jón is said to have been on his way to Skor to get hay for
the sheep when Bjarni killed him with his staff. Locals claim that you do not go to Skor to get hay, because the cliffs there – Skorarhlíðar – are deadly steep. You would only go there by the sea on a boat. We know that there was a boat at Sjöundá – notably the one that the appointed sheriff Guðmundur stole. And to bring back hay by carrying it and walking from Skor is something that those who know the area, would never do. It is impossible. The question is thus: was Jón really going to Skor to get hay, dressed in his best clothes? Bjarni was nevertheless, forced to accept and confess this during the trial. The farmers who inspected Jón's corpse likely decided either not to oppose or challenge these facts or mention these strange things at all. As poor farmers, their vulnerability to the authorities is obvious.
The corpse must have ended up on Bjarnanes from the other direction, rather than by the sea. For instance, the walking path from Rauðisandur to Sauðlauksdalur lies through
Bjarngötudalur above Bjarnanes. This is a dangerous path to walk, where you need to pass a canyon before entering onto the heath leading to Patreksfjörður. We also know that the spring and summer of 1802, when Jón disappeared, were some of the worst for centuries in terms of snow and ice still around even in summer. The fields did not get green until late summer, and the snow stayed intact in the mountains until late autumn or the year after. After having a closer look at this all, it seems like Jón were dressed up to meet someone in authority (likely upper class), such as the priest in Sauðlauksdalur, perhaps to demand a divorce from Steinunn. We can recall that the situation at Sjöundá was bad, and Jón may have felt forced to leave Steinunn.
It is more likely that Jón had fallen in the Bjarngötudalur's canyon on his way to
Sauðlauksdalur on April 1st, 1802. Approximately six months later, the river in the canyon delivered his corpse down to Bjarnanes, below the canyon. Jón's corpse may have been preserved in the snowy hills until then, preventing the corpse from rotting more than it did. As noted above, only fingers and toes were missing, but these are body parts that could have been sticking out of the snow in the canyon and exposed to the air. The evidence indicates that, at a minimum, the corpse ended on Bjarnanes from that direction of the canyon, but not from Skor or the sea below the Bæjarvaðall.
In summary, Bjarni was forced to admit to killing Jón. He was also forced to admit
killing his wife, Guðrún. Steinunn was similarly forced to admit, by confession, that she was an accomplice of Bjarni during the summer of 1802. These confessions were obtained after weeks of torture at the hands of state and church authorities. To sentence Steinunn to death for involvement, unverified, is also highly doubtful and unjust. Based on the facts, there was nothing actually to accuse her of, except perhaps for the highly questionable involvement and rumours of her affair with Bjarni. There are, furthermore, strong reasons for doubting Bjarni´s confession because the course of events does not make sense at all. No evidence was found in the case, only the corpses of two persons who seem to have died of causes other than murder. Guðrún had been sick for some time already when she passed away, and the unverified confession of Bjarni to Jón’s murder makes the additional confession of causing Guðrún’s death in the same manner highly skeptical.
On June 5, 2025, there was a conference in Reykjavik held at the National Museum in
which I presented the above inconsistencies in the case. I was joined by Hinrik Ólafsson, an actor and tour guide in Reykjavík, who performed dramatic readings from the 1915 articles regarding the exhumation of Steinunn Sveinsdóttir’s body from a potter’s field near the present-day Hallgrímskirkja, and her subsequent burial in the Hólavellir cemetery.
Gunnlaugur Auðunn Júlíusson, a guide in Iceland from the Sjöndá region, also presented a fascinating photographic review of the terrain and area around Rauðisandur, supporting the above facts with detailed explanations of the physical geography of the area. In attendance were several descendants of Steinunn of Sjöndá (and her husband, Jón) from the USA (Icelandic Roots members Patricia Kane, Margaret Kane and Katherine Kane, all sisters whose mother, Kristbjörg Hallgrímsdoóttir, was born in Patreksfjörður). Along with other descendants and people in attendance, the group walked over to Hólavellir cemetery, where a new grave marker had been placed by the Icelandic descendants attesting to the final resting place of Steinunn and acknowledging her relationship to Bjarni and their child. Sand from Rauðisandur was sprinkled on the grave by the descendants present, and some further discussion was held at the gravesite. Patricia Kane, and her sisters, all agreed that this was a moving tribute and meaningful effort to correct the injustices most likely endured by both Steinunn and Bjarni of Sjöndá after 220 years. They appreciated the efforts to set the record straight, and it was my sincere pleasure to meet them and help reveal the more likely events of “Sjöndá Case”.
Read more
Kristjánsdóttir, Steinunn. Dauðadómurinn: Bjarni Bjarnason frá Sjöundá 1761–1805. 2024: Háskólaútgáfan
“'Steinunn á Sjöundá' Gets Tombstone After 200-Year Wait" (01 Sep 2012) in Iceland Review. Retrieved from https://www.icelandreview.com/news/steinunn-a-sjounda-gets-tombstone-after-200-year-wait/?srsltid=AfmBOoo5xx2L93qtWXOsAk2mzsseO1u47nZ4LYxZeJBhjjGmG3i_L-cN
"Were the Murders Not Committed?" (08 Jun 2025) in Iceland Review. Retrieved from https://www.icelandreview.com/news/were-the-murders-not-committed/?srsltid=AfmBOoqOvk5B059ftLthz_1VYSkDkeDZQGwqi4LzeB8Ms8ikbkAmKvjU
"100 People Revisit an Old Historical Murder" (12 May 2022) in Iceland Monitor. Retrieved from https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/culture_and_living/2022/05/13/100_people_revisit_an_old_historical_murder/
Death Sentence—Book Presentation in Davíðshús in The Offical Travel Guide to Akureyri. Retrieved from
"This Day In Icelandic History: Murder Duo Bjarni And Steinunn Get Sentenced To Death" (02 May 2018) in Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved from