I know this seems like a really random topic but I have been fascinated by this story ever since I learned about Björn Pétursson (Axlar-Björn) some months ago. The Iceland we know of today has been ranked as one the most peaceful countries in the world since the Global Peace Index was launched 13 years ago. However, this country definitely has had some gruesome murders in its past. Many of those murders were linked to disputes, such as those in some of the Sagas. Björn was an exception.

It is important to point out that even though Björn Pétursson was a real person that was a convicted serial killer, the many sources that recount his life and murders sometimes conflict. They are also considered to have some elements of folklore weaved in, so just keep that in mind as I go through this episode. 

Warning about the content – not suitable for young children or those who feel uneasy hearing about the details of a gruesome murder.

Was Axlar-Björn Destined to be a Serial Killer?

While there are many reasons why a person might become a serial killer, it seems that Björn was destined to be so before he was even born. Björn’s parents, Pétur and Sigríður, lived on the stunning Snæfellnes peninsula back in the 16th century. His father worked as a ploughman for a Ormur, a man who owned the farm Knörr. Pétur and Sigríður already had two children before  Sigríður became pregnant with Björn. During her pregnancy, she had nightmares and craved the test of human blood.

I’ve never been pregnant but I think it is safe to assume that craving human blood is not normal. What is even more interesting about this story is that her husband Pétur wanted to appease his wife so he offered her to drink his blood to satisfy her craving. While that did do the trick, Sigríður was getting a very uneasy feeling. At some point she confessed to a female farmhand that she believes that the child she is carrying will be some kind of monster. 

Björn was born in 1555 and he seemed like a pretty normal kid. At the age of four, his parents sent him to live with Ormur. Pétur and Ormur were good friends and because Ormur had a lot of money and influence, it seemed like a good opportunity for Björn to live with him. During those times it was common practice to have your child fostered by wealthier people because it can be difficult for a less fortunate family to feed and take care of all of their children. Björn adjusted to his new home and even became buddies with Guðmundur, Ormur’s son.

A Dream that Changed His Life Forever

It wasn’t until Björn was a teenager that the monster inside of him started to bubble to the surface. Like some teens, he developed a bad temper and was quite closed off. However, a turning point for him is when he missed mass one Sunday and fell asleep. During his dream, a man offered him a plate with pieces of raw meat. Without hesitation, he scarfed down the meat pieces. He only became nauseous after the eighteenth bite! This mysterious man in his dream then told him to go Mount Axlarhyrna because there Björn will find an instrument waiting for him. The man added that this instrument will serve him well in the years to come.

At his first opportunity, Björn went to the top of the mountain and there he found an ax. Not long after this, a young boy who worked as a farmhand at Knörr, the same farm in which Björn was born, disappeared. Years later, Björn confessed to killing the boy with the axe and burying him in a big pile of manure.  Björn would go on to use the ax to kill many of his victims, who were mostly travellers or farmhands looking for work.

Protection from a Wealthy Friend

Ormur, the wealthy farmer, eventually passed away and left everything to his son Guðmundur. Guðmundur became even wealthier than his father and he decided to build Björn, who was pretty much his brother, a farm in an area called Öxl. Because the Icelandic language has four cases to decline words, the place Öxl, when in the genitive form, turns into Axlar. When Icelanders talk about Björn, they normally say Axlar-Björn and I will continue to use that throughout the episode. 

Axlar-Björn ended up marrying Þórdís and they settled into living on the farm, which had a stunning view. The beauty of the farm’s placement on Snæfellsnes Peninsula is probably what attracted travelers and farmhands to it. 

There was suspicion from locals that lived in the area that Axlar-Björn might be responsible for the disappearances of travelers. It was believed that in addition to killing people, Axlar-Björn and his wife were stealing the belongings of those they murdered. Horses and other valuables that they couldn’t afford kept popping up in their possession. The only thing keeping people from taking the allegations further is that Axlar-Björn was being protected by his wealthy friend Guðmundur. 

Axlar-Björn was Finally Brought to Justice

While the sources vary on the number, it seems safe to say that he brutally murdered between 9 and 18 people before being brought to justice. It is said that he chopped up the bodies and buried them on the farm. What led to Axlar-Björn’s arrest is still a bit of a mystery because the sources do not agree.

Some claim that his lavish lifestyle and the disappearance of travelers in the region didn’t add up. His neighbors finally decided to contact authorities. Another source claims that a much more gruesome tale brought him down. In 1596, a woman and her three children arrived at the farm because they needed shelter. Axlar-Björn is said to have lured the children away one by one and killed them. The frightened mother hid and was able to run away to let authorities know about what happened to her kids.

After being arrested, Axlar-Björn confessed to killing nine people. However, authorities found more bodies than that when they searched his property. In a twisted lie, Axlar-Björn claimed that he had found the bodies there. Instead of contacting authorities, he decided to bury them in a certain spot. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t believed. I guess he didn’t want to face the charges alone, so he named his wife Þórdís as an accessory to the crimes. In an interesting twist to the story, she happened to be pregnant with their child at the time they were caught. 

A Gruesome Execution

The both of them were found guilty and were sentenced to death in 1596 at Laugarbrekka. Just as Axlar-Björn’s murders were horrible, so was his execution. One account says that the executioner used a sledgehammer to shatter his limbs while he was still alive. Following that, his limbs and head were cut off and strung to poles. His wife had a front row seat to his death. At one point, his privates were cut off and tossed into his wife’s lap. 

People were so afraid that his ghost might come back to hunt them. So, they took the pieces of his body and buried them under three different cairns. Ordinarily, a cairn is a pile of rocks used to mark a path for travelers as they journeyed around the country and not for burying bodies. 

Did Axlar-Björn Have a Criminal Gene?

Þórdís was supposed to be executed too, but it seems that she was allowed to live because she was pregnant. She ended up giving birth to their son later that year and named him Sveinn skotti Björnsson. I don’t know if it is nature, nurture or both that resulted in their son being a criminal later in life. Regardless, he was hanged to death in 1648 after being found guilty of rape. Before Sveinn died he had a son named Gísli hrókur Sveinsson, and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Gísli was also hanged for his crimes in Dyrhólaey. Sounds like quite the family.

Random Fact of the Episode

One surprising thing I found out is that there is still a farm called Öxl on Snæfellsnes Peninsula . It is on the same spot where the murders took place so many centuries ago. I don’t know if it is open to the public to visit but you can drive by there during a visit. One place you can definitely go is the last remaining cairn where pieces of Axlar-Björn were buried. If you park by Hellnavegur road, you will see  the cairn nearby. Kind of creepy but also quite fascinating.

Icelandic word of the episode

Axlar Björn = Shoulder bear

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