Ólafur Egilsson


Ólafur Egilsson was an Icelandic Lutheran minister. In 1627, he was abducted, along with his wife and two sons, by Barbary Pirates under the Ottoman Empire during their raid on Vestmannaeyjar. The raid is known in Icelandic history as Tyrkjaránið. He returned to Vestmannaeyjar in 1628 but his wife Ásta Þorsteinsdóttir did not return until 1637 and his sons never returned. He later wrote a memoir of his abduction and return, which was published both in Iceland and in Denmark.
Ólafur Egilsson and his wife Ásta Þorsteinsdóttir are major characters in the 2018 historical novel The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson.

Published work