Selárdalur, a church and former parsonage, often mentioned in history. Birthplace of the poet Jón Þorláksson (1744–1899). The most famous pastor there was Páll Björnsson (1621–1706), known as a great scholar but as well; of witchcraft persecution. He was the nephew of Arngrímur the learned and was one of the best educated Icelanders of the 17th century leaving behind many manuscripts. In the winter of 1699 the people of Selárdalur were allegedly targeted by witchcraft. The wife of the Rev. Páll was the principal sufferer and as a result, two men were burned at the stake. Páll was a good speaker and an unusually good linguist e.g. writing verses in Greek. According to a legend, from Páll’s time a black sailed schooner was seen off the coast of Selárdalur. People feared that pirates were on board. The pastor went out to the vessel and spoke to the crew in some eastern language and warned them that the district was full of witches. The result was that they exchanged gifts with him and went away. He was an excellent mathematician and studied Oriental mysticism. He was the first Icelander to have built a full decked fishing boat.