 The skrýimli (monster) was seen at the lake in 1749–1750, and the media have reported sightings into the 20th and 21st century, including a 2012 video supposedly showing the creature swimming.According to the folktale published in Jón Árnason's collection (1862), a "heath worm" (type of slug) kept with gold grew into a monster inhabiting the lake.Similar "heath worm" stories are attached to several other Icelandic bodies of water.