Photos

These are the Londrangar rocks, next to the Malariff Lighthouse, near Hellnar, in Snaefellsness Peninsula, western Iceland.
Icelandic culture and legends explains these rocks are trolls, surprised and petrified by the sun in early morning. JRR Tolkien kept this folklore in his Middle Earth world. For the scientific explanation I quote Wikipedia :

"The geology of Snæfellsnes Peninsula is diverse with formations from almost every era of Iceland’s past. The more prominent formations in and around the National Park mainly date from geologically “modern” times back to the last ice age. The hills to the north of the glacier, around Bárðarkista, are of volcanic palagonite tuff, formed during eruptions under the glacier or below the surface of the sea. Svalþúfa is most likely the eastern section of a crater that erupted under the sea, while Lóndrangar is a volcanic plug."

Voici les rochers de Londrangar, au bout de la péninsule du Snaefellsness, au pied du volcan Snaefellsjökull, près du phare de Malariff et du village d'Hellnar. Ces pitons de basalte sont, selon les légendes locales, des trolls pétrifiés au petit matin par le soleil. JRR Tolkien a gardé cette idée dans son monde de la Terre du Milieu.