Geirfuglasker

It was volcanic rock with steep sides except for two landing places.

The rough surf around the island usually made it inaccessible to humans, and one of the last refuges for the flightless bird the great auk (which was also called "garefowl" — "geirfugl" in Icelandic).

The surviving great auks moved to a nearby island called Eldey and were wiped out by humans in 1840.

[1] Another island named Geirfuglasker is east of Surtsey in the Vestmannaeyjar.

It, and the fate of the great auk, is mentioned (spelled "Gairfowlskerry") in The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby by Charles Kingsley.