The Haffjarðará river is cited in Grettis saga, the story of Grettir the Strong, an Icelandic outlaw.

Gisli ran off and swam across the river reaching a farm in the evening where he lay for a week recovering.

Subsequently Ólafur felt not fit enough to run for parliament for the Independence Party later the same year.

In 1918–1920 Thor built two houses on the river next to the main road: a fishing lodge and service quarters.

Further up the river Thor builds a summer house for himself and the family near the waterfall and the Kvörn [ˈkʰvœ(r)tn̥] fishing pool.