Tales of Selkolla are noted for combining Christian ideas with concepts found in Scandinavian non-Christian traditions.
This devil walked about as boldly by day as by night, for which reason this midday-devil was called Selkolla in the district".
No-one wants to be near the farmer to provide him with any solace, "except for one diligent kinsman of his, who lies beside him until Selkolla overcomes him in the night and bursts out his eyes".
He decides to stay at the farm which Selkolla is afflicting, and once he has gone to bed for the night he sees that a woman "takes him by surprise" and tries to pull off his shoes, which his servants have forgotten to do.
Guðmundur realises immediately who it is and drives Selkolla away with the words "far niðr, fjandi, ok gakk ei framarr!"
Ok urðu þar margir hlutir, þeir er frásagnar væri verðir, ok jarteignum þótti gegna, þó þat sé eigi ritað í þessa bók; bæði þat er biskup átti við flagð þat, er þeir kölluðu Sel-kollu, ok mart annat.The Bishop travels for the summer across the Westfjords; but during the winter he was in Breiðabólsstaður in Steingrímsfjörður with Bergþór Jónsson.
[10] Supposedly, the stone where the child who became Selkolla was laid is to be found not too far from Hólmavík, and features in tourism marketing in the area.