Visiting the Weird & Unique Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik

Iceland is full of amazing, wondrous, and unique sights you won’t find anywhere else in the World. The land of fire and ice is famous for it’s natural beauty from erupting volcanoes to frozen glaciers. But perhaps the most unique thing to do in Iceland is visit the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik… a museum dedicated to, well, penises!!

Warning… this blog contains some graphic photos and videos of lots and lots of penises!!

Maybe not the eruption you were thinking of seeing when visiting Iceland, but the Icelandic Phallological Museum will certainly leave a lasting impression on you (it certainly did for us… read on to see what we mean!)

From field mice to reindeer, seals to whales, and even human(!), we see penises of all shapes and sizes on show at the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik.

Founded by Sigurður Hjartarson who was given a bull penis as a joke while teaching in the 1970’s, his personal collection has grown to be the largest (only??) collection of phalluses in the world, and you can see them all in their glory at the museum.

Each penis on display is accompanied by a drawing of the animal it’s from and some interesting info for you to read… their mating habits, penis size, and some (very) odd facts.

Here is a quick highlight reel of our visit...

Penis Displays at the Icelandic Phallological Museum Reykjavik

Deer Penis

We start with seeing the penises of different types of deer. We see Elk, Red deer, White-tailed deer, Roe deer, and even Reindeer (it wasn’t just Rudolph’s nose which shone red!!).

We read that Reindeer fast and mate constantly during their mating season, often leading to severe weight-loss and even heart-attacks… but their mating season only lasts for 10 days too. We would have thought they’d have more time given they only have to pull Santa’s sleigh one night per year!

And if you’re ever walking through the forest and see a figure of 8 marked on the ground… be careful! As a Roe deer is in heat and is chasing a doe!

Other Animals on Show

We move on from the fascinating (and slightly disturbing) Deer section, and see penises from field mice, horses, pigs, dogs, an elephant, and many many more.

The facts keep on coming and surprising us. Field mice have one of the highest mating frequencies in the world (maybe the saying should be ‘at it like mice’ rather than rabbits!).

People eat horse penis flavoured with salt, sage and other spices (reminds us of when we visited the Disgusting Food Museum in Malmö!).

Pigs have a spiral shaped penis and their orgasm can last 15-minutes.

St Bernard dogs get stuck together while mating due to their glands swelling.

And elephants mate for less than 30-seconds!

There are far too many other animals on show to mention them all, but a notable shout-out has to be made to the fierce and ferocious Polar Bear. Let’s just say a bear that big and scary, we expected would be slightly better endowed!

Whale Penis

How big do you think a Sperm Whale’s penis is? Bigger than Sneha, that’s how big!!

The giant penis is in a glass case in the middle of the museum, just in case you would have missed it had it been displayed on the wall as most other ones are. 

But you really couldn’t miss this one! Maybe not surprising given how big sperm whales are, but it is huge!!

Human Penis Donation at the Icelandic Phallological Museum Reykjavik

With all of these different species having their penises on show, it shouldn’t be surprising (but it still is) that there’s a human penis on show too.

We find out the back-story to this with a short video… it appears there was quite a competition to be the first human to donate their penis to the museum.

The first man to donate his penis was a well-known 95 year old Icelandic womaniser called Pall Arason, but the operation to remove it didn’t go quite as planned and looks like a shrivelled piece of skin rather than a penis (though we’re sure some women reading this will testify to that being an accurate depiction!).

Hjartarson’s search went on, with promises made by a German, an American and a Brit. The American, Tom Mitchell, seems particularly determined to donate his… bombarding the museum with letters and emails wanting to donate ‘Elmo: An American Penis’. Very very weird!! 

There is also a section of casts of famous people, mostly musicians, including a cast of Jimi Hendrix.

Penis Artwork

It seems that the Icelandic fascination with penises didn’t start with Sigurður Hjartarson (or is limited to Iceland either to be fair!).

We look around an art and popular culture section, and we see that Viking Saga’s made reference to (and fun of) outlaw’s penises. And we see art, sculptures from around the world.

Troll & Mythical Penis

After having seen close to 300 different penises, we don’t think anything can surprise us as we head for the last section of the museum.

But this is perhaps the weirdest section of all… Icelandic mythical beings! Trolls (this one makes us feel sick!), Elves (invisible except to only a select few females), mountain giants (very stony), and a Yule Lad (good girth) amongst others. 

Is the Icelandic Phallological Museum Worth Visiting?

If you’re looking for something unique, fun, and definitely weird to do in Reykjavik, then yes.

The museum has a very comedic approach to the subject, we guess how else can you target a penis museum without making it sexual or erotic (which this definitely isn’t!).

And it definitely leaves a lasting impression on us. As we’re shopping later in the day, innocent candles don’t look so innocent at all. And even the next day during our tour of the Icelandic South Coast, the famous Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks at Reynisfjara black sand beach take on a completely different image for us…

How much are tickets to the Icelandic Phallological Museum?

Tickets to the Icelandic Phallological Museum are 3,000 ISK (around £17). Tickets can be bought online... Icelandic Phallological Museum Website

How long does it take to see the museum?

If you would like to read the facts and examine all 300 penises, it can easily take around 1 to 1.5 hours

Where is the Icelandic Phallological Museum?

The Icelandic Phallological Museum is near the harbour, less than a 5-minute walk from Harpa Concert Hall. The famous Bæjarins Beztu hot dog stand is only a 2-minute walk away… so if the penis museum gets you in the mood to eat a sausage you don’t have far to go!!  

What Facilities are at the Icelandic Phallological Museum?

There is a bar where you can get drinks from to walk around the museum with, and a seating area if you’d prefer to sit and recover for a while after the experience!

And there’s a gift shop selling all sorts of penis related souvenirs!

TrovenTrippers Tips...

• You should definitely visit this museum, its a very extraordinary experience!
• Don't miss on the Fact cards, some of them are really fun to read