Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Religious Beliefs
SUPERNATURAL ICELAND: GHOSTS, TROLLS & HIDDEN PEOPLE
Once you've seen some of the lava fields, eerie natural formations and isolated farms that
characterise much of the Icelandic landscape, it will come as no surprise that many
Icelanders believe their country is populated by huldufólk(hidden people) and ghosts.
In the lava are jarðvergar(gnomes), álfar(elves), ljósálfar(fairies), dvergar(dwarves),
ljúflingar(lovelings), tívar(mountain spirits) and englar(angels). Stories about them have
been handed down through generations, and many modern Icelanders claim to have seen
them…or at least to know someone who has.
As in Ireland, there are stories about projects going wrong when workers try to build
roads through huldufólkhomes: the weather turns bad, machinery breaks down, labour-
ers fall ill. In mid 2014 Iceland's 'whimsy factor' again made international news when a
road project to link the Álftanes peninsula to the Reykjavík suburb of Garðabær was hal-
ted after campaigners warned it would disturb elf habitat.
As for Icelandic ghosts, they're substantial beings - not the wafting shadows found
elsewhere in Europe. Írafell-Móri (móriand skottaare used for male and female ghosts,
respectively) needed to eat supper every night, and one of the country's most famous
spooks, Sel-Móri, got seasick when he stowed away in a boat. Stranger still, two ghosts
haunting the same area often join forces to double their trouble.
Rock stacks and weird lava formations around the country are often said to be trolls,
caught out at sunrise and turned forever to stone. But living trolls are seldom seen today
- they're more the stuff of children's stories.
Surveys suggest that more than half of Icelanders believe in (or at least entertain the
possibility of) the existence of, huldufólk. But a word of warning: many Icelanders get sick
of visitors asking them whether they believe in supernatural beings. Their pride bristles at
the 'Those cute Icelanders! They all believe in pixies!' attitude…and even if they don't en-
tirely disbelieve, they're unlikely to admit it to a stranger.
If you want to know more, and ask all the questions you can, join a tour in Hafnarfjörður
(see
Click here
)
, or sign up for a course at the
Icelandic Elf School
(Álfaskólinn;
www.elfmuseum.com
) in Reykjavík. Yes, there really is such a place, and it runs four-hour
introductory classes most Fridays.
