Tales of twilight
The myths and legends of Iceland by Anthony Adeane Photos: iStockphoto.com
Floating on its own in a vast swathe of the Atlantic Ocean, Iceland has always been an isolated country, and for centuries its barren, inhospitable landscape meant many of its inhabitants were just as isolated. The routes between farms were treacherous and difficult to traverse and the brutal weather conditions meant families tended to spend long evenings indoors telling each other stories to stave off sleep while they worked the wool by candlelight. These stories often centered on the otherworldly landscape that Icelanders call home. Nothing can prepare you for your first glimpse of Iceland. It is unlike anywhere else on earth. The Apollo astronauts trained in Iceland in the 1960s because of its similarity to the moon. There are black beaches, red hills, undulating lava fields, endless snow-capped highlands. And against this bleak, beautiful terrain, Icelanders conjured up all manner of myths and legends over the centuries. In the loneliness of these vast vistas, they have summoned a host of strange creatures to characterize the story of their land. HIDDEN FOLK AND CRAFTY TROLLS Iconic features of the landscape like a tower ing hill or a river crossing have long been designated the homes of the “huldufolk” or “hidden people.” The hidden people look like humans and live like them too, attending their own churches and farms and even maintaining a similar economy of livestock rearing and hay cutting. Some farmers won’t mow certain parts of their fields to keep from mistakenly decimating a mystical dwelling. But it’s not just hidden people that populate the Icelandic landscape. Trolls live in the hills—elf-women who wait at crossroads to tempt men into madness, and monsters that tap at the window while you sleep. These creatures are crafty, sometimes helpful, often not, their intentions hard to discern, and this might reflect the ambivalent relationship Icelanders have towards their unpredictable
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WOW Power to the people
The hidden people look like humans and live like them too, attending their own churches and farms and even maintaining a similar economy of livestock rearing and hay cutting. Some farmers won’t mow certain parts of their fields to keep from mistakenly decimating a mystical dwelling.
surroundings—with its volcanoes, geysers, and sudden sand storms, Iceland’s terrain is both destroyer and provider, friend and foe. Mythical stories have often had practical use in Iceland; they were told to warn of the impending danger in such a hostile environment. At the vast Vatnajokull Glaci er—once traversed at great personal risk by farmers from the north seeking access to the bountiful waters in the south during fishing season—the ice is said to reverberate with the sound of hymns sung by those who fell through the cracks. THE EXISTENCE OF ELVES But perhaps the most eye-catching story concerning myths and legends in Iceland, and certainly the most headline-grabbing, is that of the existence of elves. Stories abound of highways through Iceland being diverted to avoid using explosives on the home of hidden people, or of construction projects going awry when warnings about the presence
A very possible habitat for hidden people next to the Icelandic Ring Road. Photo: COffe72
