Did you know that Iceland strongly believes in the existence of elves? Well, they sure do! (I suppose belief is a strong word, more like a good portion of the populace does not deny the possibility of their existence - see this article on Elves in Cultural Vocabulary.)
This graphic shows the varying levels of believers in England, Scandinavia, and Iceland. I believe the percentages are based off one of the studies referenced in both the articles above (though I am aware that this graphic may not pertain to anything real at all, it's just very interesting). But look at Iceland in the top left corner - blacked out with belief!
huldufólk, or "the hidden folk", have been part of Iceland's folklore for centuries. If the Icelandic Elf School, Álfaskólinn, is to be believed, there are 13 different kinds of elves. They'll also tell you about the 3 types of fairies, 2 types of troll, and 4 types of gnome, plus 4 hidden peoples (including the Blue People) and other magical beings, though the focus is on elves. álfar is the word used for “elves” while huldufólk is used for “hidden people”. The word álfr is common in Old Norse, and it may still be regarded as a common word in Icelandic, though huldufólk is now more common in spoken language and reserved for the hidden folk as “huldufólk are not your average elves, they will hunt you down and destroy your life if you mess with them,” says a native Icelander over at this post about Icelandic elves over at Reddit TIL. This individual also states that in Iceland they have a “special division that manages elf related things” (I’m not sure if this is Álfaskólinn or if there is another organization). It reminds me of the government in the movie Troll Hunter (which is awesome and a must-see if you’re a fan of mythical creatures and documentaries).
To make a distinction between hidden ones and elves: "‘There is a place called Álfheimr*; there live the people called light elves, while the dark elves live down in the ground; they are unlike in appearance and much more unlike in nature. The light elves are fairer than the sun to see, and the dark elves blacker than pitch.’ Without making too much of this distinction, since Snorri” (who is quoted) “could be thinking of good and bad angels**” (what with the infiltration of Christianity), “it is worth our while to take note that the dark elves live in the ground, and correspond to that extent to the elves in Kormáks saga—and, doubtless, to the folk legends current in Iceland at that time. But elves occupy a more honourable place in many mythological stories and poems. Over and over again they are mentioned in the same breath as the Æsir themselves: Hvat er me› ásum, hvat er me› álfum? ‘What is the matter with the Æsir; what is the matter with the elves?’ Freyr’s home is Álfheimr, and Alvíssmál lists words from the language of elves, all of which relate to brightness and beauty." - “The Folk Stories of Iceland” by Einar Ólafur Sveinsson
*Álfheimr - translates to “elf home” while Ljósálfheimr translates to “light-elf home”; so Ljósálfheimr is the home of the elves made of light while other elves get to live in Álfheimr
**though Snorri could be (and probably is, in my personal opinion) talking about trolls here. Iceland considers trolls and gnomes to be a type of huldufólk. It is of interest to note that the Germans have just as many separate kinds of trolls (and trolls and gnomes are very different in German folklore) as Iceland does elves (perhaps I’ll do a post on that, too).
In general, elves are normally neither friendly nor hostile to men, they repay kindnesses generously but are extremely vengeful. Their love is therefore very dangerous; if it is returned, cohabitation begins between two incompatible beings; if it is rejected or broken off one can expect a terrifying vengeance. This is all human and comprehensible except that the vengefulness is so much more intense than that of normal humanity (like, think Lovecraftian type of horrifying vengeance). Coincidentally, female elves spurned and shunned by human love interests can die/fade of a broken heart/grief (much like Tolkien’s elves - spoiler alert, he actually referenced heavily from Scandinavian folklore). Thus elves can seem to fall into two classes, the one class being evil to men (huldufólk), the others being ljúflingar, or “the dear people”. Since we were kind of focusing on huldufólk here, there are also the huldran which are kind of like Uruk-hai, kind of like Dark Elves because they are creepy and have this hole in their backs (some sources say it looks like rotting wood, other a gory wound) that they try to hide and if anyone happens to see this hole in the huldran’s back, the huldran will kill that person who found them out (some huldran are said to have tails as well).
The hidden folk are thought to steal children (having some fascination with human babies) and are associated with the belief in changelings. Yes, just like in the film Labyrinth. The root cause of children’s penchant for invisible playmates/imaginary friends is also often traced back to huldufólk. The hidden folk are also said to have natural powers (different from witchcraft, which is apparently a learned skill, not a natural one, as in the case of elves), often in the form of diseases an illness to mankind, opening portals in rock walls to the realm of the fae, disguising their homes as rocks or trees, making themselves invisible, and other such things. It is said their powers stem from their spiritual nature, that they even are nature spirits. Some weird ideas of elves from days bygone include; elves do not have a partition between their nostrils, they have no immortal soul, and they prefer Trójumannasaga (the story of Troy) to the Bible.
Common in folklore and even personal accounts, the elves could be seen dancing over meadows, particularly at night and on misty mornings. They left a circle where they had danced, which were called älvdanser “elf dances” or älvringar “elf circles”, and to step in one would cause illness (or to get really specific, to urinate in one was thought to cause venereal disease). Elf circles are identified by fairy rings, a naturally-occurring ring of small mushrooms. But there is also another kind of elf circle, as described by this account given in 1926, found in Anne Marie Hellström’s book, En Krönika om Åsbro (A Chronicle of Åsbro) :
On lake shores, where the forest met the lake, you could find elf circles. They were round places where the grass had been flattened like a floor. Elves had danced there. By Lake Tisaren, I have seen one of those. It could be dangerous and one could become ill if one had trodden over such a place or if one destroyed anything there.
If a human watched the dance of the elves, he would discover that even though only a few hours seemed to have passed, many years had passed in the real world, a remote parallel to the Irish sídhe.
Nils Blommér: Ängsälvor (Feen auf der Wiese - Meadow Elves), 1850
This concept inspired the title of this blog and it permeates throughout my life.
I also strongly believe in the existence of both faeries and elves, not just because of some fanciful, romantic notion but mainly because of personal experience. As a kid, I often saw fae creatures (especially on hikes and playing in forests with my younger sister but also throughout my adolescence I saw plenty of “shadow fae”) and they would come to me in dreams, just like in the folk tales. One day, I shall go to Iceland and take an excursion with the Elf School, until then, I’ll be content with my personal experiences as well as these accounts that make it into international, published news:
Elves in real-life news:
May 27, 2012 - politician repays life-saving elves by moving their huge rock home to his garden
January 1, 2014 - elves delay another construction project
And to cover all bases, here’s an essay about the exaggeration of the meddling of elves in road construction from the ICERA (Icelandic Road Administration) in 2008, stating the subject of elves is personal in nature but usually good PR. Looks like the recipient of the essay and poster on the thread is not wholly swayed by this explanation, however ;)
And, neither am I.
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