Articles and Stories

October 19, 2016

Huldufólk, the hidden people, are said to be a type of elves that live in Iceland who are our size, wear grey clothes, and have black hair. They inhabit rocks or use them as chapels. These rocks are not supposed to be moved or otherwise messed with, or the elves will be disturbed and will show their displeasure.

Icelandic construction workers have many tales of mishaps that occurred when they attempted to destroy elven rocks. These are so numerous that even non-believers would rather play it safe than risk incurring the wrath of the huldufólk.

In the 1970s, plans to move a rock out of the way of a major road went awry when a bulldozer crushed a water pipe feeding a fish farm. Around 70,000 trout perished overnight and there were so many other freakish accidents in the following days that the project was abandoned.

In Kópavogur, a city south of the capital, a rock known as Elfhill has caused disruption since the 1930s. At that time attempts to build a road through it were abandoned after a series of accidents. These plans re-emerged in the 1980s, but problems recurred and workers refused to go anywhere near it. Even TV crews said their cameras failed to record anything when pointed at the rock. They did finally build a road, but it skirts around the rock.

In a survey conducted by a team at the University of Iceland in 2007, over 80% of respondents refused to deny the existence of elves, but only 8% said they were certain they existed. In Iceland your house can be destroyed by an earthquake, there may be lava under your house making your tap water boil, and you can be blown away by wind. In these conditions you have respect for nature, which Icelanders see as very much alive.You can follow the entire story here: http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2016/08/30/elf_rock_restored_after_its_removal_wreaks_havoc_on/