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frameacloudTrigger warnings for this article: environmentalist issues, suffering nature spirits, credulous and incredulous views of supernatural. Work-safe.
During this July in the village of Bolungarvík in Iceland, human construction of an avalanche wall and a tunnel through a mountain were halted by strange accidents, including an accident with dynamiting in which flying debris caused damage to the village. Seer Vigdís Kristín Steinþórsdóttir claimed that the accidents were caused by the spirits who live in the hills, including both elves (huldufólk, hidden folk) and giants. (No relation to the Earth Liberation Movement [ELF], which has also been known to sabotage construction.) These spirits were angered because the humans didn’t ask for permission to work in their hills. According to Steinþórsdóttir, some of the spirits had been hurt or killed by the construction.
To appease the spirits and give them time to safely evacuate, locals held a ceremony in their honor, and sang for the elves. Local musician Benedikt Sigurdsson performed and said, “I have now been asked by both elves and men to broker a compromise here, and I hope that this song will suffice.”
Officials avoided associating themselves with what they saw as an irrational explanation. “The mayor Elías Jónatansson did not attend the ceremony.”1 “Seers requested the Bolungarvík municipal government make a full apology to the hidden people [but] the council … refused to co-operate.”2 After the ceremony, construction resumed.3
The hidden folk are a significant part of Icelandic folklore. The Icelandic Elf School (Álfaskólinn), established 1991, educates about this folklore by collecting stories about them and offering field trips to sites thought to be haunted by hidden folk. The head of the school, Magnús Skarphéðinsson, claims that according to a 2006 survey, “26% of Icelanders believe in elves.”4
During this July in the village of Bolungarvík in Iceland, human construction of an avalanche wall and a tunnel through a mountain were halted by strange accidents, including an accident with dynamiting in which flying debris caused damage to the village. Seer Vigdís Kristín Steinþórsdóttir claimed that the accidents were caused by the spirits who live in the hills, including both elves (huldufólk, hidden folk) and giants. (No relation to the Earth Liberation Movement [ELF], which has also been known to sabotage construction.) These spirits were angered because the humans didn’t ask for permission to work in their hills. According to Steinþórsdóttir, some of the spirits had been hurt or killed by the construction.
To appease the spirits and give them time to safely evacuate, locals held a ceremony in their honor, and sang for the elves. Local musician Benedikt Sigurdsson performed and said, “I have now been asked by both elves and men to broker a compromise here, and I hope that this song will suffice.”
Officials avoided associating themselves with what they saw as an irrational explanation. “The mayor Elías Jónatansson did not attend the ceremony.”1 “Seers requested the Bolungarvík municipal government make a full apology to the hidden people [but] the council … refused to co-operate.”2 After the ceremony, construction resumed.3
The hidden folk are a significant part of Icelandic folklore. The Icelandic Elf School (Álfaskólinn), established 1991, educates about this folklore by collecting stories about them and offering field trips to sites thought to be haunted by hidden folk. The head of the school, Magnús Skarphéðinsson, claims that according to a 2006 survey, “26% of Icelanders believe in elves.”4
( Sources )
