A Widespread Belief

However, we’re talking about something different…and taller. Stemming from Icelandic and Faroese folklore, the huldufólk are mythical beings that are sometimes synonymous with elves. They live outdoors, and they make their home in the rocks and cliffs of Iceland. They also dress in 19th-century clothing. This is an invisible society of human-like creatures. In 2006, a study on the belief of the huldufólk revealed that 32% of Icelanders believe in the possibility that these human-like creatures exist while 24% believe that their existence is likely or a certainty. Before going further, note that Iceland consists of large volcanic rock formations. Springs and geysers are often boiling, and there is sparse greenery in the area. So, rocks aren’t an uncommon thing for the region.

Construction & Protests

In the 1930s, road construction commenced in Kópavogur, Iceland. But they had to cut through a hill in order to continue. The hill is Alfholl or Elf Hill Road. But there was a problem; machinery kept breaking down as it tried to cut through the rock. The construction company ran out of funding. Plans to revisit construction started not only in the 1940s but also in the 1980s. Construction crews ran into the same problem. Eventually, the plans to cut through the hill were abandoned. The new plan was to build the road AROUND Alfholl instead of through it. Many believe that elven magic was afoot.

In 1982, over one hundred Icelanders protested a NATO base while demanding an inspection of the area for any elf dwellings. Construction of roads and neighborhoods revolve around rock formations that may be inhabited by elves or the huldufólk. In 2004, an aluminum company had to halt construction of a smelter due to having to hire a government official to inspect the area for elven dwellings and ruins.

In 2013, a large road was under construction on the Alftanes Penninsula to connect the island to a small town near Reykjavik. However, there was a 12-foot high rock, weighing 70 tons, that was blocking the progress of the construction project. However, the construction crew couldn’t just destroy the rock and move the pieces to the side. It turned into quite a dispute that took two years to resolve.

The government actually had a crane move the massive rock in two pieces to a safe location. According to campaigners and Iceland’s Supreme Court, the rock is an “elf church”, or a structure that is a place of worship by the huldufólk. A seer by the name of Ragnhildur Jonsdottir spoke for a pact between elves and men.

In short, Icelanders take this belief very seriously. You can see more examples here on how Icelanders have constructed homes, apartments, and even entire towns around these rocks.

The Legend

All good myths, legends, and folklore have an origin story. They are the very fabric of what our modern society believes in today. Writings about these hidden people go back to the 18th and 19th centuries. When it comes to elves, we typically think that elf folklore came from the Vikings. When they were pillaging, invading, taking over, etc. there was also a community to invade. But there are theories that suggest that when the Vikings arrived in Iceland, there wasn’t much of a population. So, the elves had to fill in that gap.

But what about the huldufólk? There’s a legend that has their origins going back to the times of Adam and Eve. Apparently, Eve had several children. One day, God came to visit and had asked to see all of the children. Eve wasn’t finished bathing the children, so she only showed God the clean ones and hid the dirty ones. When God asked if there were any more children, Eve said no. But, since we know that the Biblical God is all-knowing and all-seeing, He found out about the children and made them invisible. This was all done under the guise, “What man hides from God, thus God hides from man.” The invisible children went off to live in the great outdoors in the hills and moors.

You could say that we came from the children that Eve showed God and the huldufólk descended from the children that were hidden.

There are dates associated with the huldufólk activity as well. On New Year’s Eve, it is believed that the huldufólk move to new locations. There is also Midsummer’s Night when the huldufólk will give you gifts and money if you stand at a crossroads late at night. But, you don’t want to accept these gifts because it means certain misfortune will come your way.

A Spirit Without a Body

This is where my paranormal researcher-self gets excited. I had already begun making connections between ghosts and the huldufólk when I ran into this other origin story:

A man had been traveling and found a farm that he had never seen before. He knocked on the door and an old woman answers the door. The man asks to stay the night and the woman obliges and introduces him to her two beautiful daughters. The man (boldly) asks the woman if one of the daughters could keep him company for the night, and again, the woman says yes. Don’t worry, the woman wasn’t willingly letting her daughter sleep with a stranger.

Anyway, the man goes to bed and one of the daughters lays beside him. He tries to embrace her, but his hand passes through her body. She has no physical form.

When the man asks the daughter why this happened, she said that the Devil and his army revolted against heaven a long time ago. Those who supported the devil were driven into darkness. The ones who neither opposed or supported the devil were sent to earth to live. She explains that she is a spirit without a body and can be seen in her human form when she chooses to.

So, what if ghosts are living people without a physical body to touch? Or, what if the huldufólk are people who are in an alternate dimension and our interactions with them are purely random and by chance? I sometimes wonder if instead of reverting to the belief in ghosts and the afterlife, the Icelandic folks instead believed in having encounters with the huldufólk.

Apparently, the huldufólk live life just like humans. They have societies, politics, communities, relationships…basically living life exactly the same as we do. Larissa Kyzer has a wonderful list of stories of the huldufólk as well as legends associated with them.

Sources

BBC: Iceland’s ‘elf church’ rock moved to end road row

Hidden People: They’re Just Like Us…Kind Of

The Truth Behind Iceland’s Obsession with Elves

Why So Many Icelanders Still Believe in Invisible Elves

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Take, for instance, the mythical Icelandic giantess (ogre) Grýla, who lives in the mountains of Iceland with her 13 (seven dwarf-esque) sons, the Yule Lads, her third husband and a large black cat named Jólakötturinn. Said to come to town with Grýla and the Yule Lads, the myth of the Jólakötturinn is worthy of a blog all to itself as it is stalks the snowy countryside to devour anyone who has not received new clothes on Christmas Eve. It is believed that farmers used this belief to maintain maximum productivity among the wool workers. The premise is simple: work hard for material gain or slack off and get eaten by a giant cat. Honestly, I’m surprised that Hollywood hasn’t snatched that story line right up. You can read through the English translation of the poem that is passed down in Icelandic heritage here: Björk – Jólakötturinn (english Translation) Lyrics | Golyr.de.

As the legend goes, Grýla, her sons and her evil cat would all go out on Christmas to each get into their own trouble. Grýla would hunt the naughty children then boil them in her cauldron and devour them. She could only capture the naughty children and if those captured repented and were truly sorry for their misdeeds then she was bound to release them. While their mother was boiling the neighborhood children, the Yule Lads were wreaking havoc and chaos throughout the town. Just like the seven dwarfs, the Yuleman each had very unique personalities and their name represented the havoc they created:

• Sheep-Cot Clod – who suckles the farmer’s yews
• Gully Gawk – who steals the foam from the buckets of cow milk
• Stubby – the short one who steals food from the frying pans
• Spoon Licker – this one is pretty self-explanatory
• Pot Scraper (Licker) – steals the unwashed pots and pans and licks them clean
• Bowl Licker – steals the bowls of food from under the Icelanders beds (not sure why they had bowls of food under their bed…)
• Door Slammer – again, pretty self-explanatory. He would keep everyone awake by stomping around and slamming doors
• Skyr Gobbler – would eat up all the yogurt or Skyr as it is called in Iceland
• Sausage Swiper – would..surprisingly enough..steal sausage
• Window Peeper – a peeping Tom that would sometimes steal the things he saw inside
• Door Sniffer – this guy had a huge nose and an insatiable appetite for stolen baked goods
• Meat Hook – would snatch up any meat that was left out and had a particular taste for smoked lamb
• Candle Beggar – would steal the highly sought after candles in town

Prior to 1746, the story of Grýla and her sons was used by parents to scare their children into behaving and the actions of the Yule Lads were a bit darker and more bloodthirsty than the version we have today. In 1746, due to the gruesomeness of the story, the Icelandic government prohibited parents from using it to terrify their children into submission so Grýla and her murderous family faded into the annals of history.

So this holiday season, while you’re snuggled in, enjoying the warmth and comfort this time of year can bring, just know that the Krampus isn’t the only monster lurking outside waiting to punish you for your transgressions. Happy Holidays!

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