Folklore, Elves and Trolls

Collecting folk tales

Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, the librarian Jón Árnason began collecting Icelandic folk tales with Magnús Grímsson in the mid-19th century. The collection *Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og æfintýri* was published in Leipzig in 1862–1864. Later collections followed, by Ólafur Davíðsson, Sigfús Sigfússon and Jón Þorkelsson, among others. The online database Sagnagrunnur lists thousands of tales and links them to places all over the country.

Hidden people and elves

The hidden people (huldufólk) live in rocks, hills and cliffs and are invisible to humans unless they choose to be seen. They live much like humans, keep livestock and go to church, and are often more beautiful and wealthier. According to one story, the hidden people are the children of Eve whom she hid from God because they had not been washed – and God declared that what she had hidden from him should be hidden from mankind.

Belief in hidden people still lives on to some extent. Road builders have sometimes had to take elf stones into account, and in surveys a large share of Icelanders say they would not rule out the existence of hidden people. On Twelfth Night and New Year's Eve the elves move house, and it is wise to keep a light burning and offer them refreshments.

Trolls

Trolls are giant beings that live in mountains and caves. Many of them turn to stone if the sun shines on them. Many natural features are said to be petrified trolls, for example Reynisdrangar near Vík, Hvítserkur on Vatnsnes and Trölli on Tröllaskagi. The troll woman Grýla and her sons, the Yule Lads, are the best-known trolls in Iceland.

Ghosts and revenants

Icelandic ghost stories are numerous and powerful. The most famous is the tale of the Deacon of Myrká, who drowned on his way to his sweetheart Guðrún but still came to fetch her at Christmas. On the way he chanted: "The moon glides, death rides, do you not see the white spot on the back of my head, Garún, Garún?" Other well-known ghosts include Írafells-Móri and Þorgeirsboli. Mórar and skottur were ghosts that haunted particular families for generations.

Outlaws

Outlaws lived in the highlands. The best known are Fjalla-Eyvindur and Halla, real people of the 18th century who lived in various places in the highlands, including Hveravellir. Jóhann Sigurjónsson's play about them, *Fjalla-Eyvindur* (1911), was staged all over the world.

Sea monsters and water creatures

• The Lagarfljót Worm – a serpent in Lagarfljót which, according to the story, grew from a gold ring placed in an egg.
• Nykur – a water horse that lures people onto its back and drags them into the water. Its hooves face backwards.
• Marbendill – a merman who laughed three times at human foolishness.
• Skoffín and skuggabaldur – dangerous creatures said to be the offspring of a cat and a fox.

Sæmundur the Learned and sorcery

Sæmundur the Learned Sigfússon (1056–1133) was a scholarly priest at Oddi, and many folk tales grew up around him. He is said to have learned magic at the Black School and to have outwitted the Devil again and again, including by making him carry him home to Iceland in the shape of a seal. In the 17th century about 20 people were burned for sorcery in Iceland, most of them in the Westfjords. The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft in Hólmavík tells about this period.

The land spirits

According to Heimskringla, King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark sent a wizard in the shape of a whale to spy on Iceland. He found the land full of guardian spirits protecting each quarter: a dragon in the east, an eagle in the north, a bull in the west and a rock giant in the south. The four land spirits appear on Iceland's coat of arms and on Icelandic coins.