We live in the land of elves, together with dwarfs and other hidden people (álfar, dvergar, huldufólk).The idea of elves in Iceland is not far fetched for many Icelanders.
We have long believed that rocks and cliffs are the homes of elves and dwarfs. If you have the opportunity to see our geysers, volcanoes and lava deserts... you’ll understand why we have no difficulty at all believing there are some “invisible people” around.
Around 80% of Icelanders admit that they believe in elves and when answering surveys, few Icelanders rule out the existence of elves, dwarfs, light-fairies, trolls and “hidden folk”.
Don’t go against their wishes, they can get upset and put a spell on you!
Our most interesting “elf town” is Hafnarfjörður, a few kilometers from Reykjavík, a town built on lava. The elves are believed to live in some strange and dramatic lava shapes and rock formations. It is very hard to destroy these homes according to popular mythology. “Hamarinn” is believed to be an elven palace.
There are amazingly many stories in Iceland of road-building operations being changed or even stopped because of accidents which are said to have been caused by elves objecting to the development of course.
Hafnafjörður offers walking tour of elven sites, 1 ½ - 2 hours. You can even get a Hidden Worlds Map at the information center in Hafnarfjörður’s town hall.
Photo: Lava shapes at Djupalonssandur, Snaefellsnes - perhaps the home of elves?
