In search of elves in Iceland
It's only weeks before Christmas and here I am, in Iceland. I'm not here to see the geysers or even the aurora borealis. I am here for something way more magical. I'm here for the elves.
Icelanders have an elf belief that goes back thousands of years into Norse mythology. A survey carried out in 2006 and 2007 by the University of Iceland showed that 60 per cent of the population still believes in elves or hidden folk (huldufólk in Icelandic) or at the very least keeps an open mind. For Icelanders, elves are invisible nature spirits and kindly people who protect humans in mysterious ways.
And as I look around this barren field of black lava rocks, the freezing wind from the North Atlantic scratching at my face, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a magical place. Hot water bubbling up from the earth makes it sound as if the whole field is a teakettle ready to boil; white clouds of steam sporadically gush up around me. Besides being careful where I walk, I keep my eyes wide open, and my fingers crossed so that I might just get to see an elf.
Childhood beliefs revisited
There was a time when I didn't have to look quite so hard. Once upon a time, I was sure I could see elves and fairies luxuriating on the lily pads in the frog pond and playing up the side of the mountain by the weathered grey barn on my grandmother's farm.
But I got older and I stopped believing. It's hard to say when, or why. Sad to say that lately the only elves in my life have been Snap, Crackle and Pop, and Santa's helpers at the mall.
Elf 101 at Iceland's Elf School
But in Iceland you don't go to the mall to see or learn about elves. You go to the Elf School or, as they say in Icelandic, Álfaskólinn, located in the capital city of Reykjavik.
A black and white sign on the front door of a squat concrete building directs me up two flights. A knock at the door and I am met by Magnús Skarphéoinsson. He has a beard and glasses, and he looks more like a bear than an elf. (Although he is padding around the Elf School in his bare feet. That's kind of elfish.)
Want to know what an elf looks like? Click to continue...
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2009-09-22 10:48 AM
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