Huldufólk Explained

Hidden people
Grouping:	Mythological
Similar Entities:	Elf, hulder, fairy, mermaid, pixie, sprite, leprechaun
Habitat:	Various
Country:	Iceland, Faroe Islands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway

Icelandic: Huldufólk|italic=yes or hidden people are elves in Icelandic and Faroese folklore.^{[1] [2]} They are supernatural beings that live in nature. They look and behave similarly to humans, but live in a parallel world.^[3] They can make themselves visible at will.^[4] German: [[Konrad von Maurer]]|italic=no cites a 19th-century Icelandic source claiming that the only visible difference between normal people and outwardly human-appearing Icelandic: huldufólk|italic=yes is, the latter have a convex rather than concave philtrum (Icelandic: vuldulág|link=no) below their noses.

In Faroese folk tales,^[5] hidden people are said to be "large in build, their clothes are all grey, and their hair black. Their dwellings are in mounds, and they are also called Elves."^[6] Some Icelandic folk tales caution against throwing stones, as it may hit the hidden people.^[7]

The term Icelandic: huldufólk|italic=yes was taken as a synonym of Icelandic: álfar|italic=yes (elves) in 19th-century Icelandic folklore. Jón Árnason found that the terms are synonymous, except Icelandic: álfar|italic=yes is a pejorative term. German: [[Konrad von Maurer]]|italic=no contends that Icelandic: huldufólk|italic=yes originates as a euphemism to avoid calling the Icelandic: álfar|italic=yes by their real name.^[8]

There is, however, some evidence that the two terms have come to be taken as referring to two distinct sets of supernatural beings in contemporary Iceland. Katrin Sontag found that some people do not differentiate elves from hidden people, while others do.^[9] A 2006 survey found that "54% of respondents did not distinguish between elves and hidden people, 20% did and 26% said they were not sure."^[10]

Origins

Terry Gunnell writes: "different beliefs could have lived side by side in multicultural settlement Iceland before they gradually blended into the latter-day Icelandic Icelandic: álfar|italic=yes and Icelandic: huldufólk|italic=yes."^[11] He also writes: "Icelandic: Huldufólk|italic=yes and Icelandic: álfar|italic=yes undoubtedly arose from the same need. The Norse settlers had the Icelandic: álfar|italic=yes, the Irish slaves had the hill fairies or the Good People. Over time, they became two different beings, but really they are two different sets of folklore that mean the same thing."^[12]

Precursors to elves/hidden people can be found in the writings of Norse, Old: [[Snorri Sturluson]]|italic=no^[13] and in skaldic verse.^[14] Elves were also mentioned in Poetic Edda,^[15] and appear to be connected to fertility.^[16]

The Christianization of Iceland in the 11th century brought with it new religious concepts. According to one Christian folk tale, the origins of the hidden people can be traced to Adam and Eve. Eve hid her dirty, unwashed children from God, and lied about their existence. God then declared: "What man hides from God, God will hide from man."^[17] Other Christian folktales claim that hidden people originate from Lilith, or are fallen angels condemned to live between heaven and hell.^[18]

In succession of Christianization, official opposition to dancing may have begun in Iceland as early as the 12th century, and the association of dancing with elves can be seen as early as the 15th century. One folktale shows the elves siding with the common people and taking revenge on a sheriff who banned dance parties. Icelandic: Aðalheiður Guðmundsdóttir|italic=no concludes that these legends "show that Icelanders missed dancing".^[19]

In the 13th and 14th centuries, books from mainland Europe reached Iceland, and may have influenced folktales about elves.^[20]

Icelandic: [[Einar Ólafur Sveinsson]]|italic=no writes: "Round about 1600 sources for hidden folk become so voluminous that we can readily define the beliefs and legends about them, and after that there is one source after another about them right down into the twentieth century."^[21] According to Árni Björnsson, belief in hidden people grew during the 17th and 18th centuries when Iceland was facing tough times.^[22]

Holidays

There are four Icelandic holidays considered to have a special connection with hidden people: New Year's Eve, Thirteenth Night (January 6), Midsummer Night and Christmas night.^[23] Elf bonfires (Icelandic: álfabrennur|italic=yes) are a common part of the holiday festivities on Twelfth Night (January 6).^{[24] [25] [26]} There are many Icelandic folktales about elves and hidden people invading Icelandic farmhouses during Christmas and holding wild parties.^[27] It is customary in Iceland to clean the house before Christmas, and to leave food for the Icelandic: huldufólk on Christmas.^[28] On New Year's Eve, it is believed that the elves move to new locations, and Icelanders leave candles to help them find their way.^[29] On Midsummer Night, folklore states that if you sit at a crossroads, elves will attempt to seduce you with food and gifts; there are grave consequences for being seduced by their offers, but great rewards for resisting.^[30]

Icelandic and Faroese folklore

Several scholars have commented on the connections between hidden people and the Icelandic natural environment. B.S. Benedikz, in his discussion of Jón Árnason's grouping of folktales about elves, water-dwellers, and trolls together, writes: "The reason is of course perfectly clear. When one's life is conditioned by a landscape dominated by rocks twisted by volcanic action, wind and water into ferocious and alarming shapes... the imagination fastens on these natural phenomena."^[31]

Ólina Thorvarðardóttir writes: "Oral tales concerning Icelandic elves and trolls no doubt served as warning fables. They prevented many children from wandering away from human habitations, taught Iceland's topographical history, and instilled fear and respect for the harsh powers of nature."^[32]

Michael Strmiska writes: "The Icelandic: Huldufólk are... not so much supernatural as ultranatural, representing not an overcoming of nature in the hope of a better deal beyond but a deep reverence for the land and the mysterious powers able to cause fertility or famine."^[33] Icelandic: Pálsdóttir|italic=no claims that in a landscape filled with earthquakes, avalanches, and volcanoes, "it is no wonder that the native people have assigned some secret life to the landscape. There had to be some unseen powers behind such unpredictability, such cruelty."^[34] Alan Boucher writes: "Thus the Icelander's ambivalent attitude towards nature, the enemy and the provider, is clearly expressed in these stories, which preserve a good deal of popular—and in some cases probably pre-christian—belief."^[35]

Robert Anderson writes that syncretism "is active in Iceland where Christianity, spiritism, and Icelandic elf lore have syncretized in at least a couple instances."^[36]

Terry Gunnell notes that hidden people legends recorded in the 18th and 19th centuries showed them to be "near mirror-images of those humans who told stories about them—except they were beautiful, powerful, alluring, and free from care, while the Icelanders were often starving and struggling for existence. The Icelandic: huldufólk seem in many ways to represent the Icelander's dreams of a more perfect and happy existence."^[37] Anthropologist Icelandic: Jón Haukur Ingimundarson|italic=no claimed that hidden people tales told by 19th-century Icelandic women were a reflection of how only 47% of women were married, and "sisters often found themselves relegated to very different functions and levels of status in society... the vast majority of Icelandic girls were shunted into supporting roles in the household." He goes on to say that these stories justified the differences in role and status between sisters, and "inculcated in young girls the... stoic adage never to despair, which was a psychological preparedness many would need as they found themselves reduced in status and denied the proper outlet for their sexuality in marriage, thereby sometimes having to rely on infanticide to take care of the unsolicited and insupportable effects of their occasional amours, an element... related in Icelandic: huldufólk stories."^[38]

Polish: Anna Pietrzkiewicz|italic=no contends that the hidden people symbolize idealized Icelandic identity and society, the key elements of which are seeing the "past as a source of pride and nature as unique and pure."^[39]

Hidden people often appear in the dreams of Icelanders.^[40] They are usually described as wearing 19th-century Icelandic clothing,^[41] and are often described as wearing green.^[42]

In one version of modern Faroese folklore, the hidden people vanished in the 1950s when electricity was brought to the island.^[43]

Contemporary Iceland

A survey of Icelanders born between 1870 and 1920 found that people did not generally believe in hidden people and that when they had learned about supernatural beings in their youth, those lessons had mostly been made for amusement.^[44] About 10% seemed to actually believe in hidden people.^[44] A survey from 1974 showed that among those born between 1904 and 1944, 7% were certain of the existence of hidden people.

Several modern surveys have been made showing a surprising number of believers. Around 7–8% claim to be certain that elves exist, and around 45% claim it is likely or possible.^{[45] [46] [47]}

These surveys have been criticized as being misrepresentative, as journalists have claimed that they show that a majority of Icelanders believe in elves, despite belief not being that serious. Folklore professor Terry Gunnell has said: "Very few will say immediately that they 'believe' in such, but they won't deny it either."^[48] Different ways of asking could elicit very different responses.^[49]

Árni Björnsson claims the beliefs are simplified and exaggerated for the entertainment of children and tourists, and that it is a somewhat misrepresentative yet harmless trick used by the tourism industry to entice visitors. The stories of elves may have been fun tales rather than beliefs.^[44]

Tourism

The Icelandic Elf School in Icelandic: [[Reykjavík]]|italic=no organizes five-hour-long educational excursions for visitors.^{[50] [51]}

Icelandic: [[Hafnarfjörður]]|italic=no offers a "Hidden Worlds tour", a guided walk of about 90 minutes. It includes a stroll through Icelandic: Hellisgerdi|italic=no Park, where the paths wind through a lava field planted with tall trees and potted bonsai trees in summer, and said to be peopled with the town's largest elf colony.

Icelandic: [[Stokkseyri]]|italic=no has the Icelandic Wonders museum, where "Museum guests will walk into a world of the Icelandic elves and hidden people and get a glimpse of their life."^[52]

Information boards at Dverghamrar state that the local variety of dwarf is 20-30 cm tall.^[53]

Recent incidents

During road construction in Kópavogur in 1971, a bulldozer broke down. The driver placed the blame on elves living in a large rock. Despite locals not having been aware of any elves living in the rock, newspapers ran with the story, thus starting the myth that Icelandic road construction was often impeded by elves.

In 1982, 150 Icelanders went to the NATO base in Icelandic: [[Keflavík]]|italic=no to look for "elves who might be endangered by American Phantom jets and AWACS reconnaissance planes."^[54] In 2004, Alcoa had to have a government expert certify that their chosen building site was free of archaeological sites, including ones related to Icelandic: huldufólk folklore, before they could build an aluminium smelter in Iceland.^{[55] [56]} In 2011, elves/Icelandic: huldufólk were believed by some to be responsible for an incident in Icelandic: [[Bolungarvík]]|italic=no where rocks rained down on residential streets.^{[57] [58] [59]} In 2013, proposed road construction from the Icelandic: [[Álftanes]]|italic=no peninsula to the Icelandic: [[Reykjavík]]|italic=no suburb of Icelandic: [[Garðabær]]|italic=no, was stopped because elf supporters and environmental groups protested, stating that the road would destroy the habitat of elves and local cultural beliefs.^[60]

Significant sites

• Icelandic: Hulduhóll|italic=no (Elfin Hill), a hillock approximately 60 meters west of Icelandic: Kirkjuhóll|italic=no^[61] (64.1882°N -21.6421°W)
• Icelandic: [[Hafnarfjörður]]|italic=no;^{[62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67]} areas include:
  • Icelandic: Hellisgerði|italic=no Lava Park (64.0714°N -21.9583°W)
  • Icelandic: Hamarinn|italic=no Cliffs (64.0661°N -21.9497°W)
  • near Icelandic: Sundhöll Hafnarfjardar|italic=no swimming pool^[68] (64.0728°N -21.9688°W)
  • Icelandic: Setbergshamar|italic=no cliff^[69] (64.0711°N -21.9328°W)
• Icelandic: [[Ásbyrgi]]|italic=no (66.0144°N -16.5033°W)
• Icelandic: [[Lamba (Faroe Islands)|Lambi]]|italic=no
• Icelandic: Álfhólsvegur|italic=no (Elf Hill Road), a street in Icelandic: [[Kópavogur]]|italic=no^[70] (64.1113°N -21.8702°W)
• Icelandic: Álfaborg|italic=no in Icelandic: [[Borgarfjörður Eystri]]|italic=no^{[71] [72]} (65.5221°N -13.8077°W)
• Icelandic: Búðarbrekkur|italic=no in Icelandic: [http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/plofin_farm_brimnes.htm Brimnes]|italic=no^[73] (65.9524°N -19.4819°W)
• Icelandic: [[Grundarfjörður]]|italic=no^[74]
• Icelandic: Stapafell|italic=no^[75] (64.7733°N -23.6578°W)
• Icelandic: Tungustapi|italic=no^[76] (65.2552°N -21.8066°W)
• Icelandic: Svalþúfa|italic=no^[77] (64.7363°N -23.7831°W)
• Icelandic: Skuggahlíðarbjarg|italic=no^[78] (65.1053°N -13.8247°W)
• Icelandic: [[Grímsey]]|italic=no^[79] (66.5444°N -18.0047°W)
• The attic of Gimli Public School 1915 in the New Iceland Heritage Museum, Gimli, Manitoba^{[80] [81]} (50.6342°N -96.9874°W)

Modern cultural references

• In the 2018 musical Frozen, based on the 2013 film of the same name, the characters which were depicted in the original movie as trolls, became in the Broadway show a reference to the Huldufólk, named in the musical "the hidden folk".^[82]
• Huldufólk is the title of French Nordic folk group SKÁLD's 2023 album.^[83]
• In the plot of the 2020 film Huldufólk are called upon by Sigrit Ericksdóttir to help them win the Eurovision Song Contest
• In the 2024 video game, the Huldufólk, or hiddenfolk as they're called, appear as voices that guide Senua during certain points of her journey through Midgard. Their faces sometimes appear in the environment, and the environment shifts when they are present or when Senua uses their magic to solve puzzles

See also

• Icelandic: [[Álagablettur]]|italic=no
• Domovoy
• Gnome
• Greek, Modern (1453-);: [[Kallikantzaros]]|italic=no
• Korpokkur
• Troll
• Maori: [[Taniwha]]|italic=no
• Norse, Old: [[Vættir]]|italic=no
• Vittra

Further reading

• Ármann Jakobsson. “Beware of the Elf!: A note on the Evolving Meaning of Álfar,” Folklore 126 (2015), 215–23.
• The testimony of waking consciousness and dreams in migratory legends concerning human encounters with the hidden people . Arv: Nordic Yearbook of Folklore . 1993 . Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson . Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson . 49 . 123–131 . 1 June 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724190748/http://www.kgaa.nu/tidskrift_ar.php?id=6&year=1993 . 24 July 2011 . dead .
• News: Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir . Iceland's hidden people . 6 July 2007 . Iceland Review . 25 June 2010 .
• News: Ingibjörg Rósa Björnsdóttir . Don't Spit in the Dark . 25 July 2007 . Iceland Review . 25 June 2010 .
• Book: Vilborg Davíðsdóttir . Masks and mumming in the nordic area . Elves on the move: midwinter mumming and house-visiting in Iceland . Terry Gunnell . Swedish: Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien för svensk folkkultur|italic=no . 2007 . . 643–666 . 1 June 2010 . 978-91-85352-70-8 .
• Elfes et rapports à la nature en Islande . Ethnologie française . 2003 . Vanessa Doutreleau . 33 . 4 . 655–663 . 10.3917/ethn.034.0655 . 1 June 2010 . fr .
• Book: Valdimar Tr. Hafstein . Þjóðlíf og þjóðtrú. Afmælisrit dr. Jóns Hnefils Aðalsteinssonar . Komdu í handarkrika minn. Hlutur sjáenda í huldufólkstrú og sögnum ["Come under my armpit. The role of seers in elf beliefs and legends"] . Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson . Jón Jónsson . Þjóðsaga . 1998 . . 377–399 . 2010-06-12 . 978-9979-59-079-8 . is .
• Book: Valdimar Tr. Hafstein . Rannsóknir í félagsvísindum II : erindi flutt á ráðstefnu í febrúar 1997 . Research in the social sciences II : paper presented at a conference in February 1997 . Respekt fyrir steinum. Álfatrú og náttúrusýn . Respect for stones. Elf belief and visions of nature . 26 . Friðrik H. Jónsson . Ritalisti félagsvísindastofnunar . University of Iceland Press . 1998 . . 327–336 . 2024-03-16 . 978-9979-54-349-7 . is .
• Book: Valdimar Tr. Hafstein . Þjóðerni í þúsund ár? . Hjólaskóflur og huldufólk. Íslensk sjálfsmynd og álfahefð samtímans ["Bulldozers and hidden people. Icelandic identity and contemporary elf-tradition"] . Jón Yngvi Jóhannsson . Kolbeinn Óttarsson Proppé . Sverrir Jakobsson . Háskólaútgáfan . 2003 . . 197–213 . 10 June 2010 . 978-9979-54-521-7 . is .
• Book: Olga Holownia . Islandia: Wprowadzenie do wiedzy o społeczeństwie i kulturze . Iceland: Introduction to knowledge about society and culture . Alfar i huldufólk. O islandzkich elfach w mitologii, sagach i podaniach ludowych [The Icelandic elves in mythology, sagas and folk legends] . Roman Chymkowski . Włodzimierz K. Pessel . Trio . 2009 . . 1 June 2010 . 978-83-7436-172-9 . pl .
• Book: Unnur Jökulsdóttir . Hefurðu séð huldufólk? : ferðasaga . Have you seen the hidden people? An itinerary . Mál og menning . 2007 . . 1 June 2010 . 978-9979-3-2920-6 . is .
• Les lieux à elfes de Reykjavik: objet paradoxal d'invention de la modernité . Elves' places in Reykjavík: paradoxical object of modern expression . Géographie et Cultures . 2005 . Sara Muller . 55 . 55 . 7–22 . 5 June 2010 . fr .
• Book: Einar G. Pétursson . Frændafundur 5 : fyrirlestrar frá íslensk-færeyskri ráðstefnu í Reykjavík 19.–20. júní 2004 . Um álfatrú á Íslandi og í Færeyjum og einkum um söguna af Álfa-Árna . Magnús Snædal . Anfinnur Johansen . Háskólaútgáfan . 2005 . Reykjavík . 28–38 . 5 June 2010 . 978-9979-54-694-8 . is . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720202136/http://setur.fo/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Frodskapur/Fraendafundur1993-2008.pdf . 20 July 2011 . dead.
• Gegner þjóðtrú. Draugasaga í mannfræðilegu ljósi Draugasaga í mannfræðilegu ljósi (French title: "Pour En Finir Avec La Croyance. Une Analyse Anthropologique d'histoire de Fantome") . Contrary to folklore: An Anthropological Analysis of ghost stories . . 1998 . Christophe Pons . 172 . 1 . 143–163 . 1 June 2010 . is, fr .
• Web site: My Iceland: the glamorous opulence of the hidden people . 26 June 2010 . Alda Sigmundsdóttir . 19 April 2009 . The Iceland Weather Report .
• Book: Jacqueline Simpson . Jacqueline Simpson . Jón Árnason . Jón Árnason (author) . Icelandic folktales and legends . University of California Press . 1972 . Berkeley . 10 June 2010 . 978-0-520-02116-7 .

Notes and References

1. Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=rFsAAAAAcAAJ&dq=huldufolk&pg=PR48. Icelandic Legends, Volume 2. Jón Árnason. George E. J. Powell. Eiríkur Magnússon. Richard Bentley. 1866. London . xlii–lvi. Introductory Essay. 20 June 2010.
2. Book: von Maurer . Isländische_Volkssagen_der_Gegenwart . J. C. Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung . 1859 . 1st . Leipzig, Germany . 3 . German .
3. Efemia Hrönn Björgvinsdóttir. Gjafir frá huldufólki . 2014. Bachelor. . is.
4. Árni Björnsson. 26 September 2007. False Myths concerning Iceland . https://web.archive.org/web/20110607134046/http://web.uvic.ca/~becktrus/assets/audio/arni-misconceptions.mp3. dead. 7 June 2011. The Beck Lectures on Icelandic Literature. audio recording of lecture; 1 hour 8 minutes; relevant section around 32–45 minutes. University of Victoria.
5. See:
   • Book: The Faroe Islands: Interpretations of History . Jonathan Wylie. University Press of Kentucky. 1987. 978-0-8131-1578-8. 59–60.
   • J. Dyneley Prince. 1922. The Faroe Language. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society . 61. 2. 156–7. 984412.
   • E. Paul Durrenberger. 1987 . Review of The Faroe Islands: Interpretations of History by Jonathan Wylie . American Anthropologist. 89 . 4. 992–993. 10.1525/aa.1987.89.4.02a00610 . 677915. free.
   • Book: Faroese folk-tales & legends. John Frederick West . Barður Jákupsson. Shetland Publishing Company. 1980. 978-0-906736-01-2. Lerwick. vi, viii, 103.
   • Stephen Pax Leonard. 17 June 2010 . Faroese skjaldur: An endangered oral tradition of the North Atlantic . World Oral Literature Project Occasional Papers . 1. 7–8. 29 December 2017.
6. Book: In place: spatial and social order in a Faeroe Islands community. Dennis L. Gaffin. Waveland Press. 1996. 978-0-88133-879-9. Prospect Heights, Illinois. 201.
7. Book: The eye of the guest: Icelandic nationalist discourse and the whaling issue. Anne Brydon. September 1991. McGill University. Montreal. 276. 9780315747852.
8. Book: Katrin Sontag . Parallel worlds: fieldwork with elves, Icelanders and academics . . 2007 . 13–14 .
9. Book: Katrin Sontag . Parallel worlds: fieldwork with elves, Icelanders and academics . . 2007 . 15–18 .
10. Erlendur Haraldsson . Psychic Experiences a Third of a Century Apart: Two Representative Surveys in Iceland with an International Comparison . Journal of the Society for Psychical Research . 75 . 2011 . 88 . .
11. Terry Gunnell . How Elvish Were The Álfar? . The 13th International Saga Conference . 2007 . 2008-09-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070304123051/http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/gunnell.htm . 2007-03-04 . dead .
12. News: Marc Vincenz . To Be or Not to Be: Álfar, Elves, Huldufólk, Fairies and Dwarves: Are They Really All the Same Thing? . 27 May 2009 . The Reykjavík Grapevine . 10 February 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100404114957/http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/Article-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be . 2010-04-04 . dead .
13. Book: Alaric Timothy Peter Hall . The Meanings of Elf and Elves in Medieval England . . 2004 . 31–37 .
14. Book: Alaric Timothy Peter Hall . The Meanings of Elf and Elves in Medieval England . . 2004 . 37–44 .
15. The Extreme Emotional Life of Völundr the Elf . Scandinavian Studies . 2006 . Ármann Jakobsson . 78 . 3 . 227–254 . 2010-05-26.
16. Folk Narrative and Norse Mythology . Arv: Nordic Yearbook of Folklore . 1990 . Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson . 46 . 120 . 18 February 2009 .
17. Web site: Origin of the Hidden People: Two Legends from Iceland by Jón Arnason . 18 September 2008 . D. L. Ashliman . D. L. Ashliman's folktexts .
18. Book: Brian Pilkington . Terry Gunnell . The Hidden People of Iceland . Icelandic: Mál og menning|italic=no . 2008 . Reykjavík . 4 . 978-9979-3-2955-8 .
19. How Icelandic legends reflect the prohibition on dancing . Arv: Nordic Yearbook of Folklore . 2006 . Aðalheiður Guðmundsdóttir . 61 . 25–52 . 18 February 2009 .
20. Book: Einar Ólafur Sveinsson . Einar G. Pétursson . Benedikt Benedikz . Anthony Faulkes . The Folk-Stories of Iceland . Viking Society For Northern Research . 2003 . . 175 . 978-0-903521-53-6 .
21. Book: Einar Ólafur Sveinsson . Einar G. Pétursson . Benedikt Benedikz . Anthony Faulkes . The Folk-Stories of Iceland . Viking Society For Northern Research . 2003 . . 176 . 978-0-903521-53-6 .
22. News: David Wallis . The World: Gnome Is Where the Heart Is; What Little Elves Tell Icelanders . 19 September 1999 . . 3 October 2008 .
23. Book: Katrin Sontag . Parallel worlds: fieldwork with elves, Icelanders and academics . . 2007 . 94–95 .
24. News: Álfabrenna í Bolungarvík . 4 January 2007 . vikari.is . 18 February 2009 .
25. News: Bjarni Brynjólfsson . Charming Season . 27 December 2007 . Iceland Review . 18 February 2009 .
26. Elves and electricity: Midwinter in Iceland . Scandinavian Review . 1994 . Jeffrey Cosser . 82 . 3 . 62–66 . 18 February 2009 .
27. The Coming of the Christmas Visitors: Folk Legends Concerning the Attacks on Icelandic Farmhouses Made by Spirits at Christmas . Northern Studies . 2004 . Terry Gunnell . 38 . 51–75 . 18 March 2009 .
28. News: Kristiana Magnusson . As Christmas Bells Ring Out . 13 December 1991 . Lögberg-Heimskringla . 16 . 7 June 2009 .
29. News: Merle Alexander . Christmas abounds with spirits . 19 December 1995 . . FD02 .
30. News: Sigrún María Kristinsdóttir . Getting down with the elves . 6 January 2006 . Yukon News . 19 December 2010 .
31. B. S. Benedikz . 1973. Basic Themes in Icelandic Folklore. Folklore. 84. 1. 1–26 . 10.1080/0015587x.1973.9716492 . 1260433.
32. Spirits of the Land: A Tool for Social Education . Bookbird . 1999 . Ólina Thorvarðardóttir . 37 . 4 . 34 . 28 December 2010 .
33. Ásatrú in Iceland: The Rebirth of Nordic Paganism? . Nova Religio . October 2000 . Michael Strmiska . 4 . 1 . 126 . 10.1525/nr.2000.4.1.106.
34. Book: Anna Heida Pálsdóttir . History, Landscape and National Identity: A Comparative Study of Contemporary English and Icelandic Children's Literature . . 2002 . 206 . 2009-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161022090553/http://www.ritlist.is/anna/PhD_Thesis_Palsdottir_2002.pdf . 2016-10-22 . dead .
35. Book: Alan Boucher . Elves, trolls and elemental beings: Icelandic folktales II . Iceland Review Library . 1977 . . 12 . 4277414 .
36. Book: Robert Thomas Anderson . The Ghosts of Iceland . Thomson Wadsworth . 2005 . . 155 . 978-0-534-61052-4 .
37. Book: Terry Gunnell . Introduction . Hildur, Queen of the Elves . Jane M. Bedell . Interlink Books . 2007 . . 11 . 978-1-56656-633-9 .
38. News: Kevin Jon Johnsan . Huldufólk and Social History . 24 February 1995 . Lögberg-Heimskringla . 1, 6 . 18 September 2009 .
39. Anna Pietrzkiewicz . Huldufólk Beliefs in Iceland and the Problem of Isolation: Interpreting Supernatural Folklore in the Context of Building Identity . Taking Shetland Out of the Box: Island Cultures and Shetland Identity . . 27 . 9 May 2009 .
40. Dreams in Icelandic Tradition . Folklore . June 1958 . Gabriel Turville-Petre . Gabriel Turville-Petre . 69 . 2 . 102–3 . 1258718 .
41. Book: Brian Pilkington . Terry Gunnell . The Hidden People of Iceland . Mál og menning . 2008 . . 2 . 978-9979-3-2955-8 .
42. Anna Zanchi . The Colour Green in Medieval Icelandic Literature: Natural, Supernatural, Symbolic? . The 13th International Saga Conference . Durham and York . 5–6 . 2006 . 2009-05-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090724044247/http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/zanchi.htm . 2009-07-24 . dead .
43. News: Susan Salter Reynolds . Hunting Whales in West L.A.: Political Correctness, Cultural Imperialism and the Long, Long Journey for the Real Taste of Blubber . 27 April 2003 . . 28 November 2010 .
44. Árni Björnsson. 1996. Hvað merkir þjóðtrú?. What does popular belief mean?. Skírnir. is. 170. 91–93.
45. Web site: Results of a survey on psychic, religious and folkloric experiences and beliefs in Iceland. Erlendur Haraldsson . 1975. DOC. 1 September 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081219175152/http://www3.hi.is/~erlendur/english/englishsummary75.doc. 19 December 2008 . dead.
46. News: Skoöanakönnun DV um álfatrú: Meirihluti þjoðarinnar trúir á álfa og huldufólk. 22 July 1998 . DV. 5 October 2010. 2. is. The majority of the people believe in elves and hidden people.
47. Valdimar Hafstein. 2000. The Elves' Point of View: Cultural identity in contemporary Icelandic elf tradition. dead. Fabula. 41. 1–2. 87–104 . 10.1515/fabl.2000.41.1-2.87. 162055463. https://web.archive.org/web/20111004185101/http://www3.hi.is/~vth/Elves%20point%20of%20view.pdf. 4 October 2011. 1 September 2008.
48. News: Sveinn Birkir Björnsson . 6 October 2007 . Elves in Cultural Vocabulary . https://archive.today/20130218140744/http://www.grapevine.is/default.aspx?show=paper&part=fullstory&id=1953 . dead . 18 February 2013 . The Reykjavík Grapevine Online . 1 September 2008 . Terry Gunnell.
49. Kirsten Hastrup. 2004. Getting it right: Knowledge and evidence in anthropology . Anthropological Theory . 4. 4. 465–466 . 10.1177/1463499604047921. 145058207. 1 September 2008.
50. News: Douglas McArthur . Elfschool tries to make a believer out of everyone . 13 March 1996 . .
51. News: Sally Kindberg . Elves are alive and well in Iceland . 12 November 2000 . https://archive.today/20110606040923/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/promotions/article-918246-details/Elves+are+alive+and+well+in+Iceland/article.do . dead . 6 June 2011 . . 5 February 2009 .
52. Web site: Icelandic Wonders — Elves, Trolls, Myths, Folklore . 2 October 2010 .
53. Web site: Stefansdottir . Erla . Icelandic dwarf living in Dverghamar (South-Iceland) . 6 July 2024.
54. News: James M. Markham . Iceland's elves are enlisted in anti-NATO effort . 30 March 1982 . . A2 . 1 May 2009 .
55. News: Michael Lewis . Wall Street on the Tundra . April 2009 . . 9 March 2009 .
56. News: Jonas Moody . Vanity Fairs Fishy Tales From Iceland . 18 March 2009 . . 26 July 2009 .
57. News: Angry Elves Said to Have Wreaked Havoc in West Fjords . 24 June 2011 . Iceland Review Online . 5 July 2011 .
58. News: Icelandic town hopes angry elves have been soothed by songs . 2 July 2011 . IceNews . 5 July 2011 .
59. News: Birgir Olgeirsson . Á von á frekari hamförum verði álfar ekki beðnir afsökunar: Segir veru hafa látist við gerð Bolungarvíkurganga . 24 June 2011 . . 5 July 2011 . is . https://web.archive.org/web/20110628203708/http://www.dv.is/frettir/2011/6/24/von-frekari-hamforum-verdi-alfar-ekki-bednir-afsokunar/ . 28 June 2011 . dead .
60. News: Road project in Iceland delayed to protect 'hidden' elves. Kashmira Gander. 23 December 2013. The Independent. 27 December 2013.
61. A Viking-age Valley in Iceland: The Mosfell Archaeological Project . Medieval Archaeology . 2005 . Jesse Byock . Jon Erlandson . Jon Erlandson . 49 . 1 . 196 . 10.1179/007660905x54080 . 162307212 . 2008-12-26 . When we dug our first test trench at Icelandic: Kirkjuhóll|italic=no, Icelandic: Ólafur|italic=no informed us that no agricultural machinery had ever been used on the knoll because of the reverence attached to Icelandic: Kirkjuhóll|italic=no in oral memory as the site of an ancient church. To date this remains the case, a situation that is relatively rare on contemporary Icelandic farms which are highly mechanized. The same has held true for Icelandic: Hulduhóll|italic=no, with oral story attaching to it the interdiction that it was to be left alone because it was inhabited by ‘the hidden people’ or elves. .
62. News: Sarah Lyall . Building in Iceland? Better Clear It With the Elves First . 13 July 2005 . . 1 December 2008 .
63. Book: Fran Parnell . Etain O'Carroll . Iceland . . 2007 . . 103 . 978-1-74104-537-6 . 82672249 .
64. Book: Erla Stefánsdóttir . Hafnarfjörður, huliðsheimakort . Ferðamálanefnd Hafnarfjörður . 1993 . . 2008-12-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080117011942/http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html . 2008-01-17 . dead .
65. News: Gulli Amason . Travel: Land of the national elf service Far out: Hafnarfjörður, Iceland (where the hidden people live) . 14 June 2001 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121022185639/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5173241.html . dead . 22 October 2012 . . 27 December 2008 .
66. Web site: Hidden world walks . 27 December 2008 . Sigurbjörg Karlsdottir . https://web.archive.org/web/20090204192916/http://alfar.is/Index/English . 4 February 2009 . dead.
67. News: Ferðamenn nýta sér þjónustu álfagöngufyrirtækisins Horft í hamarinn: Það er meira en augað sér . 13 February 2003 . Morgunblaðið . 17 . 8 June 2009 . is .
68. Book: Erla Stefánsdóttir . Hafnarfjörður, huliðsheimakort . Ferðamálanefnd Hafnarfjörður . 1993 . . 1. Colourful, kindly elves live near the swimming pool in particularly beautiful houses. . 2008-12-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080117011942/http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html . 2008-01-17 . dead .
69. Book: Erla Stefánsdóttir . Hafnarfjörður, huliðsheimakort . Ferðamálanefnd Hafnarfjörður . 1993 . . 4. Setbergshamar cliff is the home of dwarfs, elves and hidden people with their own elven workshops, churches, schools and libraries. . 2008-12-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080117011942/http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html . 2008-01-17 . dead .
70. News: Elisa Mala . Global Psyche: Magic Kingdom; In Iceland, the land of elves, you're never alone . 2008 . . 26 December 2008 .
71. Web site: East Iceland : Álfaborg . 10 January 2009 . Markaðsstofa Austurlands . Right by the village, the legally protected hill of Icelandic: Álfaborg|italic=no, which the "fjord of Borg", Icelandic: Borgarfjörður eystri|italic=no, is named after, rises about 30 m high. Accessed by an easy trail and with an observation point on top, Icelandic: Álfaborg|italic=no is home to the queen of the Icelandic elves. . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315221231/http://en.east.is/Thingstoseeanddo/ViewAttraction/alfaborg . 15 March 2012 . dead.
72. Book: Fran Parnell . Etain O'Carroll . Iceland . . 2007 . . 261 . 978-1-74104-537-6 . 82672249 .
73. Book: Bill Holm . The windows of Brimnes: an American in Iceland . Milkweed Editions . 2007 . . 63–72 . 978-1-57131-302-7 . On the south face of the headland stand several basalt columns called Icelandic: Búðarbrekkur|italic=no (the Shop Slope). Local lore has it that this is the church, shop, and dwelling of the elves. . registration .
74. Book: Jonathan Wilcox . Zawiah Abdul Latif . Cultures of the World: Iceland . Marshall Cavendish . 2007 . . 88 . 978-0-7614-2074-3 .
75. Web site: Attraction: Stapafell . 20 June 2011 . Visit Iceland . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004031755/http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/stapafell . 4 October 2011 . dead.
76. Web site: Attraction: Laugar in Saelingsdal . 20 June 2011 . Visit Iceland . At about 3 km from Laugar you may find the rocky hill Tungustapi, home of elves. . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004031823/http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/laugar-in-saelingsdal . 4 October 2011 . dead.
77. Web site: Attraction: Londrangar basalt cliffs . 20 June 2011 . Visit Iceland . The farmers in the area never made or make hay on the hill, because it is said to belong to the elves living in the area. . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004031915/http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/londrangar-basalt-cliffs . 4 October 2011 . dead.
78. Áminning . Glettingur . 2002 . Sigurður Kristjánsson . 12 . 2 . 30 . is.
79. Web site: Iceland Road Guide: Grímsey . 11 July 2011 . 2009 . Vegahandbókin ehf. . Icelandic: Grímsey|italic=no is said to be the home of many elves or "hidden people", whose church is supposed to be at Icelandic: Nónbrík|italic=no..
80. News: Diane Slawych . Gimli's hidden people . 15 September 2004 . https://archive.today/20120801094008/http://travel.canoe.ca/Travel/Canada/Prairies/2004/09/15/630343.html . usurped . August 1, 2012 . Canoe Travel . 31 May 2009 .
81. News: Dilla Narfason . Huldufólk Found and Exposed in Gimli . 9 July 1993 . Lögberg-Heimskringla . 2 . 7 June 2009 .
82. Web site: McHenry . Jackson . 2017-08-09 . Unlike the Internet, the Frozen Musical Will Have No Trolls . 2022-11-10 . Vulture . en-us.
83. Web site: SKÁLD on Instagram: "" They can make themselves visible at will " #newalbum #comingsoon" . 2022-11-10 . Instagram . en.