Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Hills Are Alive...


Last fall, in the midst of my psychology class, i was researching a paper and looking through one of my new favorite magazines, Psychology Today. I stumbled upon a great article about Iceland entitled Magic Kingdom, which caught my eye since at the time I was balls-deep into Sigur Rós' newest album. Already provided with a lush, ambient, shoegazey backdrop, I automatically transported myself to this place as I often do with whatever I read. If your the same way, pack your bags...

Global Psyche: Magic Kingdom
In Iceland, The Land Of Elves, You're Never Alone.

For many Icelanders, elves don't just live in fairy tales. They dwell in hills and valleys, rocks and flowers, and even houses. Some reside on Álfhólsvegur (Elf Hill Road), a street in the town of Kópavogur. Others live at the Icelandic Elf School, which offers a nonacademic diploma in Elf Studies and leads an elf hunt in the nation's capital, Reykjavik.

Bearing no resemblance to Keebler characters, the huldufólk are human in size and appearance. Only, Icelanders believe, they are better-dressed, wear ornate jewelry, and form their own churches.

Only 3 percent of Icelanders lay claim to personal encounters, but 8 percent believe in them outright and 54 percent won't deny their existence, reveals a poll conducted in 2007 by Terry Gunnell, head of folkloristics at the University of Iceland. "Rather than believe," he explains, "they don't disbelieve."

Fearing curses, even skeptics go to great lengths to protect the hidden people. Patches of grass suspected to house invisible residents are left un-mowed. To avoid removal of inhabited "elf stones," the general public can petition to divert roads and halt construction of buildings. "The Icelandic government wants to make sure that people with different beliefs are taken care of," says filmmaker Nisha Inalsingh, who explores the phenomenon in her documentary Huldufólk 102.

The huldufólk (hidden people) come in many different varieties, a few include:

  • Blómálfar: Flower elves
  • Búálfar: House elves
  • Ættarfylgjur: Family spirits
  • Fylgjur: Guardian angels, accompanying spirits

View the entire article here.

Psychology Today Magazine,

May/Jun 2008Last Reviewed 8 Jul 2008

Article ID: 4595


As if my love of this country couldn't get any deeper. The humble people of Iceland actually petition to divert roads and halt construction to protect acres of sacred, un-mowed patches of folklore. Here in the hustle and bustle of city life, one may scoff at the very idea or at the very least entertain the notion of holding such intangibles so near and dear for a minute or two before promptly returning to their grande latte enemas and fly-by-night, touch and go relationships. But to LIVE it, you just have to respect the almost childlike ideals that are a part of their everyday life. It's also given me a better understanding about the music the country produces. The landscape and the lifestyle mesh perfectly with the lush, melodic eargasms helmed by the likes of Sigur Rós, Björk, Múm and so many others. I think we could use a few huldufólk in each of our communities. But due to the increasing the risk of getting shanked at the ATM, I think they'd be better off in a place where they are protected and celebrated.

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