Environmental protests were trying to stop work on a highway south of Reykjavik for years before they found a tactic that worked: claiming the route would destroy an elf church.
Question: When Icelandic protestors tried to stop the completion of a highway that had taken eight years to build, what invisible secret weapon did they rely on?
Answer: Elves
In 2013, eight years after Iceland began work on a highway south of Reykjavik, construction crews came to an impasse—not a literal one, but cultural. Environmental protesters had been trying to stop the project for some time and they finally hit upon a tactic that worked: they said the route would destroy an elf church. Yes, an elf church. And they were quite serious.
Iceland is famous for its embrace of the huldufólk, "hidden folk" who share Iceland with humanity. These never-seen beings are often said to be responsible for quizzically-placed stacks of rocks rising up to 12 feet in height. Called elf homes and elf churches, they have long been a part of the public imagination.
These elfen structures are so beloved—and, by some, taken so seriously—that construction was actually halted for months until this particular elf church could be moved in its entirety, and placed in a similar setting where it would not be disrupted by the highway. Only then could work resume. In the end, the environmentalists lost, but the place of elves in Icelandic folklore was reaffirmed.
How the Elves Rule Iceland
- Huldufólk first appeared in the Icelandic Sagas 700 years ago, and really boomed in 17th century literature. Because the Icelandic language has changed so little, readers can enjoy the original tales clearly even now. As a result, they are deeply engrained in Iceland’s sense of national identity.
- It is often claimed that Icelanders all believe that elves are real. That’s an exaggeration of a 1995 study in which 70% of respondents interested in alternative beliefs said they were sure elves exist. However, it is indeed true that general population surveys three decades apart (first in 1975 and again in 2006) found that 1 in 3 Icelanders think that it is possible that hidden people exist.
- On the theory that elves might possibly be real, it has become tradition to leave their imagined homes untouched. The highway construction crew was not the first to bump up against reluctance to touch the rock formations: contractors, developers, and realtors have all faced similar resistance and often now scout sites in advance for hint of elf-based controversy.
- To make it easier to spot where the hidden folk live, some locals have made it a custom to paint bright elf doorways on the rock formations.
- Avoiding disturbing the elves is not just about politeness, but safety. Unexplained project mishaps—from broken equipment to immovable objects—are attributed to the hidden folk. As Icelandic folklorist Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir once told The Guardian this year, "The elves are seen as friendly, beautiful creatures, but you have to respect them, or they will take their revenge."
Keep your eyes peeled for signs of the huldufólk when you explore Untamed Iceland with O.A.T.
