Hidden People
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Not Seeing Is Believing
Exploring the past, present and future of Icelanders’ belief in the huldafólk Hidden people, also known as elves or Huldufólk, are a part of Icelandic folklore and culture. They are believed to be supernatural beings who live in the natural environment, hidden…
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Negotiations With “Hidden People” Go Well
When the digging of a country water well ran into complications, one culprit was deemed responsible: invisible, magical “huldufólk”. RÚV reports that there had been numerous failed attempts to drill a cold water well in Hegranes, in north Iceland, prompting suspicions amongst…
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Have You Seen Hidden People?
During her childhood in Flói, a small rural area in Southwest Iceland, author Unnur Jökulsdóttir grew up with stories of the Hidden People. “My grandmother who was born and raised in the north had a great deal of affection for elves and…
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In A Class By ItsELF
Reykjavík’s Elfschool is an institution of learning unlike anything you’ve experienced before. Nestled on the second floor of a nondescript building in the commercial neighbourhood Skeifan, this one-of-a-kind school purports to teach “everything that is known about elves and hidden people,” according…
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Hiding in Plain Sight
In early 2014, we at Reykjavík Grapevine were forwarded a hand-drawn image entitled “Huldufolk [sic] of Iceland Remote Viewed.” The simple line drawing surrounded by redacted text was rather unlike any images of huldufólk that we had ever seen, a not at…
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Hidden People: They’re Just Like Us (Kind Of)
When foreign media outlets report on Iceland and need to add a little local colour, they will invariably throw in a quick, ironical side note about the country’s pervasive belief in elves, or Hidden People. The tone is generally one of indulgence…
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Hidden People Folktales
It is due to the efforts of two men, Jón Árnason (1819-1888) and Magnús Grímsson (1825-1860), that such a large body of 18th and 19th century Icelandic folktales exist today. Jón was a writer and also the first librarian of the National…
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Sour grapes & stuff: Issue 12, 2014
Say your piece, voice your opinion, send your letters to letters@grapevine.is Most Awesome Letter of the Issue ELVES! The headlines said the Iceland elves Played a big role in where they delved Putting a road where there was none Would surely please…
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Monsters And Mythical Beings X: The Hidden People
This tenth instalment in our illustrated series of Iceland’s monsters and mythical beings revolves around huldufólk, the Hidden People. Actually, the majority of Icelanders will refute claims that huldufólk are a mythical construct, calmly proclaiming belief in the species. Icelandic construction projects…