Huldufólk#Tourism

Terry Gunnell writes: "different beliefs could have lived side by side in multicultural settlement Iceland before they gradually blended into the latter-day Icelandic {{lang|is|álfar|italic=yes}} and {{lang|is|huldufólk|italic=yes}}."{{Cite journal |author=Terry Gunnell |title=How Elvish Were The Álfar? |journal=The 13th International Saga Conference |year=2007 |url=http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/gunnell.htm |access-date=2008-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304123051/http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/gunnell.htm |archive-date=2007-03-04 |url-status=dead }} He also writes: "{{lang|is|Huldufólk|italic=yes}} and {{lang|is|álfar|italic=yes}} undoubtedly arose from the same need. The Norse settlers had the {{lang|is|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."{{Cite news |author=Marc Vincenz |title=To Be or Not to Be: Álfar, Elves, Huldufólk, Fairies and Dwarves: Are They Really All the Same Thing? |date=27 May 2009 |url=http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/Article-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be |work=The Reykjavík Grapevine |access-date=10 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404114957/http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/Article-To-Be-or-Not-to-Be |archive-date=2010-04-04 |url-status=dead }}

Precursors to elves/hidden people can be found in the writings of {{lang|non|Snorri Sturluson|italic=no}}{{Cite book |author=Alaric Timothy Peter Hall |title=The Meanings of Elf and Elves in Medieval England |publisher=Department of English Language, University of Glasgow |year=2004 |pages=31–37 |url=http://www.alarichall.org.uk/ahphdful.pdf }} and in skaldic verse.{{Cite book |author=Alaric Timothy Peter Hall |title=The Meanings of Elf and Elves in Medieval England |publisher=Department of English Language, University of Glasgow |year=2004 |pages=37–44 |url=http://www.alarichall.org.uk/ahphdful.pdf }} Elves were also mentioned in Poetic Edda,{{Cite journal |title=The Extreme Emotional Life of Völundr the Elf |journal=Scandinavian Studies |year=2006 |author=Ármann Jakobsson |volume=78 |issue=3 |pages=227–254 |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+extreme+emotional+life+of+Volundr+the+elf-a0157035504 |access-date=2010-05-26 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and appear to be connected to fertility.{{Cite journal |title=Folk Narrative and Norse Mythology |journal=Arv: Nordic Yearbook of Folklore |year=1990 |author=Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson |volume=46 |pages=120 |url=http://gegnir.is/F/N67LVX5SFCUDC7P8T5HHK51I8HAII7M3SHCGV8PK6S55FY655V-32009?func=full-set-set&set_number=323739&set_entry=000001&format=999 |access-date=18 February 2009 }}

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."{{Cite web |url=http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/originunder.html#icelandelves |title=Origin of the Hidden People: Two Legends from Iceland by Jón Arnason |access-date=18 September 2008 |author=D. L. Ashliman |work=D. L. Ashliman's folktexts }} Other Christian folktales claim that hidden people originate from Lilith, or are fallen angels condemned to live between heaven and hell.{{Cite book |author1=Brian Pilkington |author2=Terry Gunnell |title=The Hidden People of Iceland |publisher={{lang|is|Mál og menning|italic=no}} |year=2008 |location=Reykjavík |pages=4 |isbn=978-9979-3-2955-8 }}

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. {{lang|is|Aðalheiður Guðmundsdóttir|italic=no}} concludes that these legends "show that Icelanders missed dancing".{{Cite journal |title=How Icelandic legends reflect the prohibition on dancing |journal=Arv: Nordic Yearbook of Folklore |year=2006 |author=Aðalheiður Guðmundsdóttir |volume=61 |pages=25–52 |url=http://uni.hi.is/adalh/files/2010/04/Arv.pdf |access-date=18 February 2009 }}

In the 13th and 14th centuries, books from mainland Europe reached Iceland, and may have influenced folktales about elves.{{Cite book |author=Einar Ólafur Sveinsson |author2=Einar G. Pétursson |author3=Benedikt Benedikz |author4=Anthony Faulkes |title=The Folk-Stories of Iceland |publisher=Viking Society For Northern Research |year=2003 |location=University College London |page=175 |url=http://www.vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Text%20Series/Folk-stories.pdf |isbn=978-0-903521-53-6 }}

{{lang|is|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."{{Cite book |author=Einar Ólafur Sveinsson |author2=Einar G. Pétursson |author3=Benedikt Benedikz |author4=Anthony Faulkes |title=The Folk-Stories of Iceland |publisher=Viking Society For Northern Research |year=2003 |location=University College London |page=176 |url=http://www.vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Text%20Series/Folk-stories.pdf |isbn=978-0-903521-53-6 }} According to Árni Björnsson, belief in hidden people grew during the 17th and 18th centuries when Iceland was facing tough times.{{Cite news |author=David Wallis |title=The World: Gnome Is Where the Heart Is; What Little Elves Tell Icelanders |date=19 September 1999 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/19/weekinreview/the-world-gnome-is-where-the-heart-is-what-little-elves-tell-icelanders.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=3 October 2008 }}

According to Davide Finco Genoa, elves have existed in religious context as far back as the Stone age. He uses Swedish elf offering cups, known as "alvkvarnar," as an example.{{Cite journal |last=Finco |first=Davide |date=2016 |title=Dancing with Elves, from Curses to literary Jokes |url=https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/4328907 |journal=AION: annali: sezione germanica [North and magic] |volume=26 |issue=5 |pages=13–31 |via=Torrossa}}

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.{{Cite book |author=Katrin Sontag |title=Parallel worlds: fieldwork with elves, Icelanders and academics |publisher=University of Iceland |year=2007 |pages=94–95 |url=http://gegnir.is/F/MM9G6DFRJE44BM7KT617HPDCJTQSRQAFQL4IR7LCJ3FY3H61DV-06177?func=full-set-set&set_number=512322&set_entry=000006&format=999 }} Elf bonfires ({{lang|is|álfabrennur|italic=yes}}) are a common part of the holiday festivities on Twelfth Night (January 6).{{Cite news |title=Álfabrenna í Bolungarvík |date=4 January 2007 |url=http://www.vikari.is/?m=0&cat=2&pageid=1013&page=95 |work=vikari.is |access-date=18 February 2009 |archive-date=19 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219060233/http://www.vikari.is/?m=0&cat=2&pageid=1013&page=95 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |author=Bjarni Brynjólfsson |title=Charming Season |date=27 December 2007 |url=http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/search/news/Default.asp?ew_0_a_id=297381 |work=Iceland Review |access-date=18 February 2009 |archive-date=17 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217172250/http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/search/news/Default.asp?ew_0_a_id=297381 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite journal |title=Elves and electricity: Midwinter in Iceland |journal=Scandinavian Review |year=1994 |author=Jeffrey Cosser |volume=82 |issue=3 |pages=62–66 |url=http://www.amscan.org/publications.html |access-date=18 February 2009 }} There are many Icelandic folktales about elves and hidden people invading Icelandic farmhouses during Christmas and holding wild parties.{{Cite journal |title=The Coming of the Christmas Visitors: Folk Legends Concerning the Attacks on Icelandic Farmhouses Made by Spirits at Christmas |journal=Northern Studies |year=2004 |author=Terry Gunnell |volume=38 |pages=51–75 |url=http://www3.hi.is/~terry/articles/TerryGunnell-2004_The_Coming_of_the_Christmas_Visitors.pdf |access-date=18 March 2009 |archive-date=4 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004185202/http://www3.hi.is/~terry/articles/TerryGunnell-2004_The_Coming_of_the_Christmas_Visitors.pdf |url-status=dead }} It is customary in Iceland to clean the house before Christmas, and to leave food for the {{lang|is|huldufólk}} on Christmas.{{Cite news |author=Kristiana Magnusson |title=As Christmas Bells Ring Out |date=13 December 1991 |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=164601&pageId=2238645&lang=en&q=Huldufólk |work=Lögberg-Heimskringla |pages=16 |access-date=7 June 2009 }} 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.{{cite news |author=Merle Alexander |title=Christmas abounds with spirits |date=19 December 1995 |work=The Oregonian |pages=FD02 }} 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.{{cite news |author=Sigrún María Kristinsdóttir |title=Getting down with the elves |date=6 January 2006 |url=https://www.yukon-news.com/news/getting-down-with-the-elves/ |work=Yukon News |access-date=19 December 2010 }}

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."{{Cite journal|author=B. S. Benedikz |year=1973|title=Basic Themes in Icelandic Folklore|journal=Folklore|volume=84|issue=1|pages=1–26 |doi=10.1080/0015587x.1973.9716492 |jstor=1260433}}

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."{{Cite journal |title=Spirits of the Land: A Tool for Social Education |journal=Bookbird |year=1999 |author=Ólina Thorvarðardóttir |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=34 |url=http://www.literature.at/viewer.alo?objid=14721&viewmode=fullscreen&scale=3.33&rotate=&page=35 |access-date=28 December 2010 }}

Michael Strmiska writes:

: "The {{lang|is|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."{{Cite journal |title=Ásatrú in Iceland: The Rebirth of Nordic Paganism? |journal=Nova Religio |date=October 2000 |author=Michael Strmiska |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=126 |doi=10.1525/nr.2000.4.1.106}}

{{lang|is|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."{{Cite book |author=Anna Heida Pálsdóttir |title=History, Landscape and National Identity: A Comparative Study of Contemporary English and Icelandic Children's Literature |publisher=University of Coventry |year=2002 |pages=206 |url=http://www.ritlist.is/anna/PhD_Thesis_Palsdottir_2002.pdf |access-date=2009-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022090553/http://www.ritlist.is/anna/PhD_Thesis_Palsdottir_2002.pdf |archive-date=2016-10-22 |url-status=dead }}

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."{{Cite book |author=Alan Boucher |title=Elves, Trolls and Elemental Beings: Icelandic folktales II |publisher = Iceland Review Library |year=1977 |location=Reykjavík |pages=12 |oclc=4277414 }}

Robert Anderson writes that syncretism

: "is active in Iceland where Christianity, spiritism, and Icelandic elf lore have syncretized in at least a couple instances."{{cite book |first=Robert Thomas |last=Anderson |year=2005 |title=The Ghosts of Iceland |publisher=Thomson Wadsworth |location=Belmont, CA |isbn=978-0-534-61052-4 |page=155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wc19AAAAMAAJ&q=elf+lore |via=Google }}

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 {{lang|is|huldufólk}} seem in many ways to represent the Icelander's dreams of a more perfect and happy existence."{{cite book |contributor-last=Gunnell |contributor-first=Terry |year=2007 |contribution=Introduction |title=Hildur, Queen of the Elves |first=Jane M. |last=Bedell |publisher=Interlink Books |location=Northampton, MA |pages=11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2se0AAAAIAAJ |isbn=978-1-56656-633-9 }}

Anthropologist {{lang|is|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 {{lang|is|huldufólk}} stories."{{cite news |first=Kevin Jon |last=Johnsan |date=24 February 1995 |title=Huldufólk and social history |newspaper=Lögberg-Heimskringla |place=Winnipeg, Manitoba |pages=1, 6 |issn=0047-4967 |lang=en |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=164740&pageId=2239926&lang=en |via=timarit.is |access-date=18 September 2009 }}

{{lang|pl|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."{{Cite journal |first=Anna |last=Pietrzkiewicz |date=9 May 2009 |title=Huldufólk beliefs in Iceland and the problem of isolation: Interpreting supernatural folklore in the context of building identity |journal=Taking Shetland Out of the Box: Island cultures and Shetland identity |place=Lerwick, Shetland, UK |pages=27 |url=http://www.islanddynamics.net/TakingShetlandOutOfTheBox2009.pdf |via=islanddynamics.net |url-status=dead }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Hidden people often appear in the dreams of Icelanders.{{Cite journal |title=Dreams in Icelandic Tradition |journal=Folklore |date=June 1958 |author=Gabriel Turville-Petre |author-link=Gabriel Turville-Petre |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=102–3 |jstor=1258718 }} They are usually described as wearing 19th century Icelandic clothing,{{Cite book |first1=Brian |last1=Pilkington |first2=Terry |last2=Gunnell |year=2008 |title=The Hidden People of Iceland |publisher=Mál og menning |place=Reykjavík, IS |page=2 |isbn=978-9979-3-2955-8 }} and are often described as wearing green.{{cite conference |first=Anna |last=Zanchi |title=The colour green in medieval Icelandic literature: Natural, supernatural, symbolic? |conference=The 13th International Saga Conference |location=Durham and York, UK |pages=5–6 |year=2006 |url=http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/zanchi.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=2009-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724044247/http://www.dur.ac.uk/medieval.www/sagaconf/zanchi.htm |archive-date=2009-07-24 }}

In one version of modern Faroese folklore, the hidden people vanished in the 1950s when electricity was brought to the island.{{cite news |first=Susan Salter |last=Reynolds |date=27 April 2003 |title=Hunting whales in west L.A.: Political correctness, cultural imperialism and the long, long journey for the real taste of blubber |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives |via=latimes.com |access-date=28 November 2010 }}

"The Elf Maiden" is a Norse folklore about a young man who marries an elf woman. As their marriage progresses, the elf maiden begins to periodically, miraculously disappear from his sight. The elf maiden finally tells her husband that she will eventually disappear, permanently, and that the only way to prevent it is by hammering a nail into a threshold{{cite book |last=Lang |first=Andrew |year=2021 |title=The Brown Fairy Book |publisher=Mint Editions |isbn=978-1513281667 |pages=118–122 |lang=en }}

According to Scandinavian Author Ármann Jakobsson,

: "In the Eyrbyggja saga", we find the familiar idea that people are expected to relieve themselves at a safe distance from a sacred spot, and the word used (dlfrek) indicates that the alfar be expected to get angry."{{cite journal |last=Jakobsson |first=Ármann |year=2006 |title=The extreme emotional life of Vǫlundr the elf |journal=Scandinavian Studies |volume=78 |issue=3 |pages=227–254 |jstor=40920693 }}

In her book, Icelandic Folktales and Legends, Jacqueline Simpson provides two origins stories for the Huldufolk:{{Cite book |last=Simpson |first=Jacqueline |year=1972 |title=Icelandic Folktales and Legends |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520021167 |page=1 |lang=en }}

• The first story says the Huldufolk are some of the children of Adam and Eve. These children were not washed and therefore Eve avoided presenting them to God. In return, God said; "That which had to be hidden from Me, shall also be hidden from man," thus creating the "hidden people" / huldufolk / elves, out of the children and their offspring.
• The second folktale describing the origin of Huldufolk says that when the devil raised a revolt in heaven, the inhabitants who did not side with him, but also were not against him, were sent down to Earth. They would live in, "knowles, hills, and rocks" and "cannot live with other people." These people are the Huldifolk or Elves.

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.{{Cite journal|author=Árni Björnsson|year=1996|title=Hvað merkir þjóðtrú?|trans-title=What does popular belief mean?|url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=385878&pageId=6538556|journal=Skírnir|language=is|volume=170|pages=91–93}} About 10% seemed to actually believe in hidden people. 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.{{Cite web |url=http://www3.hi.is/~erlendur/english/englishsummary75.doc |title=Results of a survey on psychic, religious and folkloric experiences and beliefs in Iceland|author=Erlendur Haraldsson |year=1975|format=DOC|access-date=1 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219175152/http://www3.hi.is/~erlendur/english/englishsummary75.doc|archive-date=19 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=198199&pageId=2971927&lang=en|title=Skoöanakönnun DV um álfatrú: Meirihluti þjoðarinnar trúir á álfa og huldufólk|date=22 July 1998 |work=DV|access-date=5 October 2010|page=2|language=is|trans-title=The majority of the people believe in elves and hidden people}}{{Cite journal|author=Valdimar Hafstein|year=2000|title=The Elves' Point of View: Cultural identity in contemporary Icelandic elf tradition|url=http://www3.hi.is/~vth/Elves%20point%20of%20view.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=Fabula|volume=41|issue=1–2|pages=87–104 |doi=10.1515/fabl.2000.41.1-2.87|s2cid=162055463|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004185101/http://www3.hi.is/~vth/Elves%20point%20of%20view.pdf|archive-date=4 October 2011|access-date=1 September 2008}}

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."{{Cite news |author=Sveinn Birkir Björnsson |date=6 October 2007 |url=http://www.grapevine.is/default.aspx?show=paper&part=fullstory&id=1953 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130218140744/http://www.grapevine.is/default.aspx?show=paper&part=fullstory&id=1953 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 February 2013 |title=Elves in Cultural Vocabulary |work=The Reykjavík Grapevine Online |access-date=1 September 2008 |author2=Terry Gunnell}} Different ways of asking could elicit very different responses.{{Cite journal |author=Kirsten Hastrup|year=2004|title=Getting it right: Knowledge and evidence in anthropology |url=http://ant.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/4/4/455 |journal=Anthropological Theory |volume=4|issue=4|pages=465–466 |doi=10.1177/1463499604047921|s2cid=145058207|access-date=1 September 2008|url-access=subscription}}

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.

The Icelandic Elf School in {{lang|is|Reykjavík|italic=no}} organizes five-hour-long educational excursions for visitors.{{Cite news |author=Douglas McArthur |title=Elfschool tries to make a believer out of everyone |date=13 March 1996 |work=The Globe and Mail }}{{Cite news |author=Sally Kindberg |title=Elves are alive and well in Iceland |date=12 November 2000 |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/promotions/article-918246-details/Elves+are+alive+and+well+in+Iceland/article.do |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110606040923/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/promotions/article-918246-details/Elves+are+alive+and+well+in+Iceland/article.do |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 June 2011 |work=London Evening Standard |access-date=5 February 2009 }}

{{lang|is|Hafnarfjörður|italic=no}} offers a "Hidden Worlds tour", a guided walk of about 90 minutes. It includes a stroll through {{lang|is|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.

{{lang|is|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."{{cite web |url=http://www.icelandicwonders.com/ |title=Icelandic Wonders — Elves, Trolls, Myths, Folklore |access-date=2 October 2010 }}

Information boards at Dverghamrar state that the local variety of dwarf is 20–30 cm tall.{{Cite web |last=Stefansdottir |first=Erla |title=Icelandic dwarf living in Dverghamar (South-Iceland) |url=https://arcticportal.org/images/news/2023/dvergur_Dverghomrum.jpg |access-date=6 July 2024}}

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 {{lang|is|Keflavík|italic=no}} to look for "elves who might be endangered by American Phantom jets and AWACS reconnaissance planes."{{Cite news |author=James M. Markham |title=Iceland's elves are enlisted in anti-NATO effort |date=30 March 1982 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/30/world/iceland-s-elves-are-enlisted-in-anti-nato-effort.html |work=The New York Times |pages=A2 |access-date=1 May 2009 }} In 2004, Alcoa had to have a government expert certify that their chosen building site was free of archaeological sites, including ones related to {{lang|is|huldufólk}} folklore, before they could build an aluminium smelter in Iceland.{{Cite news |author=Michael Lewis |title=Wall Street on the Tundra |date=April 2009 |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/04/iceland200904 |work=Vanity Fair |access-date=9 March 2009 }}{{Cite news |author=Jonas Moody |title=Vanity Fair{{'}}s Fishy Tales From Iceland |date=18 March 2009 |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/03/reality_check_vanity_fairs_fis.html |work=New York |access-date=26 July 2009 }} In 2011, elves/{{lang|is|huldufólk}} were believed by some to be responsible for an incident in {{lang|is|Bolungarvík|italic=no}} where rocks rained down on residential streets.{{cite news |title=Angry Elves Said to Have Wreaked Havoc in West Fjords |date=24 June 2011 |url=http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Angry_Elves_Said_to_Have_Wreaked_Havoc_in_West_Fjords_0_379383.news.aspx |work=Iceland Review Online |access-date=5 July 2011 |archive-date=29 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329134710/http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Angry_Elves_Said_to_Have_Wreaked_Havoc_in_West_Fjords_0_379383.news.aspx |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |title=Icelandic town hopes angry elves have been soothed by songs |date=2 July 2011 |url=http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2011/07/02/icelandic-town-hopes-angry-elves-have-been-soothed-by-songs/#more-24787 |work=IceNews |access-date=5 July 2011 |archive-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815031751/http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2011/07/02/icelandic-town-hopes-angry-elves-have-been-soothed-by-songs/#more-24787 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author=Birgir Olgeirsson |title=Á von á frekari hamförum verði álfar ekki beðnir afsökunar: Segir veru hafa látist við gerð Bolungarvíkurganga |date=24 June 2011 |url=http://www.dv.is/frettir/2011/6/24/von-frekari-hamforum-verdi-alfar-ekki-bednir-afsokunar/ |work=Dagblaðið Vísir |access-date=5 July 2011 |language=is |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628203708/http://www.dv.is/frettir/2011/6/24/von-frekari-hamforum-verdi-alfar-ekki-bednir-afsokunar/ |archive-date=28 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}

In 2013, proposed road construction from the {{lang|is|Álftanes|italic=no}} peninsula to the {{lang|is|Reykjavík|italic=no}} suburb of {{lang|is|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.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/road-project-in-iceland-delayed-to-protect-hidden-elves-9021768.html|title=Road project in Iceland delayed to protect 'hidden' elves|author=Kashmira Gander|date=23 December 2013|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=27 December 2013}} According to G Pétur Matthíasson, head of communication at the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, "[one of the protesters] was interested in this one big rock that was in the line of the road. We then look at it, not through believing in elves, but believing that elves or hidden people are part of our cultural heritage. We looked at this big rock formation and saw that it was unique, and decided that because we could move [the road], we would try to do that.” https://web.archive.org/web/20250121165053/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20181217-the-elusive-hidden-people-of-iceland

In 2013, in Reykjavik, construction on a road was halted because a group of protesters showed up, included people who believed that the construction would "disturb the habitat of elves that live among the rocks."{{Cite news |last=Palm |first=D. |date=2014 |title=Did Elves Delay Road Construction in Iceland? |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2014/05/p31.pdf |work=Skeptical Inquirer}}

In her book, Icelandic Folktales and Legends, Jacqueline Simpson says that Elves, "can do both good and evil, and both in the highest degree."{{Cite book |last=Simpson |first=Jacqueline |title=Icelandic Folktales and Legends |date=1972 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520021167 |publication-date=1972 |pages=1 |language=English}}

In Snorri Sturluson's The Prose Edda, the story of "The Beluiling of Gylfi," Elves are described as being either Dark or Light, both in manner and appearance: "That which is called Alfheimer is one, where dwell the peoples called Light Elves; but the Dark-Elves dwell down in the earth, and they are unlike in appearance, but are far more unlike in nature. The Light-Elves are fairer to look upon than the sun, but the Dark-Elves are blacker than pitch."{{Cite book |last=Sturluson |first=Snorri |title=The Prose Edda: Tales From Norse Mythology |publisher=Read Books Ltd. |year=2013 |isbn=9781409727613 |location=Las Vegas, Nevada |publication-date=2013 |pages=57 |language=en}}

Terry Gunnel argues that the Eddic poem, Völundarkviða, presents elves as having a "Dangerous, supernatural 'otherness'" to them.

In a BBC Ideas Youtube Video, Icelandic residents are interviewed on their beliefs on the Huldufolk. Within the video, Storyteller, Sigurbjörg Karlsdóttir argues that "whether you believe it or not, these stories about the elves and these creatures, they teach us to respect nature." Student, Helga Osterby Thordardottir, argues similarly, saying that "Maybe the Huldifolk is giving Nature a voice"{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzGmwlXirC4 |title=Iceland's magical world of elves {{!}} BBC Ideas |date=2019-04-25 |last=BBC Ideas |access-date=2024-12-02 |via=YouTube}}

In a Youtube film by Julia Laird titled, "Hidden People," politician and resident of the Icelandic town of Hafnarfjörður, Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir, claims that she can speak to the Huldufolk. Jónsdóttir argues that "Some are farmers, some are fishermen, you know just living their regular life like we do." She also says that the Huldufolk are "Willing to help everyone in need, and it does not matter what color, or where they come from or what faith [...] If someone is in need, they are willing to help"{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZgKz4RXpIc |title=Hidden People (2018) |date=2018-09-24 |last=Julia Laird |access-date=2024-12-02 |via=YouTube}}

File:Álfaborg, Iceland.jpg

• {{lang|is|Hulduhóll|italic=no}} (Elfin Hill), a hillock approximately 60 meters west of {{lang|is|Kirkjuhóll|italic=no}}{{Cite journal |title=A Viking-age Valley in Iceland: The Mosfell Archaeological Project |journal=Medieval Archaeology |year=2005 |author=Jesse Byock |author2=Jon Erlandson |author2-link=Jon Erlandson |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=196 |doi=10.1179/007660905x54080 |s2cid=162307212 |url=http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-769-1/ahds/dissemination/pdf/vol49/49_195_218.pdf |access-date=2008-12-26 |quote=When we dug our first test trench at {{lang|is|Kirkjuhóll|italic=no}}, {{lang|is|Ólafur|italic=no}} informed us that no agricultural machinery had ever been used on the knoll because of the reverence attached to {{lang|is|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 {{lang|is|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. }} ({{coord|64|11|17.52|N|21|38|31.38|W|region:IS|name=Hulduhóll}})
• {{lang|is|Hafnarfjörður|italic=no}};{{Cite news |author=Sarah Lyall |title=Building in Iceland? Better Clear It With the Elves First |date=13 July 2005 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/international/europe/13elves.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=1 December 2008 }}{{Cite book |author=Fran Parnell |author2=Etain O'Carroll |title=Iceland |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2007 |location=Footscray, Victoria |page=103 |isbn=978-1-74104-537-6 |oclc=82672249 }}{{Cite book |author=Erla Stefánsdóttir |title=Hafnarfjörður, huliðsheimakort |publisher=Ferðamálanefnd Hafnarfjörður |year=1993 |location=Hafnarfjörður |url=http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html |access-date=2008-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117011942/http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html |archive-date=2008-01-17 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |author=Gulli Amason |title=Travel: Land of the national elf service Far out: Hafnarfjörður, Iceland (where the hidden people live) |date=14 June 2001 |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5173241.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022185639/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5173241.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 October 2012 |work=The Independent |access-date=27 December 2008 }}{{Cite web |url=http://alfar.is/Index/English/ |title=Hidden world walks |access-date=27 December 2008 |author=Sigurbjörg Karlsdottir |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204192916/http://alfar.is/Index/English |archive-date=4 February 2009 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite news |title=Ferðamenn nýta sér þjónustu álfagöngufyrirtækisins Horft í hamarinn: Það er meira en augað sér |date=13 February 2003 |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=251228&pageId=3463849&lang=en |work=Morgunblaðið |page=17 |access-date=8 June 2009 |language=is }} areas include:
• {{lang|is|Hellisgerði|italic=no}} Lava Park ({{coord|64|4|17|N|21|57|30|W|region:IS|name=Hellisgerði Lava Park}})
• {{lang|is|Hamarinn|italic=no}} Cliffs ({{coord|64|3|57.81|N|21|56|59.06|W|region:IS|name=Hamarinn Cliffs}})
• near {{lang|is|Sundhöll Hafnarfjardar|italic=no}} swimming pool{{Cite book |author=Erla Stefánsdóttir |title=Hafnarfjörður, huliðsheimakort |publisher=Ferðamálanefnd Hafnarfjörður |year=1993 |location=Hafnarfjörður |url=http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html |quote=1. Colourful, kindly elves live near the swimming pool in particularly beautiful houses. |access-date=2008-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117011942/http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html |archive-date=2008-01-17 |url-status=dead }} ({{coord|64|4|22.02|N|21|58|7.62|W|region:IS|name=Sundhöll Hafnarfjardar}})
• {{lang|is|Setbergshamar|italic=no}} cliff{{Cite book |author=Erla Stefánsdóttir |title=Hafnarfjörður, huliðsheimakort |publisher=Ferðamálanefnd Hafnarfjörður |year=1993 |location=Hafnarfjörður |url=http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html |quote=4. Setbergshamar cliff is the home of dwarfs, elves and hidden people with their own elven workshops, churches, schools and libraries. |access-date=2008-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117011942/http://www.rosin.is/Erla%20Alfakort.html |archive-date=2008-01-17 |url-status=dead }} ({{coord|64|4|16.08|N|21|55|57.96|W|region:IS|name=Setbergshamar cliff}})
• {{lang|is|Ásbyrgi|italic=no}} ({{coord|66|0|52|N|16|30|12|W|region:IS|name=Ásbyrgi}})
• {{lang|is|Lambi|italic=no}}
• {{lang|is|Álfhólsvegur|italic=no}} (Elf Hill Road), a street in {{lang|is|Kópavogur|italic=no}}{{Cite news |author=Elisa Mala |title=Global Psyche: Magic Kingdom; In Iceland, the land of elves, you're never alone |year=2008 |url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20080514-000003.html |work=Psychology Today |access-date=26 December 2008 }} ({{coord|64|6|40.62|N|21|52|12.66|W|region:IS|name=Álfhólsvegur}})
• {{lang|is|Álfaborg|italic=no}} in {{lang|is|Borgarfjörður Eystri|italic=no}}{{Cite web |url=http://en.east.is/Thingstoseeanddo/ViewAttraction/alfaborg |title=East Iceland: Álfaborg |access-date=10 January 2009 |author=Markaðsstofa Austurlands |quote=Right by the village, the legally protected hill of {{lang|is|Álfaborg|italic=no}}, which the "fjord of Borg", {{lang|is|Borgarfjörður eystri|italic=no}}, is named after, rises about 30 m high. Accessed by an easy trail and with an observation point on top, {{lang|is|Álfaborg|italic=no}} is home to the queen of the Icelandic elves. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315221231/http://en.east.is/Thingstoseeanddo/ViewAttraction/alfaborg |archive-date=15 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite book |author1=Fran Parnell |author2=Etain O'Carroll |title=Iceland |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2007 |location=Footscray, Victoria |pages=261 |isbn=978-1-74104-537-6 |oclc=82672249 }} ({{coord|65|31|19.57|N|13|48|27.76|W|region:IS|name=Álfaborg}})
• {{lang|is|Búðarbrekkur|italic=no}} in {{lang|is|[http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/plofin_farm_brimnes.htm Brimnes]|italic=no}}{{Cite book |author=Bill Holm |title=The windows of Brimnes: an American in Iceland |publisher=Milkweed Editions |year=2007 |location=Minneapolis |pages=[https://archive.org/details/windowsofbrimnes00holm/page/63 63–72] |url=https://archive.org/details/windowsofbrimnes00holm/page/63 |isbn=978-1-57131-302-7 |quote=On the south face of the headland stand several basalt columns called {{lang|is|Búðarbrekkur|italic=no}} (the Shop Slope). Local lore has it that this is the church, shop, and dwelling of the elves. |url-access=registration }} ({{coord|65|57|8.7|N|19|28|54.78|W|region:IS|name=Búðarbrekkur}})
• {{lang|is|Grundarfjörður|italic=no}}{{Cite book |author=Jonathan Wilcox |author2=Zawiah Abdul Latif |title=Cultures of the World: Iceland |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |year=2007 |location=Tarrytown, New York |pages=88 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=58ZHaTMk0j4C&dq=%22hidden+people%22+iceland&pg=PA5 |isbn=978-0-7614-2074-3 }}
• {{lang|is|Stapafell|italic=no}}{{cite web |url=http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/stapafell |title=Attraction: Stapafell |access-date=20 June 2011 |publisher=Visit Iceland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004031755/http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/stapafell |archive-date=4 October 2011 |url-status=dead}} ({{coord|64|46|23.7|N|23|39|28.2|W|region:IS|name=Stapafell}})
• {{lang|is|Tungustapi|italic=no}}{{cite web |url=http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/laugar-in-saelingsdal |title=Attraction: Laugar in Saelingsdal |access-date=20 June 2011 |publisher=Visit Iceland |quote=At about 3 km from Laugar you may find the rocky hill Tungustapi, home of elves. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004031823/http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/laugar-in-saelingsdal |archive-date=4 October 2011 |url-status=dead}} ({{coord|65|15|18.66|N|21|48|23.64|W|region:IS|name=Tungustapi}})
• {{lang|is|Svalþúfa|italic=no}}{{cite web |url=http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/londrangar-basalt-cliffs |title=Attraction: Londrangar basalt cliffs |access-date=20 June 2011 |publisher=Visit Iceland |quote=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. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004031915/http://www.visiticeland.com/SearchResults/Attraction/londrangar-basalt-cliffs |archive-date=4 October 2011 |url-status=dead}} ({{coord|64|44|10.62|N|23|46|59.28|W|region:IS|name=Svalþúfa}})
• {{lang|is|Skuggahlíðarbjarg|italic=no}}{{cite journal |title=Áminning |journal=Glettingur |year=2002 |author=Sigurður Kristjánsson |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=30 |language=is}} ({{coord|65|6|19.2|N|13|49|28.74|W|region:IS|name=Skuggahlíðarbjarg}})
• {{lang|is|Grímsey|italic=no}}{{cite web |url=http://icelandroadguide.com/index.php?cmsszp=icelandroadatlas&cmsszd=places&cmsszr=roads&cmsszs=en&tql=art&tqlREQUEST=poi_for_pre&POI_G=fd5e4551-7f60-4b22-9bda-66028a4874e1&tqlPOI_G=fd5e4551-7f60-4b22-9bda-66028a4874e1 |title=Iceland Road Guide: Grímsey |access-date=11 July 2011 |year=2009 |publisher=Vegahandbókin ehf. |quote={{lang|is|Grímsey|italic=no}} is said to be the home of many elves or "hidden people", whose church is supposed to be at {{lang|is|Nónbrík|italic=no}}.}} ({{coord|66|32|39.92|N|18|0|16.74|W|region:IS|name=Grímsey}})
• The [https://web.archive.org/web/20100425001007/http://www.nihm.ca/exhibits/school.html attic of Gimli Public School 1915] in the New Iceland Heritage Museum, Gimli, Manitoba{{Cite news |author=Diane Slawych |title=Gimli's hidden people |date=15 September 2004 |url=http://travel.canoe.ca/Travel/Canada/Prairies/2004/09/15/630343.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801094008/http://travel.canoe.ca/Travel/Canada/Prairies/2004/09/15/630343.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 1, 2012 |work=Canoe Travel |access-date=31 May 2009 }}{{Cite news |author=Dilla Narfason |title=Huldufólk Found and Exposed in Gimli |date=9 July 1993 |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=164671&pageId=2239267&lang=en&q=Huldufólk |work=Lögberg-Heimskringla |pages=2 |access-date=7 June 2009 }} ({{coord|50|38|3.01|N|96|59|14.75|W|region:CA|name=Gimli Public School 1915}})

• 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".{{Cite web |last=McHenry |first=Jackson |date=2017-08-09 |title=Unlike the Internet, the Frozen Musical Will Have No Trolls |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/broadway-frozen-musical-trolls-hidden-folk.html |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=Vulture |language=en-us}}
• Huldufólk is the title of French Nordic folk group SKÁLD's 2023 album.{{Cite web |title=SKÁLD on Instagram: "" They can make themselves visible at will " #newalbum #comingsoon" |url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkybzJbKJJT/ |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=Instagram |language=en}}
• In the plot of the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Huldufólk are called upon by Sigrit Ericksdóttir to help them win the Eurovision Song Contest
• In the 2024 video game Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, 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

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}

• {{langx|is|Álagablettur|italic=no}}
• Domovoy
• Gnome
• {{langx|non|Huldra|italic=no}}
• Kabouter
• {{langx|el-Latn|Kallikantzaros|italic=no}}
• {{langx|ain|Korpokkur|italic=no}}
• {{langx|swe|Skogsrå|italic=no}}
• Troll
• {{langx|mi|Taniwha|italic=no}}
• {{langx|non|Vættir|italic=no}}
• {{langx|swe|Vittra|italic=no}}

{{div col end}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• Ármann Jakobsson. "[https://www.academia.edu/14409192/_Beware_of_the_Elf_A_note_on_the_Evolving_Meaning_of_%C3%81lfar_Folklore_126_2015_215_23 Beware of the Elf!: A note on the Evolving Meaning of Álfar]," Folklore 126 (2015), 215–23.
• {{Cite journal |title=The testimony of waking consciousness and dreams in migratory legends concerning human encounters with the hidden people |journal=Arv: Nordic Yearbook of Folklore |year=1993 |author=Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson |author-link=Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson |volume=49 |pages=123–131 |url=http://www.kgaa.nu/tidskrift_ar.php?id=6&year=1993 |access-date=1 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724190748/http://www.kgaa.nu/tidskrift_ar.php?id=6&year=1993 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}
• {{Cite news |author=Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir |title=Iceland's hidden people |date=6 July 2007 |url=http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/search/news/Default.asp?ew_0_a_id=284915 |work=Iceland Review |access-date=25 June 2010 }}
• {{Cite news |author=Ingibjörg Rósa Björnsdóttir |title=Don't Spit in the Dark |date=25 July 2007 |url=http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_life/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=285669 |work=Iceland Review |access-date=25 June 2010 }}
• {{Cite book |author=Vilborg Davíðsdóttir |title=Masks and mumming in the nordic area |chapter=Elves on the move: midwinter mumming and house-visiting in Iceland |editor=Terry Gunnell |publisher={{lang|sv|Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien för svensk folkkultur|italic=no}} |year=2007 |location=Uppsala |pages=643–666 |url=http://www3.hi.is/~terry/turku/masks&mumming.htm |access-date=1 June 2010 |isbn=978-91-85352-70-8 }}
• {{Cite journal |title=Elfes et rapports à la nature en Islande |journal=Ethnologie française |date=2003 |author=Vanessa Doutreleau |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=655–663 |doi=10.3917/ethn.034.0655 |url=http://www.cairn.info/load_pdf.php?ID_REVUE=ETHN&ID_NUMPUBLIE=ETHN_034&ID_ARTICLE=ETHN_034_0655 |access-date=1 June 2010 |language=fr |url-access=subscription }}
• {{Cite book |author=Valdimar Tr. Hafstein |title=Þjóðlíf og þjóðtrú. Afmælisrit dr. Jóns Hnefils Aðalsteinssonar |chapter=Komdu í handarkrika minn. Hlutur sjáenda í huldufólkstrú og sögnum ["Come under my armpit. The role of seers in elf beliefs and legends"] |editor1=Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson |editor2=Jón Jónsson |publisher=Þjóðsaga |year=1998 |location=Reykjavík |pages=377–399 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cpUvOQAACAAJ |access-date=2010-06-12 |isbn=978-9979-59-079-8 |language=is }}
• {{Cite book |author=Valdimar Tr. Hafstein |title=Rannsóknir í félagsvísindum II : erindi flutt á ráðstefnu í febrúar 1997 |trans-title=Research in the social sciences II: paper presented at a conference in February 1997 |chapter=Respekt fyrir steinum. Álfatrú og náttúrusýn |trans-chapter=Respect for stones. Elf belief and visions of nature |volume=26 |editor=Friðrik H. Jónsson |series=Ritalisti félagsvísindastofnunar |publisher=University of Iceland Press |year=1998 |location=Reykjavík |pages=327–336 |url=https://skemman.is/handle/1946/8482 |access-date=2024-03-16 |isbn=978-9979-54-349-7 |language=is }}
• {{Cite book |author=Valdimar Tr. Hafstein |title=Þjóðerni í þúsund ár? |chapter=Hjólaskóflur og huldufólk. Íslensk sjálfsmynd og álfahefð samtímans ["Bulldozers and hidden people. Icelandic identity and contemporary elf-tradition"] |editor1=Jón Yngvi Jóhannsson |editor2=Kolbeinn Óttarsson Proppé |editor3=Sverrir Jakobsson |publisher=Háskólaútgáfan |year=2003 |location=Reykjavík |pages=197–213 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KMVDAAAACAAJ&q=%C3%9Ej%C3%B3%C3%B0erni+%C3%AD+%C3%BE%C3%BAsund+%C3%A1r%3F |access-date=10 June 2010 |isbn=978-9979-54-521-7 |language=is }}
• {{Cite book |author=Olga Holownia |title=Islandia: Wprowadzenie do wiedzy o społeczeństwie i kulturze |trans-title=Iceland: Introduction to knowledge about society and culture |chapter=Alfar i huldufólk. O islandzkich elfach w mitologii, sagach i podaniach ludowych [The Icelandic elves in mythology, sagas and folk legends] |editor1=Roman Chymkowski |editor2=Włodzimierz K. Pessel |publisher=Trio |year=2009 |location=Warsaw |url=http://www.podhalanka.pl/index.php?products=product&prod_id=841 |access-date=1 June 2010 |isbn=978-83-7436-172-9 |language=pl }}
• {{Cite book |author=Unnur Jökulsdóttir |title=Hefurðu séð huldufólk?: ferðasaga |trans-title=Have you seen the hidden people? An itinerary |publisher=Mál og menning |year=2007 |location=Reykjavík |url=http://www.forlagid.is/?p=4915 |access-date=1 June 2010 |isbn=978-9979-3-2920-6 |language=is }}
• {{Cite journal |title=Les lieux à elfes de Reykjavik: objet paradoxal d'invention de la modernité |trans-title=Elves' places in Reykjavík: paradoxical object of modern expression |journal=Géographie et Cultures |year=2005 |author=Sara Muller |volume=55 |issue=55 |pages=7–22 |url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17711571 |access-date=5 June 2010 |language=fr }}
• {{Cite book |author=Einar G. Pétursson |title=Frændafundur 5 : fyrirlestrar frá íslensk-færeyskri ráðstefnu í Reykjavík 19.–20. júní 2004 |chapter=Um álfatrú á Íslandi og í Færeyjum og einkum um söguna af Álfa-Árna |editor1=Magnús Snædal |editor2=Anfinnur Johansen |publisher=Háskólaútgáfan |year=2005 |location=Reykjavík |pages=28–38 |url=http://setur.fo/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Frodskapur/Fraendafundur1993-2008.pdf |access-date=5 June 2010 |isbn=978-9979-54-694-8 |language=is |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720202136/http://setur.fo/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Frodskapur/Fraendafundur1993-2008.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}
• {{Cite journal |title=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") |trans-title=Contrary to folklore: An Anthropological Analysis of ghost stories |journal=Skírnir |year=1998 |author=Christophe Pons |volume=172 |issue=1 |pages=143–163 |url=http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/42/19/92/PDF/Article_paru_dans_Skirnir_1998.pdf |access-date=1 June 2010 |language=is, fr }}
• {{Cite web |url=http://icelandweatherreport.com/the-hidden-people/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715092246/http://icelandweatherreport.com/the-hidden-people/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |title=My Iceland: the glamorous opulence of the hidden people |access-date=26 June 2010 |author=Alda Sigmundsdóttir |date=19 April 2009 |work=The Iceland Weather Report }}
• {{Cite book |author1=Jacqueline Simpson |author-link=Jacqueline Simpson |author2=Jón Árnason |author-link2=Jón Árnason (author) |title=Icelandic folktales and legends |publisher=University of California Press |year=1972 |location=Berkeley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HY-DCKd6UgUC&pg=PA14 |access-date=10 June 2010 |isbn=978-0-520-02116-7 }}

{{Elves}}

{{Fairies}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huldufolk}}

Category:Icelandic folklore

Category:Elves

Category:European fairy tales