The Kindness of Elves

Fun fact of the day: did you know that if it weren’t for Iceland’s strict importation law on horses, The Lord of the Rings would have been filmed there instead of in New Zealand? In fact, Iceland and its many varied landscapes were actually the inspiration for many of J.R.R. Tolkien’s locations of Middle Earth.

While there may be a lot of different fantastical beings in Lord of the Rings, Icelanders love to focus on a particular few. Mainly, these are elves and trolls. Much of Icelandic lore is based on stories involving these tiny and huge creatures alike. Most locals still truly believe that elves, or Huldufólk (meaning secret people) still exist. After spending much time there and seeing the many wonders of the country, I’m inclined to believe them. A common sight in gardens and near particularly interesting rock formations are elf houses, cute miniature versions of traditional Icelandic homes constructed to keep the elves happy and healthy.

So, if you fancy searching out the ‘secret people’ yourself, or you just want to take a walk through their incredible backyard, let us help. In the meantime, here are a few of the picture perfect houses I stumbled across on my recent trip.

Mike just returned from Iceland with a handful of elves smuggled into his carry on. It remains to be seen whether they will make effective Trufflepig trip planners.