| In my capacity as the UK Director of | | | | the 13 Icelandic Christmas lads. Gryla is |
| Operations for One World Tours Limited, I | | | | apparently well known for stealing naughty |
| would like to share some of the wonderful | | | | children to put into her bubbling cauldron. |
| stories that I was told in Iceland recently. | | | | These lads used to creep down from the |
| Just over half of the country's population | | | | hillside in the thirteen days running up to |
| believe in trolls, elves or hidden people and | | | | Christmas to wreck havoc on unsuspecting |
| hopefully I have remembered enough to pass | | | | families, stealing things and generally |
| them on to you. | | | | making mischeif. I must admit that when I was |
| | | | told some of the names of these lads Curd |
| I had the good fortune to have a tour guide | | | | Glutton, Peeping Tom, Bowl Licker and Door |
| that was very well informed about the history | | | | Slammer, I pointed out to my guide that they |
| of the mountain trolls and she spent the | | | | would be locked up in England for some of |
| entire day pointing out where some of them | | | | that behaviour. The lads are not as bad as |
| were and the stories behind them. In times | | | | they sound however, as they leave behind |
| long ago these trolls would have brought | | | | small gifts in children's shoes in the run up |
| terror into the hearts of the Icelandic | | | | to Christmas. |
| people, however in modern times there appears | | | | |
| to be only residual curiosity. It is | | | | My guide then told me about the Huldufolk (I |
| believed that many of the ancient trolls have | | | | looked up the spelling of this when I got |
| turned to stone and indeed when they were | | | | home, it took me a few tries!) this means |
| pointed out to me I must say that I could see | | | | "hidden people" and it was explained to me |
| the human- like forms after a while. Some of | | | | that their origins concern Eve (I presume she |
| the huge, moss-covered, basalt rock columns | | | | meant Adam's Eve). Now it would appear that |
| that can be found all around the countryside | | | | Eve had many children(???) and one day God |
| looked amusingly like human faces or | | | | announced he was about to pay her a visit. |
| petrified trolls. | | | | Eve wanted her children to look clean and |
| | | | presentable in His presence and scrubbed some |
| Iceland is geologically very young and many | | | | of them. Some of the other children did not |
| times I found myself thinking that I was | | | | manage to get clean because God arrived much |
| witnessing how life must have been when the | | | | sooner than Eve had expected. In her haste |
| planet was just beginning to form. The | | | | she decided to hide these poor children |
| continual reshaping by the ice and volcanic | | | | instead of presenting them. The story |
| fire make the whole country stunningly | | | | continues that God was pleased with the |
| beautiful and mysterious. The most wonderful | | | | children that he saw and asked Eve if she had |
| thing about Iceland is that it is almost | | | | any more. Of course Eve was dishonest about |
| completely unspoilt and unpolluted so it is | | | | the existence of the others and thus cemented |
| hardly surprising that it is believed that | | | | these hidden children's fate who were |
| pagan spirits survive in this wonderful | | | | destined to remain hidden forever. |
| environment. | | | | |
| | | | They can make themselves seen apparently and |
| Like elves, trolls are a big part of the | | | | are generally benign, but they can make |
| ancient heritage of the Scandinavian | | | | terrible things happen to people who have |
| mythology and they are very often thought to | | | | deliberately disturbed or destroyed their |
| be fearsome and cruel creatures. Some | | | | dwellings. |
| Icelanders believe though, that if you treat | | | | |
| them as you wish to be treated yourself then | | | | My guide told me the story of a large boulder |
| they return favours for favours if however | | | | outside of Reykjavik which was reported to be |
| you are mean to them they will seek their | | | | the home of some huldufolk. In 1999 building |
| revenge. | | | | constructors had great difficulty in building |
| | | | the new connecting road to the tunnel under |
| Trolls are nocturnal creatures and are | | | | the Whale Fjord to the town of Akranes. The |
| supposed to be very sensitive to the sun and | | | | construction equipment repeatedly broke down |
| they turn to stone if caught by the rays of | | | | when it approached the boulder, which was |
| the Sun. One of the most dramatic and my | | | | scheduled to be moved. Apparently this story |
| personal favourite troll is Hvitserkur, a | | | | was reported in the local newspaper at the |
| troll cow in fact which is forever drinking | | | | time. |
| the sea water on the northwest coast. Also in | | | | |
| the north we have Dimmuborgir, which my guide | | | | I think that if a taxi driver were to start |
| pointed out is a famous site with the | | | | talking to me about elves and trolls whilst |
| tourists. The story is that some Trolls that | | | | driving me through the English countryside, I |
| were distracted by having so much fun | | | | would have jumped from the moving vehicle. |
| enjoying a picnic, they forgot that in the | | | | Yet somehow it seemed perfectly natural to |
| summer the sun comes earlier unfortunately | | | | hear about these creatures whilst being |
| turning them into seven huge fortifications. | | | | enveloped in the swirling mists and the |
| | | | sparsely populated areas of Iceland and I |
| Gryla is Iceland´s most famous troll woman | | | | hope one day that you will experience it for |
| and it is believed that she is the mother of | | | | yourself. |