When authorities map out new roads in Iceland, the areas where elves and trolls live are taken into account and avoided. Otherwise, serious problems can arise, as in 2015: repeated breakdowns of construction equipment, flooding of the area, landslides, and accidents involving an expert and a journalist. The cause: a rock buried under the embankments, inhabited by elves unhappy at being so disregarded. The rock was restored to allow elves who wished to relocate.
If you ask an Icelander if they believe in the existence of these creatures, you'll likely get a dilatory answer with a wry smile. And deal with that.
However, every year construction projects are postponed or cancelled so as not to disturb the "hidden people".
Movie
Investigation into the Invisible World , film by Jean-Michel Roux
Jean-Michel Roux initially chose Iceland to develop a science fiction project. After a series of reconnaissance missions, he discovered that the majority of inhabitants considered the supernatural and the natural to be synonymous. His documentary explores a territory and stories populated by elves, ghosts, and angels, attempting to answer two questions: "Are these witnesses crazy?" and "Are there living beings around me right now that I don't perceive?"
Press articles
- When the elves bring the Icelandic government to a standstill , L'Obs, December 31, 2013
- Iceland: Elf Defenders Stop Highway Project , Le Perisien, December 30, 2013
- In Iceland, elf defenders block a highway project , France24, December 25, 2013
- Graduates of the School of Elves , Courrier International, October 28, 2011
Radio
- Iceland - The Invisible World , France Inter, program Nous autres by Zoé Varier, December 28, 2012