Icelandlandic Trolls and Other Things
In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, I would like to share some of the wonderful stories that I was told in Iceland recently. Just over half of the country’s population believe in trolls, elves or hidden people and hopefully I have remembered enough to pass them on to you.
I had the good fortune to have a tour guide that was very well informed about the history of the mountain trolls and she spent the entire day pointing out where some of them were and the stories behind them. In times long ago these trolls would have brought terror into the hearts of the Icelandic people, however in modern times there appears to be only residual curiosity. It is believed that many of the ancient trolls have turned to stone and indeed when they were pointed out to me I must say that I could see the human- like forms after a while. Some of the huge, moss-covered, basalt rock columns that can be found all around the countryside looked amusingly like human faces or petrified trolls.
Iceland is geologically very young and many times I found myself thinking that I was witnessing how life must have been when the planet was just beginning to form. The continual reshaping by the ice and volcanic fire make the whole country stunningly beautiful and mysterious. The most wonderful thing about Iceland is that it is almost completely unspoilt and unpolluted so it is hardly surprising that it is believed that pagan spirits survive in this wonderful environment.
Like elves, trolls are a big part of the ancient heritage of the Scandinavian mythology and they are very often thought to be fearsome and cruel creatures. Some Icelanders believe though, that if you treat them