Feb 25, 2009: Icelandic Elf House
 

http://cellar.org/2009/icelandelfhouses.jpg

When I was in Iceland in 2002 I saw tiny little doors on rocks beside some hills in the countryside. My host explained that Icelanders put tiny doors or tiny houses on rocks to invite elves to live in the rock. (I think it was because having an elf live there was good luck, or maybe it was to persuade them not to live in your own home - can't remember that bit).

A 1998 survey found that 54.4% of Icelanders surveyed claimed to believe in elves, or the huldufólk (“hidden people”).

My own photos of the doors, taken from a moving vehicle, are rather blurry, so I found this in Wikimedia Commons, labelled “Elf houses near Strandakirkja in south Iceland”:

This Reuters article, Elves in Modern Iceland, describes how this belief in elves can affect building plans, even when it involves building roads.

And this article from the Iceland Tourist Board website, Hollywood May Joke, but Elves are Serious Business for Icelanders, explains more about their thoughts on elves.

(PS: am I jumping ahead of time? No! Here in Fish Creek, Australia it is already the 25th of February!:D )

If the elves leave does someone announce that Elvish has left the building?

I simply adore a culture where this is possible.

I'm going to look into moving to Iceland. My youngest will be out of the nest in 18 months and I'm sick unto death of Ohio summers (they begin in May with 90 degrees and 90% and don't end until late Oct. when it begins to pour freezing rain).

I'm totally up for this. I wonder what kind of job an english major drop out can get in Iceland? Off to google..

Never mind: found out what I can do, from article

"Our basic approach is not to deny this phenomenon," Birgir Gudmundsson, an engineer with the Iceland Road Authority, told Reuters. "We tread carefully. There are people who can negotiate with the elves, and we make use of that."

In Awe: I can MAJOR in ELF studies!!!

Elf mediation, Elf negotiation, Elf labor union organizer. Bri you could be the Jimmy Hoffa of Icelandic Elfdom!

So what's that thing on the top of the house? Mother Goose?

Elf I know...:rolleyes:

OSHA for the Elves...ergonomic-training, industrial hygeine, noise-pollution control (with annual hearing tests... )(those head phones will have to be down-sized considerably...)

YAY!

I could be an elf General Contractor...

I would hold off moving to Iceland unless you have a large nest egg to spend there because you will not find any economic assistance like finding a job. Sadly Iceland is probably the hardest hit country by the global economy woes.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/26/ice...markets35.html

The big reason is because their banking system promoted their citizens to take out loans in other currencies. They would take out a car loan with 50% Icelandic dollars, 25% Euros, and 25% American dollars or some mix like that. When the economy started tanking the difference in varied currency values caused the 25% or 50% portion of the loan to become mis-valued so they would not be able to pay off that Euro loan with Icelandic dollars.

Queue cascading effect and a government that is now in the tank.

It's all cool in iceland; Bjork is gonna bail 'em all out. That's what I heard.

But then what better time to go to Iceland to buy property? Even elf cribs!

Hmmm. That might work, since you're 3 feet, you won't seem too daunting. ;)

I am undaunted my any nation's economic woes.


I can be poor anywhere.

:)

And have admirers everywhere.

1,000,000 cleverness points to each of you!!:jig: :jig: :jig: