ISAFJORDUR, ICELAND
THREADS OF LEGEND In Iceland, stories are woven around everything. Strange occurrences are the order of the day and things go bump in the night. The very land on which you stand has a captivating tale of origin. The Norse God, Odin, created the world by killing a giant named Ymir. Ymir’s body became the earth, his blood the sea. An element of the mysterious landscape is the mountain trolls and giants, the hidden people or elves and other fantastical creatures. Iceland’s version of Nessie is a giant underwater worm (last spotted in 2012), and you should be careful not to mistake the tricksy Nykur sea horse for a real horse — or you may be carted o¶ to a watery death. Memorable landmarks and rock edifices take the shape of trolls — unluckily petrified to stone when caught out in the sun. And some rock faces have startlingly humanoid appearances, very much lending themselves to the tales. Although there are claims of a high percentage of Icelanders believing in elves, it’s more a case of respecting superstition — and not annoying the folk (just in case). One example is Elf Hill, which had a long history as an elven residence. When a road was being built through the hill, all sorts of things started going weirdly wrong. The elves won that round. The road was diverted around the hill as the builders decided not to tempt fate (or the powers under the hill) and curved the road around the place. There are many such spots throughout the country — whether shack or landmark — where things are simply left well enough alone.
THE NORSE GOD, ODIN
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