Interview

In Iceland hardly anyone doubts the existence of the elves and fairies, gnomes and trolls that inhabit the hills, rocks and rivers. But only a select few can actually see and understand these spirits of nature. Erla Stefánsdóttir, a 71-year-old native of Reykjavík, has the gift. Construction companies and building authorities often ask for her help. When workers begin tinkering with enchanted hills and rock, the Icelanders believe that, once roused, the spirits may well retaliate: then excavator buckets suddenly break, scaffolding topples over and workmen are injured. To avoid such incidents, Erla Stefánsdóttir draws maps showing where these supernatural beings dwell.

When was the first time you saw an elf?
You could just as well ask, when did you first see a bird?

And what did the first elf that you can remember look like?
I was four years old, chasing butterflies with the other children. Suddenly I was aware that I was chasing flower fairies, but the other children didn’t recognize my “butterflies” for what they were.

Do you see these beings every day?
Of course, always, they’re in every house, even this one, over there among the plants by the window.

What do they look like, for example those in the rubber plant?
There are eight of them in all. They are two fingerbreadths tall, and they have little propeller-like wings on their backs.

With so few people able to see these beings, you are probably in great demand ...
Every week I get calls from people who can’t sleep properly, who feel disturbed by something, or become ill. Sometimes people build their houses on top of the dwelling of a natural spirit, and it may happen that the spirit resists. The trouble is, people don’t ask me to intervene until after something has gone wrong. They ought to be asking me before they start building.

Can you straighten things out when elves are roused and start to take revenge?
Sometimes. People can live in harmony with the hidden beings, provided that both sides show some consideration.

It is said that even local public officials and building contractors believe in this unseen world?
It’s not a question of belief. The beings are there! Take the construction site by the waterfall in Borgarfjördur, an hour north of Reykjavík, where they are building a holiday village with a golf course. This area is densely populated by gnomes, nymphs, fairies and trolls. The building works are a catastrophe. Every day costs a fortune, but there is hardly any progress being made. Last month, a fifty-ton bucket excavator just tipped over on the rock-hard lava road—twice. The project manager, who’s been in the business for thirty years and has worked all over the world, said it was an absolute mystery.

... that you can solve!
He asked me to come. But there wasn’t much I could do. I explained to the beings that it wasn’t the building contractor who was destroying their world, it was the landowner they should be taking to task. They promised not to injure any of the workers, but they intended to carry on making trouble.

How much does such an attempt at intervention cost?
I live from my piano lessons. Sometimes I may take something, but I don’t do it for the money.

Have there been cases in which you could help?
Yes, for example when they were building a large car showroom at the end of the Laugarvegur Road. Several people were injured falling from the scaffolding. The site manager called me, and I discovered the homes of elves in the rocks next to the site. The workmen had tipped paint there and dumped their garbage and building materials, it was a total mess. On my advice they cleaned up the rocks and had no more problems after that. A sales showroom was built around the rocks, but the houses of the elves were left alone, they are untouched and clean.

That wasn’t an isolated case?
No, we had a similar case in the township of Kópavogur, also not far from Reykjavík, where a wide road suddenly narrowed as it passed round a rock that is inhabited by elves. After all, the road is called Álfshólfsvegur, meaning the elf’s hill way.

In which language do you communicate with the spirits of nature?
They sing and talk to me. It’s not a specific language, it’s sounds, sometimes vibrations.

Do you find all elves and gnomes and dwarfs pleasant?
My relationship with them is like my relationship with people. Some I like, some I don’t, some are young and friendly, while others are old and grumpy.

How old do elves get to be? A few hundred years.

How are they dressed?
It varies. Some wear brown trousers and blue or red shirts, others wear very colorful robes. And red shoes. They live in houses, with little chairs and tables, and they are generally very close to nature.

Which of these beings are most similar to people?
The Huldufolks, the hidden people. They look just like us. As a child I sometimes went to their birthday parties, without realizing they were Huldufolks. They made cocktails of strawberry and apple juice, with each of the juices in neat separate layers in the glass. Once I even fell in love with a Huldufolk,until I discovered that he wasn’t a human being.

Have you come across any that are bigger than us humans?
There are the Tivar, powerful mountain spirits who can be several hundred meters tall and radiate power and heat. But we also have delicate creatures like the light fairies, who live by the lakes in undisturbed parts of the countryside. Beautiful apparitions with wings flooded with light.

What do your children say about your association with the spirits of nature?
My two daughters and my son think I am a little strange. But my little granddaughter said to me recently, Granny, I wish I had an eye like that, so I could see adventures, too!