Moving An Even Bigger Boulder
An example of a road that was narrowed because of the elf hill on the right side of the photo. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Believers claim that elves only want to stop projects that destroy elf homes, churches or other important places, just “like we humans would try all we can to stop a giant from driving a bulldozer into our home,” Jónsdóttir told ATI.
It’s not unusual for the elf-believing community, the elves, and the government to come together on a project either, says Jónsdóttir. A road planned for construction can shift, or the boulder housing the elf home or church can be picked up and moved. In the most recent case of elven-government relations, the latter was the case.
In 2009, Iceland’s parliament approved the construction of a six-lane highway about six miles from Reykjavík, but the highway plans went straight through an 8,000-year-old lava field called the Gálgahraun.
Environmentalists protested the construction through normal channels of government reform. The protests, rallies and petitions were to no avail, reported Reykjavík’s Grapevine magazine.
Road construction just outside of Reykjavik in 2014. Image Sources: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
That’s when the elf believers came in: Indeed, they said, the project should be abandoned because the new road went straight though an elf church.
“The important thing is to work with the elves, work with nature and not against it,” Jónsdóttir told ATI.
And in March 2015, that’s what the construction crew did. Workers lifted the 50-ton boulder that allegedly housed the elf church and moved it to an out-of-the-way location. The road was still built, but the elven interests were considered.
If the act didn’t validate the fact that the Icelandic people believe in elves, it did validate the respect the Icelandic government is willing to show the elves and elf believers.
It’s also a sign of cooperation in the face of opposing beliefs — something from which everyone can learn.
“The elves tell me that the reason why they are communicating more and more with humans all over the world these days,” Jónsdóttir told ATI, “is because if we are going to live on this planet, we need to work together, all of us, in all the worlds.”
Next after learning about elves in Iceland, discover 30 eerily beautiful photos of abandoned Iceland. Then, see this stunning collection of photos of Iceland’s rugged landscape.
