Iceland’s Trolls, Elves and Hidden People

Iceland is a country where the landscape seems almost designed for legends. Volcanoes rumble beneath glaciers, waterfalls tumble over ancient cliffs, and strange pillars of black rock rise from an ocean that can change from calm to furious in minutes. Spend enough time travelling through Iceland and it becomes easy to understand why generations of Icelanders populated this extraordinary landscape with trolls, elves and mysterious “hidden people.”

One of the best places to enter this world of Icelandic folklore is Reynisfjara, the famous black-sand beach near the village of Vík on Iceland’s South Coast.

Vik, a town in southern Iceland. Note the black sand beach and “troll” rocks.

Just offshore stand the dramatic basalt sea stacks known as Reynisdrangar. Geologists explain them as remnants of volcanic rock gradually isolated from the coastline by the relentless erosion of the North Atlantic. Icelandic folklore offers a considerably more entertaining explanation.

According to the best-known version of the legend, two trolls ventured down to the sea under cover of darkness and attempted to drag a three-masted ship ashore. Like many trolls in Icelandic stories, however, they had one serious vulnerability: sunlight.

The task took longer than expected. Dawn arrived before the trolls could reach safety and, as the first rays of sunlight struck them, the trolls—and in some versions their ship—were instantly turned to stone. There they remain, frozen forever in the Atlantic as the towering Reynisdrangar sea stacks. 

Standing on Reynisfjara and looking toward the stacks, the story suddenly doesn’t seem quite so fanciful. In mist, blowing spray and the shifting Icelandic light, the dark pillars can easily resemble enormous figures caught offshore.

Visitors should admire them with one very modern precaution in mind. Reynisfjara is as dangerous as it is beautiful. Powerful “sneaker waves” can surge unexpectedly far onto the beach, so pay close attention to warning signs and keep well back from the water.

The black beach at Reynisfjara

Continue west along Iceland’s South Coast and you can encounter another petrified troll at one of the country’s most spectacular waterfalls.

At Skógafoss, climb the staircase beside the waterfall and keep watch for a distinctive rock formation roughly two-thirds of the way up. Look carefully and you may make out what appears to be a face.

Local legend identifies the rock as a troll who was turned to stone. Exactly how he met his fate is less certain than the Reynisdrangar trolls, although one charming interpretation suggests he became so captivated by the beauty of Skógafoss that he failed to notice the approaching sunrise.

Perhaps even trolls occasionally lose track of time while sightseeing in Iceland.

Skógafoss has other legends as well, including the famous story of a treasure chest supposedly hidden behind the waterfall by the area’s early settler Þrasi Þórólfsson.

A beautiful rainbow at the Falls

Trolls are only part of Iceland’s supernatural population. There are also the Huldufólk, literally the “hidden people,” mysterious beings traditionally believed to inhabit rocks, hills and lava formations.

Visitors wanting to delve deeper into this fascinating aspect of Icelandic culture can seek out the Icelandic Elf School, or Álfaskólinn, in Reykjavík. Established in 1991, the school introduces visitors to Iceland’s stories and traditions surrounding elves and hidden people. 

What makes the Huldufólk particularly interesting is that their influence isn’t confined entirely to old stories.

There have been occasions when proposed road projects have been altered or disputed because particular rocks or landscapes were traditionally associated with hidden people. One well-documented example is Álfhóll in Kópavogur, where a road was ultimately routed around a rock associated with elves. Another involved the Gálgahraun lava field, where environmental concerns became intertwined with claims about an “elf church.” 

That doesn’t mean Icelandic engineers routinely consult elves before building highways. The reality is more nuanced. Folklore, respect for unusual natural formations, environmental concerns and cultural heritage can overlap in ways that sometimes influence how Icelanders approach their landscape.

And perhaps that is the real value of these stories for a visitor.

You may stumble across “elf houses” in your explorations

You don’t have to believe that Reynisdrangar really are petrified trolls or that hidden people live beneath Iceland’s lava fields. The legends offer something equally valuable: a glimpse into how generations of Icelanders have understood a landscape that is beautiful, powerful and sometimes dangerous.

Once you know the stories, Iceland’s rocks aren’t quite just rocks anymore.

Want to see these legendary places in Iceland for yourself? Contact your real travel expert  for a circumnavigation cruise of the country, or as a stop on a multi country cruise, or on a guided tour of this amazing land. On your way from North America to Europe? Break your journey for a few days’ exploration. Whichever way you visit Iceland, you will be in for a wonderful and enlightening time in this photogenic island country.

Another famous rock “troll”: Hvitserkur

All images in the article are from AdobeStock. Information on Icelandic legendary people courtesy of NRF.is, Umhverfisstofnun, and the Skogafoss website.