Arnarstapi and The Truth About Iceland’s Hidden Folk

Icelanders are very serious about their trolls.

In fact, more than half the population accepts the existence of the “Huldufólk” or “Hidden Folk”; supernatural beings that reside in, beneath or behind the rocks and mounds.

They decorate homes and gardens. People refer to them with a peculiar reverence, sometimes with a wink and a nod as if to challenge the non-believers. One day in July I visited Arnarstapi, a small fishing village at the foot of Mt. Stapafell on the southern side of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Icelanders believe that Arnarstapi is the Grand Central Station of Huldufolk-ness. Its reputation for stunning views has been notably established in film and fiction.

Its extraordinary basalt columns and cliffs make it one of the most beautiful places on the peninsula, if not in the whole of Iceland. Living and nesting around the rock formations are a huge number of different species of seabirds, including kittiwakes, gulls and Arctic terns.

Above the peninsula looms the glacier and volcano called Snaefellsjokull. This is considered by many to be one of the foremost places of magical powers in the world! In fact, Jules Verne used the volcano as an entrance to the underworld in his novel, Journey To the Center of the Earth.

Kirkjufell Mountain

Kirkjufell Mountain, commonly known as Arrowhead Mountain, it is the most photographed mountain in Iceland. Featured in popular shows like Game of Thrones, Kirkjufell attracts tourists throughout the year.

The Saga of Bárður

The large troll sculpture at Arnarstapi was designed by the Icelandic sculptor Ragnar Kjartansson and is the embodiment the legendary character Bárður Snæfellsás, half-human and half troll and hero of one of the Icelandic Sagas. He is the guardian and treasured former Arnarstapi citizen dating back to the 9th century when trolls and giants were common to these parts.

The Icelandic sagas, also known as Sagas of the Icelanders, were written in the 13th and 14th century. These proses are narratives based on historical events that took place in the 9th, 10th and 11th century. 

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Elves appear frequently in Northern European and Germanic mythology where they are generally described as beautiful and subtle eternal beings who are in possession of great powers. The Icelandic elves, however, are their own species. They lead lives that are very similar to those lead by humans; they keep livestock, cut hay, row fishing boats, pick berries and go to church on Sundays. And prefer to be left alone.