Icelandic Folklore
Learn Icelandic from ancient tales
Introduction
The collection Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og æfintýri (Icelandic Folktales and Fairy Tales), compiled by Jón Árnason (1819–1888) with the assistance of Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1827–1889), is the definitive mid-19th-century compilation of oral folklore that lived among the general Icelandic populace. These are the stories of belief, magic, and wonder.
*This book date back to 1862, so some words in the stories may be unfamiliar or outdated.
Álfa & huldufólk
The terms álfa and huldufólk refer to the supernatural beings in Icelandic folklore, often referred to as elves and hidden people.
- Álfar is the Icelandic word for elves. In Icelandic tradition, these are typically thought of as beautiful, human-like, and sometimes closer to the light elves of Norse mythology.
- Huldufólk meaning hidden people, are often seen as similar to the álfar, but are traditionally described as being more like humans in appearance and size, though they live in a parallel world, often in rocks, hills, and lava fields. They are considered very private.
The elf-belief (Álfatrú) was widespread among all farmers in Iceland. Although it is now seen as largely dead among most people, there are still quite a few mentions of it in stories and sagas, and in names derived from elves (e.g., álfar - elves, álfafólk - elf-people, álfakyn - elf-kind, álfatrú - elf-belief, álfkona - elf-woman) and many place names (örnöfnum) which are believed to have taken their names from elves, dating back a long time.
However, there are other names of the same nature, such as huldufólk (hidden people), huldumaður (hidden man), huldukona (hidden woman), and so forth.
These names were considered milder, and it was thought better to call them that than álfar (elves), which was generally regarded as being rougher, and they had both respect and fear for them.
Sæbúar og vatna
Elves and sea dwellers, or water dwellers, are closely related, according to the idea which still appears in our traditions. It has already been mentioned that elves row out for fish and engage in fishing, both in the sea and in lakes, and among other things, people call the patches on ice "elf fords" (álfavakir), where the air has remained after the water freezes; people say that elves have been awake there to fish with a rod or catch char. But although the water dwellers may resemble elves in some ways, they are otherwise of such a special nature that it seems better to examine them separately.
Tröll
The tröll in Icelandic folklore are fascinating figures, drawing from the Norse concept of giants (often conflated with jötnar, risar, or þursar) but developing unique characteristics within the island's traditions.
The general terms tröll and tröllkona are essentially superlatives (yfirgripsmikil). They encompass all beings greater than humans in some capacity, and who are generally malevolent (illviljaðir).
Many other names are used for this class of gigantic beings, besides tröll:
- Bergbúar (Mountain Dwellers)
- Jötnar (Jotun/Giants)
- Þussar (Thursar/Giants)
- Risar (Giants)
- Skessur (Giantesses)
- Flögð (Ogresses)
- Gýgjur (Giantesses)
Nature and Behavior
Trolls are said to live in:
- Höfðum (Headlands)
- Fjallaklettum (Mountain cliffs)
- Hellum (Caves)
In sagas and ancient Norse mythology (goðasögur), trolls are generally described as:
- Malicious but Variable: Trolls are often described as greedy, ferocious, and man-eaters, with a particular fondness for stray livestock and unsuspecting travelers. Old legends often served as cautionary tales to keep children from wandering too far.
- A Balance of Good and Evil: While their general reputation is menacing, some stories depict trolls as being kind, wise, or even loyal to humans who show them respect or perform a good deed. In these tales, the grateful troll often rewards the human with fortune.
The Yule Lads and Grýla
The most famous family of trolls in Iceland are those associated with Christmas:
- Grýla: The terrifying mother of the Yule Lads. She is an ancient giantess who is said to emerge from her mountain lair before Christmas to hunt for and eat naughty children.
- The Yule Lads (Jólasveinar): Grýla's thirteen mischievous sons, who have evolved from monstrous, child-scaring trolls into the modern, gift-giving, and prank-playing figures of the Icelandic Christmas season.
- The Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn): Grýla's enormous and vicious pet cat, who eats anyone who doesn't receive new clothes before Christmas Eve.
Place Names (Örnefni)
Many places in Iceland bear names related to trolls:
- Surtarshóll (Surtur's Hill)
- Trölladýragata (Troll-animal-road)
- Tröllaháls (Troll-neck/ridge)
- Tröllakirkja (Troll-church)
- Tröllaskeið (Troll-track)
- Tröllaskógur (Troll-forest)
- Tröllatúnga (Troll-tongue)
Draugur
The draugur is one of the most fearsome and significant supernatural creatures in Icelandic and broader Norse folklore. The name itself comes from the Old Norse word draugr, meaning "revenant" or "one who walks after death."
Oral tales about ghosts are divided by their nature into a main classes:
- Revenants (apturgöngur), who, either of their own accord or due to some other circumstance, human action or the like, are roaming after death.
- Awakened ones (uppvakningar), which are at the same time sendings (sendingar). These are almost always dead men whom others wake up while alive using magic, to keep them for various services.
Galdrasögur
In Jón Árnason’s collection, Galdrasögur form a specific category separate from ghost stories (draugasögur) and elf stories (álfasögur).
The Nature of the Icelandic Sorcerer
- Education = Magic: In old Iceland, if you knew how to read and write (especially Latin), people suspected you knew magic. Therefore, the most famous sorcerers in folklore were actual historical bishops and priests.
- Moral Ambiguity: These sorcerers were not necessarily evil. They used magic to solve problems, catch thieves, or make travel easier.
Common Themes
The Black School (Svartiskóli)
Many stories begin with the sorcerer studying at the "Black School" (often located in Paris, France, or simply "somewhere south"). The Devil was the headmaster. The tuition fee was that the Devil got to keep the soul of the last student to leave the school at the end of the year.
- The Trick: The students would often trick the Devil so that he only caught their shadow, not their soul. This is why some sorcerers were said to cast no shadow.
Outsmarting the Devil (Kölski)
In Galdrasögur, the Devil (often nicknamed Kölski or gamli - "the old one") is not a terrifying cosmic horror, but rather a gullible fool.
- The sorcerer makes a pact with the Devil to do chores (build a bridge, carry them across the ocean), promising his soul in return.
- The sorcerer then finds a loophole in the contract to cheat the Devil out of payment.
Magical Staves (Galdrastafir)
The magic in these stories relies heavily on carving runes and complex staves into wood, bone, or drawing them on paper.
Famous Figures
Sæmundur Fróði (Sæmundur the Learned)
The most famous hero of Galdrasögur. He was a real historical figure (1056–1133), a priest and scholar. In folklore, he is the ultimate trickster who constantly outwits the Devil.
Sæmundur wanted to get back to Iceland from the Black School in France quickly. The Devil offered to swim him there as a seal, provided he could read the Psalter (Book of Psalms) the whole way; if he stopped, the Devil would drown him. Sæmundur read the whole way, and just as they reached the shore, he smashed the heavy book onto the seal’s head to stun it and jumped ashore safely.
Galdra-Loftur (Loftur the Sorcerer)
The tragic counterpart to Sæmundur. Loftur was a student who became obsessed with power. He tried to use magic to raise all the dead bishops of Hólar to find the legendary grimoire Rauðskinna (Red Skin), which contained knowledge so dark it could control Satan himself. He failed, went mad, and was eventually dragged into the sea by a grey hand (the Devil).
Galdrastafir in original book:
Náttúrusögur
Náttúrusögur translates to Nature Stories or Nature Legends.
However, this does not refer to modern biology or science. Instead, it refers to mythical natural history. These are stories that explain why nature looks the way it does, or describe the magical properties of everyday things.
If Ghost Stories (Draugasögur) are about the dead, and Elf Stories (Álfasögur) are about the hidden people, then Náttúrusögur are about the physical world around the Icelanders.
Gain a deeper understanding
Reading Icelandic folklore in Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og æfintýri is a fascinating experience. Although some spellings differ from modern Icelandic, understanding these older sentence structures is incredibly helpful.
Here you can find all the essential Icelandic concepts you need to understand the stories, the language, the sounds, and the magic symbols of the North.
