Over the past few months, dozens of environmentalists in Iceland have
staged a high-profile protest against a road scheduled to cut through an
area of volcanic rock on the Álftanes peninsula, not far from the
capital of Reykjavik. It is only one of countless eco-protests in the
world, but the campaign has made international news, because some of the
protesters claim the proposed road would disturb the habitat of elves
who live among the rocks.Elves and fairies are closely related in folklore, and though elves specifically seem to have sprung from early Norse mythology, by the 1800s fairies and elves were widely considered to be simply different names for the same magical creatures.
Polls find that over half of Iceland's population believes in elves, or at least doesn't rule out the possibility of their existence.
But why do so many Icelanders believe? The passed-down tales are just part of the picture. Iceland's concept of the natural world takes on a mystical tone; pair that with environmentalism, the want to preserve this mystical world, and magical creatures almost make sense.
Source: LiveScience
Damien's Note: Emphasis added.
“… people didn't seem to be able to remember what it was like with the elves around. Life was certainly more interesting then, but usually because it was shorter. And it was more colorful, if you liked the color of blood.”
ReplyDelete― Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies
You don't have to scratch too deep to discover the archaic.
ReplyDelete