Kledd I Brynje Og Smykket Blodorm

Since living in Iceland for a while now, it has occurred to me that I am becoming more susceptible to the idea of Trolls, Elves and the other Huldrafolk that inhabit Iceland. When I arrived I scoffed at such fanciful ideas that there may be more than just humans inhabiting this rock along with a few other animals (but not Polar Bears, oh no, they get shot on sight. NO POLAR BEARS IN ICELAND!!).

This Polar Bear swam 300 miles, only to be refused by Icelandic Immigration officials with extreme prejudice. Draconian, but fair

I laughed at Hrönn when she told me one of her relatives had seen a fairy. I poo-pooed the idea that we were not alone. Having now seen most of the areas around the ring road in Iceland, besides the Westfjords and the Interior, I feel I am in a better place to reassess my take on the other folk. I have reached the conclusion that the massive boulders that lie strewn across the land must have been thrown there from trolls in the mountains. How else have they got there? I can't think of any other explanation. Carried by water? I don't think so! Deposited by the retreating glaciers? No way! Trolls is the only explanation. Angry trolls throwing stuff around.

Photograph of a Forest Troll, seen outside Reykjavik

Lauren, Steve and I were at Dimmuborgir and were looking at a mountain shrouded in mist in the distance. Lauren said 'it looks like caayke (cake with a Sheffield accent)', Steve started boring us to death with his brainiac 'scientific' explanations of water droplets reacting with the mountainside. I instantly thought it was a load of evil wizards boiling their cauldrons on the top of the mountain. Which just goes to demonstrate how I view things now. Having said all that, I am far more interested in the trolls than the elves and the rest. The faeries and elves don't really do much except hang out around rocks, preen themselves like peacocks and try to dupe you into marriage. Pretty much like most of the residents of Reykjavik. Trolls seem to have something more about them. Back at Dimmuborgir it felt very eerie and our imagination ran away with us. The place looks like a Troll Palace anyway, but when your there alone and wading through knee high snow the prospect of a troll suddenly rearing up is a very frightening one indeed. I've seen trolls that have been turned to rock by the sunlight, there is a couple down on the Reykjanes Peninsular and a few off the gravel road outside Keflavik. So they definitely exist.

A whole Troll family, as seen off the coast at Vik