Gálgahraun, Iceland (folk tale)

The Hidden People: Huldufólk

Folklore — not a documented case

In Iceland, an unseen people are said to live inside rocks; according to the tales, road and building projects that disturb their homes run into trouble.

In Icelandic folk belief the huldufólk, the hidden people, are a community much like humans but invisible to ordinary eyes. According to the tales, they have homes, churches and farms inside lava rocks and small hills, and whoever disturbs them invites misfortune. One folk story traces their origin to Eve: when God came to visit, she hid the children she had not yet washed, and God declared that what was hidden from Him would stay hidden from people forever.

The stories in this section are folk tales and legends; they are not verified, real events and should not be confused with the rest of the archive.

From the same region