![]() Álfhóll is now protected as a cultural heritage. At this point, the workers were spooked and refused to go near the hill. Then the replacement drill broke as well. When the workers reached Álfhóll and were about to demolish it, the rock drill broke into pieces. Later in the 1980s, the same road was set to be raised and paved. The road was subsequently rerouted around the hill, rather than through it, according to The Vintage News. At first, construction was delayed due to money problems, but when the work finally began a decade later, the workers encountered all sorts of problems from broken machinery to lost tools. The construction was set to bring the road right through Álfhóll, which would have essentially destroyed the elves' home. When the projects aren't first stopped by residents trying to protect the elves, they seem to be thwarted by the elves themselves.įor example, in the late 1930s, construction began on a road near Álfhóll, or Elf Hill, the most famous elf residence in the city of Kópavogur. The supernatural beliefs are so strong in Iceland that many road construction projects have been delayed or rerouted to avoid disturbing the elves' homes. God knew of her deceitfulness and proclaimed "What man hides from God, God will hide from man." These children then became the "hidden folk" of Iceland who often make their homes in large rocks. Ashliman in the book "Folk and Fairy Tales: A Handbook" (Greenwood Publishing, 2004), Eve was embarrassed that her children were dirty when God came to visit, so she hid them away and lied about their existence. In Iceland, for example, about half of the residents believe in elf-like beings known as the "huldufolk" (hidden people), or at least don't rule out their existence.Īccording to author D.L. The belief is still strong in some places. In centuries past, belief in the existence of fairies and elves was common among both adults and children. It's only recently that elves have been confined to plays, books, and fairy tales. 'Elves and Fairies,' an illustration for 'The Tempest,' by Edmund Dulac (1882-1953) (Image credit: ) The elves of Iceland "Santa reigned without opposition over a vast empire, truly a captain of industry," Restad wrote, with the usually nameless elves standing in for largely anonymous immigrant workers. The idea of Santa overseeing a workforce of toymaking elves played up the romantic vision of American capitalism, according to Restad. ![]() Meanwhile, an editorial in that same issue addressed the realities of toymaking: they were not made by magical elves but by poor foreigners: "Whole villages engage in the work, and the contractors every week in the year go round and gather together the six days' work and pay for it." A caption read, "Here we have an idea of the preparations that are made to supply the young folks with toys at Christmas time," according to Restad. Godey's Lady's Book, another influential magazine, featured an illustration in its 1873 Christmas issue titled "The Workshop of Santa Claus," which showed Santa surrounded by toys and elves. "In his house upon the top of a hill, And almost out of sight, He keeps a great many elves at work, All working with all their might, To make a million of pretty things, Cakes, sugar-plums, and toys, To fill the stockings, hung up you know By the little girls and boys." In 1857, Harper's Weekly published a poem titled " The Wonders of Santa Claus," which included the lines: The image of elves in Santa's workshop was popularized in magazines of the mid-1800s. Restad in the book " Christmas in America: A History" (Oxford University Press, 1996). In 1856, Louisa May Alcott, who later wrote "Little Women," finished, but never published, a book titled "Christmas Elves," according to Penne L. Nicholas," or "The Night Before Christmas," written by Clement Clark Moore in 1822. Santa Claus himself is described as "a right jolly old elf" in the classic poem "A Visit From St. That depiction, however, is relatively recent. Modern Christmas tradition holds that a horde of elves works throughout the year in Santa's workshop at the North Pole making toys and helping him prepare for his whirlwind, worldwide sleigh ride to homes on Christmas Eve. ![]()
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