So today Janice sent me a link to an Article on MSN called "How do you find an elf? Elf Detection 101". Now one might think this would be a fluff article, something to chuckle at, nothing too serious, but NO, well at least not in Iceland!
In a poll conducted in 2007 it was found that 54% of Icelanders believe in Elf's. That's right over half the people in Iceland are on some serious drugs! To make matters worse this belief in Elf's has even caused problems with businesses.
According to the article, "Before the aluminum company Alcoa could erect a smelting factory, it had to defer to a government expert to scour the enclosed plant site and certify that no elves were on or under it." Ok so now here comes the big question... "How do you find an elf?"
The answer: With psychic powers of course!
Well duh come on now, who didn't know that?? Are these people for real? They even claim that there is a Royal Elf Family that lives in the base of a cliff in Hafnarfjördu, Iceland. Move over Price Charles there is a new Royal Family in the spotlight now!!
Icelanders also say that sometimes these mischievous elf's mess with their equipment on job sites if they are unhappy with the new road, building, or whatever is going on at that particular site. According to the article "When Icelanders try to build roads or settlements through elf dwellings, the elves are said to go bonkers—causing equipment failures and other problems. In the early 1970s, for example, contractors trying to move a large rock to make way for a highway near Reykjavík hired a clairvoyant, Zophanías Pétursson, after experiencing several minor mishaps. Pétursson detected the presence of elves and claimed to obtain a waiver from the supernatural creatures so that work could progress." I bet this guy got paid big money to make a fake piece of paper with some chicken scratch at the bottom saying "We the little people agree to let you continue with your work, we promise not to mess with you anymore." That was probably the easiest paycheck he ever received. Although if these little people do exist I best be careful not to upset them or my car might stall on my way home from work tonight.
They even have a school for this stuff! The Icelandic Elf School teaches students and visitors about the five different kinds of elves or hidden people in myth that are believed to inhabit the country of Iceland. The school is located in Reykjavík, the country's largest city. I don't know why I went to Clarkson when I could have gone to elf hunting school.
So if you believe in these little people perhaps you should visit the Icelandic Elf School, or you could spend your Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve scouring the countryside looking for some. That is because these dates "are considered especially good occasions for elf-spotting. That's because according to some legends, these holidays are traditional moving days for the little people." I think people are only claiming to see them on these days because those are the days over half the people in the world are intoxicated and celebrating!!
But I shouldn't be so sarcastic of course elves do exist. I know where you can find a whole city full of them. They are all toy makers and live in Santa's Village in the North Pole.
If you want a chuckle check out the article yourself on MSN: http://www.slate.com/id/2213353/?GT1=38001
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