# Do over half of Icelanders REALLY believe in Elves? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757 "2009-04-20T18:42:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/1 "2009-04-20T18:42:13Z")
According to [this](http://timesonline.typepad.com/faith/2009/04/icelands-hidden-secret-belief-in-elves.html) they do, and I suppose this is a country that has gone to war with a nuclear power four times in the last 50 years, so anything is possible. But surely no educated folk are this silly? \*Not actually true, really, but I provide this for the amusement of most dopers who are probably neither aware of the [cod wars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cod_wars) nor the seizing of “Icelandic” banks by the UK government using anti terrorist legislation last September 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/2 "2009-04-20T19:19:52Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > According to [this](http://timesonline.typepad.com/faith/2009/04/icelands-hidden-secret-belief-in-elves.html) they do, and I suppose this is a country that has gone to war with a nuclear power four times in the last 50 years, so anything is possible. > > But surely no educated folk are this silly? > > \*Not actually true, really, but I provide this for the amusement of most dopers who are probably neither aware of the [cod wars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cod_wars) nor the seizing of “Icelandic” banks by the UK government using anti terrorist legislation last September 🙂 Three things about belief: 1. It’s analog, not digital. In other words, it’s not as simple as yes / no, as the surveys make out. Imagine a similar statement about Americans believing in extraterrestrials. “I believe I’m the love-child of an alien and Madonna” would score the same ‘yes’ as “I think it’s possible that extraterrestrial life exists, somewhere, though I have yet to see evidence of such a thing.” 2. Plenty of modern, first-world peoples have beliefs that look crazy when taken out of context. Leaving aside religious beliefs, what about ghosts, luck, wishing on birthday candles, astrology, etc. 3. The beliefs themselves are rational, not “silly.” They may well proceed from incorrect assumptions or observations, but they are logical within the worldview that they operate in. That’s not to say I believe in elves or support those who do, but you’ll never understand the phenomenon if you dismiss it as silly. ---
**Author:** ![mattomic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@mattomic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattomic)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/3 "2009-04-20T19:50:11Z")
Given that roughly 100% of the world’s elvic populations reside in or around the North Pole, it’s entirely possible that they have extended their traditional territorial boundaries southward ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/4 "2009-04-20T20:28:56Z")
Well more than 80% of the world’s population believes in God or Gods, so why is it so unreasonable that the Icelanders would believe in Elves?. Both are religious/spiritual beliefs that can not be proved or disproved scientifically ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/5 "2009-04-20T20:30:23Z")
I’d say way more than 50% of the adult population believe in elves; especially when around kids and foreigners. I even like to point out the elven castles in the hinterlands when I take people on trips 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/6 "2009-04-20T20:33:39Z")
My mother believes in fairies. She’s an obsessive gardener and believes they’re necessary in a flower garden, part of what makes it work. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/7 "2009-04-20T20:45:58Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Both are religious/spiritual beliefs that can not be proved or disproved scientifically I disagree that belief in elves is “religious / spiritual” in Iceland, unless you’re just using that as a synonym for “supernatural.” Elves are creatures of legend, not myth. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/8 "2009-04-20T20:51:21Z")
Umm, you may have a point. Perhaps \*\*WormTheRed \*\* can ilustrate us about that?, is the Icelandic belief in elves a spiritual/religious thing or a simple “supernatural” belief like horoscopes or triskadeskaphobia? ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/9 "2009-04-20T21:01:26Z")
Hmm… good question. I think I’d rather put them on the same shelf as horoscopes and magic, rather than with saints, gods and devils. It’s old folklore which has remained - just like the Swedish “[Näcken](http://br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niksenn)” and Santa Claus. But I dare you to say they don’t exist when you’re up in the hinterlands and everything looks magical. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/10 "2009-04-20T21:14:04Z")
\>But surely no educated folk are this silly? Are you kidding. 90% of Americans believe in the invistible guy in the sky, miracles, psychic surgery, bigfoot, UFOs, etc etc etc. Educated people can be just as ignorant as anyone else, especially when you start talking about things like traditions, psycholgically pleasing beliefs, religion, paranormal, fate, freewill, etc. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/11 "2009-04-20T21:14:14Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > My mother believes in fairies. She’s an obsessive gardener and believes they’re necessary in a flower garden, part of what makes it work. My grandmother believes that a virgin gave birth to the son of an omnipotent being that created the universe, that this son was raised from the dead and then just shot straight into heaven like the Space Shuttle, and that every Sunday, magicians take shitty bread and turn it into this virgin-born dude’s skin and muscle. Then she eats it. Whose idea is crazier? I leave it to the reader to decide. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/12 "2009-04-20T21:23:04Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > My grandmother believes that a virgin gave birth to the son of an omnipotent being that created the universe, that this son was raised from the dead and then just shot straight into heaven like the Space Shuttle, and that every Sunday, magicians take shitty bread and turn it into this virgin-born dude’s skin and muscle. Then she eats it. > > Whose idea is crazier? I leave it to the reader to decide. Wow, your grandmother is wacked. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/13 "2009-04-20T22:36:59Z")
The capitalization in the thread title had me wondering about Icelanders believing in Elvis. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/14 "2009-04-20T22:40:07Z")
When I was in Iceland, everyone claimed to believe in trolls, elves etc. I assumed that’s because I was a tourist. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/15 "2009-04-20T22:47:35Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > The capitalization in the thread title had me wondering about Icelanders believing in Elvis. And I thought they SPOKE in Elvish. And **RickJay** , at my church the bread is usually homemade and the wine is so unlike Father O’Hara’s muscatel that I had to ask what it is. “It’s port,” the church secretary answered chirpily. That’s something Fr O’Hara never thought of to warm his bones during a 5:30AM mass. He had to settle for doubles of the musky. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/16 "2009-04-20T22:55:26Z")
The OP has seen [Bjork](http://images.google.com/images?client=opera&rls=en&q=bjork&sourceid=opera&oe=utf-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=G_3sSZmSDZqeMo7Z4PMF&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title) right? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/17 "2009-04-20T23:10:17Z")
Santa Elves, Tolkien Elves or Harry Potter Elves? ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/18 "2009-04-20T23:14:17Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Santa Elves, Tolkien Elves or Harry Potter Elves? I guess Tolkien would be the closest, but here are some [_pics_](http://www.inlofna.org/SIR/Pgm_4/first_item.html). ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/19 "2009-04-20T23:30:23Z")
Of course they believe in Elvis. That’s were he’s been for the last ten years. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757/20 "2009-04-20T23:39:47Z")
I was told they also believe in Moomintrolls and Smurfs.:rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-over-half-of-icelanders-really-believe-in-elves/493757.md?page=2)