# Iceland judge blocks road construction to protect the Elves. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2013, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005 "2013-12-23T09:43:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/1 "2013-12-23T09:43:34Z")
:eek: Wow, I’m not sure what to say. Maybe an Irish judge will block construction for the wee little Leprechauns? This is just wild. I’d guess the environmentalists dreamed this up in a desperate attempt to block the road. The judge probably went along with it because he wanted the road blocked too. This was apparently the best bs excuse they could find. I know. I know. It’s the Daily Mail. Google Iceland road blocked You’ll find other sources. [http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/12/22/4562656/icelands-hidden-elves-delay-road.html#.UrgF8PuI9AY](http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/12/22/4562656/icelands-hidden-elves-delay-road.html#.UrgF8PuI9AY) > **[ELVES \> ROADS!](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/iceland-elves-construction_n_4178150)** > > ELVES \> ROADS! > **[Judge halts Icelandic road project over impact on local 'elves'](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2527939/Judge-halts-Icelandic-road-project-court-decide-detrimental-impact-local-elves.html)** > > Elf advocates are urging the Icelandic Road and Coastal Commission to abandon a highway project from the tip of the Alftanes peninsula, where the president has a home, to the Reykjavik suburb of Gardabaer. > [@](#): > > The project has been halted until the Supreme Court of Iceland rules on a case brought by a group known as Friends of Lava, who cite both the environmental and the cultural impact - including the impact on elves - of the road project. The group has regularly brought hundreds of people out to block the bulldozers. > [@](#): > > Scandinavian folklore is full of elves, trolls and other mythological characters. Most people in Norway, Denmark and Sweden haven’t taken them seriously since the 19th century, but elves are no joke to many in Iceland, which has a population of 320,000. > > A survey conducted by the University of Iceland in 2007 found that some 62 per cent of the 1,000 respondents thought it was at least possible that elves exist. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/2 "2013-12-23T12:22:59Z")
“I am the Jónsdótt. I speak for the Elves” (Insert your Tolkien joke _here_.) ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/3 "2013-12-23T13:18:58Z")
I know some people find pleasure in mocking others but this is just a part of Iceland’s unique culture. When I went to Iceland I got the impression that most of the stuff about elves was delivered with a lot of “Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.” This type of thing is pretty commonly expressed in Iceland in situations like this. > **[World News: Latest International Headlines, Video, and Breaking Stories From...](https://www.nbcnews.com/world)** > > Get the latest news, updates, and video from around the globe. > [@](#): > > They occur so often that the road and coastal administration has come up with a stock media response for elf inquiries, which states that “issues have been settled by delaying the construction project at a certain point while the elves living there have supposedly moved on.” Also… > [@](#): > > “Some feel that the elf thing is a bit annoying,” said Magnason, adding that personally he was not sure they existed. However, he added, “I got married in a church with a god just as invisible as the elves, so what might seem irrational is actually quite common” with Icelanders. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/4 "2013-12-23T13:25:19Z")
Here’s a longer article in the Atlantic that I thought was really well-written and goes into a more detailed explanation of elf belief: > **[Why So Many Icelanders Still Believe In Invisible Elves](https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/why-so-many-icelanders-still-believe-in-invisible-elves/280783/)** > > How the country’s history and geography created the perfect setting for magical creatures, whose perceived existence sparks environmental protests to this day. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/5 "2013-12-23T14:15:57Z")
The Atlantic did a good job with the story. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/6 "2013-12-23T14:22:57Z")
> [@](#): > > However, he added, “I got married in a church with a god just as invisible as the elves, so what might seem irrational is actually quite common” with Icelanders. That might not be making the point he intended to make, if he is religious. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/7 "2013-12-23T15:37:19Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > … > I know. I know. It’s the Daily Mail. Google Iceland road blocked > You’ll find other sources… Ooh, I must go and read the “Daily Mail” article, as I know how much they love stories about Elf ‘n’ Safety. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/8 "2013-12-23T16:13:24Z")
Well, we have whole organizations and TV shows dedicated to searching for Bigfoot in the U.S. They haven’t found one yet but it is just a matter of time. If we can have Bigfoot, I don’t see why Iceland can’t have real elves. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/9 "2013-12-23T17:57:07Z")
The Atlantic article is better written. But in this case the Daily Mail didn’t do a bad job with the story. What they reported matches up with other sources. I never take a daily mail story at face value. It is a good source for unusual, funny, or quirky stories. I always Google to confirm their stories from other sources. > [@Celyn](#): > > Ooh, I must go and read the “Daily Mail” article, as I know how much they love stories about Elf ‘n’ Safety. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/10 "2013-12-23T18:02:53Z")
I just thought it was interesting the Iceland would block a road for Elves. We have Big Foot sightings, and there are people that believe they exist. But no one has ever tried to block construction because it might upset Big Foot’s habitat. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/11 "2013-12-23T18:27:41Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I just thought it was interesting the Iceland would block a road for Elves. > > We have Big Foot sightings, and there are people that believe they exist. But no one has ever tried to block construction because it might upset Big Foot’s habitat. It makes sense. There are probably only a few Bigfoots and attacks are rare. Elves can influence nature itself if you mess with their habitat including unleashing volcanoes if you piss them off badly enough. I think it is clear that the risks are much higher when dealing with elf habitats versus Bigfoot. I learned some things I didn’t know about elves from the linked articles. I didn’t know they came in many different sizes. Most are about a foot tall but some look like regular children. Others can be up to 9 feet tall. The concept of a giant elf seems like an oxymoron but it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/12 "2013-12-23T21:49:02Z")
If nothing else, **Skeptical Inquirer** magazine now has an idea for an article. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/13 "2013-12-24T00:33:04Z")
In Western Australia, for many years in the 70s and 80s, there were some problems with the Wagyl. Basically, the Wagyl is a water-spirit and lives in every watercourse, or where water could flow - ie basically anywhere. So if there was a development planned, it was amazing how often the Wagyl was going to be inconvenienced by the building and construction. It was also amazing how often the Wagyl could be placated by an appropriate monetary gift to a suitable ‘community group’. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iceland-judge-blocks-road-construction-to-protect-the-elves/677005/14 "2013-12-24T02:39:52Z")
The construction company should be ordered to post a bond against harming elves. Problem solved.