WHY MODERN ICELANDIC FAIRY TALES ARE STILL DIFFERENT: TROLLS, THE HIDDEN PEOPLE, AND A DARKER WORLD
- Roman Pech
- 24. 7.
- Minut čtení: 5
My first encounter with Icelandic fairy tales came through the novel A Dead Man Needs No Knife. I expected the kind of traditional folk tales familiar from Central Europe. Instead, I discovered a world where nature is more powerful than human beings, where death is accepted as a natural part of life, and where mysterious creatures are not merely decorative elements of folklore but an integral part of the landscape itself. That was when I began to wonder whether this unique style of storytelling had survived in the books Icelandic children read today. The short answer is: yes.
Icelandic Children Still Grow Up with Different Stories
Modern Icelandic children's literature is, of course, very different from the folk tales people told each other two or three centuries ago. Yet it has retained something that sets it apart from most European children's stories.
Icelandic children do not grow up solely on tales of princesses, enchanted castles, and happily-ever-after endings. They grow up in a country where nature has never been just a backdrop—it has always been one of the main characters in everyday life.
A Landscape That Tells Its Own Stories
All it takes is a moment of standing still in Iceland.
Before you stretches an endless lava field. A glacier rises on the horizon. Mist drifts between the rocks, while the roar of a distant waterfall echoes across the landscape. It is easy to feel that the land itself is alive.
This is where most Icelandic stories begin.
Not in royal palaces or fairy-tale castles, but in places where the weather can change everything within a matter of hours. Where the sea sustained entire families for centuries, yet could just as easily claim the lives of their fathers or sons. Where a single snowstorm could isolate a farm from the rest of the world for weeks.
In Iceland, there was never a clear boundary between reality and storytelling. The landscape itself was so powerful and unpredictable that it seemed only natural to imagine that other beings might exist alongside us—the Hidden People, trolls, or other creatures who share the same world while remaining invisible to human eyes.
An Evening on an Icelandic Farm Two Hundred Years Ago
Imagine a long winter evening on a remote Icelandic farm.
Outside, a fierce storm rages. The wind pounds against the turf roof, darkness has swallowed the surrounding landscape, and the nearest neighbour lives several kilometres away. There is no electricity, no radio, no television. The family gathers around the fire, and storytelling is the evening's only entertainment.
It was in settings like this that stories of the Huldufólk (the Hidden People), trolls, restless spirits, and strange creatures from the mountains were born.
But these stories were never just fairy tales.
They helped people make sense of a world that was harsh, lonely, and often dangerous. They taught children to be cautious. They warned them about the mountains, the sea, and the unforgiving Icelandic winters. Above all, they reminded listeners that human beings are not the masters of nature but merely a part of it.
What Has Changed?
Since then, Iceland has changed beyond recognition.
Today's children grow up in one of the safest and most prosperous countries in the world. They have the internet, smartphones, and access to the same international bestsellers as children elsewhere in Europe.
And yet, many of their books still feel distinctly Icelandic.
Not because they are darker or more frightening.
But because they continue to embrace the idea that nature is never just the setting for a story.
In Iceland, nature is one of the protagonists.
What Do Icelandic Children Read Today?
Among the books that have shaped generations of Icelandic readers is Jón Oddur og Jón Bjarni by Guðrún Helgadóttir.
The novels follow the everyday lives of two young boys, their family, their games, and the small challenges of growing up. There is very little magic, yet the books radiate a uniquely Icelandic atmosphere—a quiet closeness to nature and the feeling that the world surrounding a child is larger and more mysterious than it first appears.
Adventure novels by Ævar Þór Benediktsson are also enormously popular. His stories blend humour, mystery, and imagination with Iceland's dramatic landscapes, which are never mere scenery but actively shape both the plot and the decisions of the characters.
Another Icelandic author to achieve international acclaim is Andri Snær Magnason with his novel The Story of the Blue Planet.
It is not a story about elves or trolls.
Instead, it is a poetic tale about children, nature, and our responsibility for the world. Yet it carries the very same message found in Iceland's oldest legends: human beings are not the centre of the universe, and the world was not created solely for them.
Why Aren't Icelandic Fairy Tales Afraid of Darker Themes?
At first glance, Icelandic stories may seem darker than the fairy tales familiar to readers in Central Europe.
In reality, however, their purpose is not to frighten children.
It is to teach them respect.
Trolls, the Huldufólk, and ghosts represent forces beyond human control. When an old tale warns of a troll hiding in the mountains, it is often conveying a far simpler message: respect nature, never venture alone into unfamiliar wilderness, and treat the world around you with humility.
The same idea continues to appear in many contemporary Icelandic children's books—only now it is expressed in a modern language rather than through ancient legends.
The Christmas Lads Who Were Once Feared
Perhaps the best example of how Icelandic folklore has evolved is found in the Jólasveinar, the thirteen Icelandic Christmas Lads.
Today, they leave small gifts for children and are an inseparable part of Icelandic Christmas celebrations.
Their origins, however, are far darker.
According to old folklore, they were strange mountain-dwelling creatures whose mother was the fearsome Grýla, a giantess who hunted naughty children.
Modern Iceland has transformed them into friendly and mischievous characters.
Yet their story still reveals just how deeply Iceland's Christmas traditions are rooted in ancient folklore.
Why Have These Stories Survived?
Across much of Europe, old legends have found their place in museums and history books.
In Iceland, they have remained part of everyday culture.
This does not mean that modern Icelanders literally believe in trolls or the Hidden People.
It does mean, however, that they have preserved a unique relationship with the landscape—a landscape that constantly reminds people that they are not the rulers of the world.
Perhaps that is why Icelandic fairy tales feel so different from most European ones.
They do not teach children that the world is always safe or fair.
Instead, they teach that it can be beautiful, unpredictable, and mysterious all at once.
And perhaps that is precisely why these stories continue to captivate readers today—not only Icelandic children, but people all over the world.
About the Author
Iceland has fascinated me for many years. Over the course of numerous journeys across the island, I have driven tens of thousands of kilometers, experienced storms that changed travel plans within minutes, and witnessed days when choosing the right route meant discovering places that most visitors never see. I documented many of these experiences in my documentary film Island in the North.
Through this website, I share practical travel advice, up-to-date information, and firsthand experiences from the field to help others explore Iceland more safely and gain a deeper understanding of its unique landscapes and ever-changing nature.
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