The Little Book of the Hidden People: Twenty stories of elves from Icelandic folklore Paperback – March 25, 2015

According to legend, Eve , mother of mankind, was asked by god to display all her children. In a bout of laziness she selected he best ones and got them presentable. God counted them and made them royalty, the ones that were hidden were confined to a status of dwelling in boulder and mountains. These are the Huldu folk of Iceland which many refer to as elves.Legend has it that if you are in the wilderness you may suddenly see one of them only to have them disappear into a rock or boulder. Much of the lore about these folk is reminiscent of faerie and elf folklore of old Europe.It was on a whim that I decided to purchase this slender volume and believe me I am glad that I made this purchase. Too bad it was not longer as I consumed this volume in a matter of hours and it left me wanting more. Not only were the stories entertaining and the authoress's notes after each story informative but she also has a strong dose of common sense and strong Icelandic pride.SHe starts off dispelling a rumor put forward in Vanity Fair that most Icelander believe in Elves and will not  begin a construction project unless an elf seer is brought in and determines whther or not it is ok to build there. The authoress states boldy that most people do not believe in elves and that before construction begins the place is checked out to see if there is any valuable archaeology or whether it is important in folklore. After all why destroy your own  history.The stories of the Huldu folk arose from a harsh environment where only the strongest could survive. Believe me old Iceland was tough. Bitter cold, lack of food and primitive lodging made survival difficult. More over men could not marry until they accumulated enough wealth which was tough to do. Sexual relation were limited to reduce the number of births. If  the man of the house died the woman lost everything and was sent forward as a laborer .That meant kids were fostered out and the holding auctioned off. People could disappear in fog drifts or get lost along the way from one farmstead to another.Where as the people were poor, the elves had plenty. Elves were known to seduce mortals, this could explain unwanted pregnancies . Humans were not allowed to dance together because it lead in their eyes to illicit unions. Elves often got people to dance. Being abducted by elves could be used to explain away how a child could get lost in a snow drift or step over a precipice. At least a parent could think the child had found a better life.THe book itself is composed of 21 stories collected orally by the author. THey involve many motifs. One popular motif is a mortal woman called a away from church or home to help an elf woman give birth. Th woman is reward but gets an ointment on her eye that allows her to see elves. When the they find out they nullify the effect of the ointment or use some spittle to weaken the eye. Nicer then the European version where the woman in blinded. Several stories involve women meeting hidden folk in a dairy, being seduced and then made pregnant. Later the child is born and the woman gives it to the Huldu Folk. Later the lover comes back after she is married and the two die in each others arms. The child is sometimes raised by the remaining parent or goes off on it's own. There are also stories of those who disturbed eleves and ended up receiving a poor fortune for it. Others who helped the eleves received good fortune.Enjoy these tales they are a quick and entertaining read and the author opens up a door into the mind and heart of Iceland.

This is another "Home Run" for Alda. It is a very impressive work, done in her informal style; reading it makes you feel like a friend is telling you the stories. This is true for all of her works.If you are considering the purchase of this book, you are here because of some interest in Iceland. Without a doubt, Alda is the Queen of English language books about society (and things in general) concerning Iceland.Alda was born in Iceland, raised in Canada, and lived in a number of other places before returning to Iceland, perhaps 20 years ago. She is uniquely qualified to explain to the rest of the world, those things that are exclusively Icelandic...such as the "belief" in Elfs.If you have been to Iceland, you know what it is all about. If you are considering your first visit there, you have to go and see it for yourself; but I really do believe you will be "hooked", and return continually, as I have since 1976.Iceland has a population of about 320,000; they expect about 3,000,000 visitors this year. That says a lot about Iceland, and, quite honestly, Alda is the the source for explaining Icelandic society and culture to the English speaking world. This book, while it deals with Elfs, is an insight into the history of Iceland, Icelanders, and how they think.If you do purchase the book,I recommend that you make your first read "the Introduction".When I buy a new book, I just hop to the begining of the story. But whether you are new to Iceland, or have been a long time visitor, this time I recommend you begin with the introduction, as it gives a good background for the stories that follow. It will help you understand why Iceland (and Icelanders) do the things they do. So strange, but so sort of the same......that is Iceland, and Alda explains it..Without a doubt, I have to give this a 5 star recommendation. Alda is a great writer; but she is also capable of explaining those things in Icelandic society that seem so strange to us on the outside.Iceland is a fantastic country to visit, if you have been there you know. If not, put it on your list of places to visit.Whether you have been to Iceland or not, you will enjoy the interesting stories in this book. But if you know Iceland, you will like them even more.This is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it it for anyone who is interested in things Icelandic.

The book retells the same story over and over with slight twists. I wanted to learn about the little people of Iceland, but became confused as to if the tales told were about the little people or the bigger invisible ones.

This is the third book by Alda Sigmundsdóttir that I've read since returning from my first trip to Iceland 3 weeks ago. Being of Norwegian heritage, I've always been fascinated about the Vikings discovery and settlement of Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland ("Vinland"), but I knew very little about that history or the culture that developed in these places.I think of Alda as kind of a "reverse Leif Ericson" - she was born in Iceland and raised in Canada and Western Europe, before returning as an adult to "The Land of the Nice". What's awesome about Alda's books is her perspective as an "outsider's insider", and her super concise, articulate yet informal writing style. The books I've read are collections of short essays, which makes them very quick reads.Think of The Little Book of the Hidden People as an Icelandic version of Grimm's Fairy Tales (Alda makes this comparison). Like Grimm's Fairy Tales, there are clear morals to each story that reinforce cultural values. Now, imagine a book of Grimm's Fairy Tales, where each fable is followed by well researched explanations of that story's cultural and historical context, all written in a very vernacular and accessible style. If you can picture that, and it sounds interesting, go ahead and order this book without delay.

Another great book from Alda. Really enjoyable, funny and informative. A must have for Iceland lovers and Alda book collectors too.

I love Iceland and the stories of the Hidden People (the huldufólk), and I thoroughly enjoyed Alda's book. Stories of the elves who live in boulders and inside hillocks and occasionally mix with human folk, and how some of the stories have come into being as warnings. (I hope Alda hasn't upset the huldufólk that she doesn't believe in!)

Not only does the author not believe in little people or the old folkore of Iceland, this book is also poorly written.Please stop jumping on the money making bandwagon and find a subject that you are genuinely interested in.

Lovely book of short tales. Very informative and entertaining. Lots of twists in these tales that I was not expecting!

Easy to read. Interesting content