Waterfalls, Witches & Whimsy

Iceland is known as the land of extremes. Everyone talks of fire and ice, glaciers and volcanoes, but they often miss the tales lying just below the cascading waterfalls and bubbling mud pots. Unbeknownst to many, Iceland is the place where faeries divert the construction of highways, trolls steal sheep, and dried cod heads pointed out to sea bring deadly storms.

When Christianity knocked on the door of this isolated nation, it was the decision of one man, Lawspeaker Thorgeir Thorkelsson, who pushed the Pagans from center stage and put them behind locked doors. To ponder the options, Thorgier retired to his hut, pulled a reindeer skin over his belly and took a nap. His verdict paved the way for sweeping change as it banned witchcraft and sorcery. Some of the more crafty individuals took advantage of the mythical beliefs of the more whimsical figures who refused to put their rune stones and spells away. In order to further their political and economic endeavors, they exposed the witches and wizards. Those who were thought to possess powers to raise the dead or bring sickness to the healthy were burned at the stake. Most of them were men. This sent a message to the people, go underground or change your story. Suddenly elves, trolls and faeries emerged, filled the void, and brought a sense of control to the unpredictable world.

These images show our side of Iceland, a two week honeymoon that merely scratched the surface of the ethereal landscape and bizarre culture. Next time we will go deeper.