http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/world/what-in-the-world/iceland-elves-alfar.html 2016-09-27 11:59:21 After Mudslides and Flooding in Iceland, Elves Are Suspects Workers clearing a roadway after a series of storms unleashed havoc after unwittingly dumping dirt on a special rock that has its own name in Icelandic folklore. === When Siglufjordur, a small mountain town in northern A crew member was injured, then a bulldozer broke down. A TV reporter, who arrived to survey the damage, The culprit, locals knew, had been heavy rainfall. Or elves. It turns out that construction workers had unwittingly dumped dirt on a rock that is special enough to have its own name in Icelandic folklore: Alfkonusteinn. The rock even has a back story that involves a Icelandic elves, also called hidden people or alfar, are not tiny, pointy-eared creatures, Alda Sigmundsdottir, a journalist and the When asked for comment, Viktor A. Ingolfsson, a spokesman for the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, sent a four-page statement from the commission detailing its official stance on elves. “It cannot be denied that belief in the supernatural is occasionally the reason for local concerns” around construction and development, the statement read. If a certain location is thought to be cursed or inhabited by elves, “then this must be considered a cultural treasure.” Ms. Sigmundsdottir said that much of the lore around elves has to do with explaining tough living conditions. “Modern scholars believe that this was one way the Icelanders tried to control their destinies in a land and climate that was incredibly harsh and unforgiving,” she said. What happened in Siglufjordur is most likely “a remnant of the ancient belief that the homes of the hidden people were sacred,” Ms. Sigmundsdottir said. Elf lore is not a part of everyday life, she said, and sometimes the international news media has a field day with stories of the so-called Still, the road administration finally unearthed the elf rock in late August, according to For good measure — and perhaps for good luck — crews power-washed the stone.