There’s a bit of a rumour that Icelanders hold a special place in their hearts for elves. Various surveys on the matter have repeatedly shown that more than 50% of the country’s population believes elves also inhabit the island. So it’s little wonder that this is the place to go if you want to become an expert on the little beings.
Álfaskólinn (Elf School) offers a full curriculum about 13 kinds of elves as well as hidden people (the same size as normal people, but they’re invisible). Students can even get a diploma to hang on the wall after taking a five-hour class that includes tours to elf habitats (like the one in the photo) and ends with pancakes. The school also publishes its own textbooks and conducts original research.
Surely, this can’t be serious, right? It’s very serious. Last year, the headmaster of the school, Magnús Skarphéðinsson, took issue with an Icelandic MP who moved a large boulder that was supposedly home to elves to his front yard. The MP said the elves living inside saved him when his car crashed and landed near the rock a couple years ago. The problem is that Skarphéðinsson doesn’t think the elves gave their consent for the move but the MP said that “a specialist in the affairs of elves had confirmed that they were content with the move.” The specialist also told the MP that it would be best if the rock could be placed on grass because the elves wanted to raise sheep.
