Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1998, Qupperneq 159

GRÁSTEINN í GRAFARHOLTI
163
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. 1. gr. þjml. nr. 88/1989, með breytingum nr. 43/1991 og 98/1994.
25. 16. gr. sbr. 18. gr. ibid.
26. Guðmundur Olafsson. Fornleifaskráning í Reykjavík. Landnám Ingólfs, nýtt safn til
sögu þess. Reykjavík 1986. Bls. 212.
27. Bjarni F. Einarsson. Fornleifaskrá Reykjavíkur. Árbæjarsafn 1995. Bls. 136, 160, 177
og 179.
28. Sbr. 17. gr. þjml. nr. 88/1989, með breytingum nr. 43/1991 og 98/1994.
29. Sbr. 18. gr. ibid.
30. Björn Bjarnarson lagði sig fram um að tengja örnefhin í skrá sinni sögum. Synir hans,
Björn Birnir og Einar Birnir, yfirfóru örnefnalýsingu Guðlaugs R. Guðmundssonar
fyrir Grafarholt 1977 og athugasemdir þeirra sýna að þeir voru ekki ónæmir fyrir
þjóðsögunt. Þrátt fýrir það er ekki að finna stafkrók urn álfa í sambandi við Grástein.
31. Sjá 6. gr. 1. um verndun fornmenja nr. 40/1907 og 10. gr. þjml. nr. 52/1969.
32. Ágúst O. Georgsson. Fornleifaskrá. Skrá um friðlýstar fornleifar. Fornleifanefnd -
Þjóðminjasafn Islands. Reykjavík 1990.
33. 18. gr. þjml. nr. 88/1989, nteð breytingum nr. 43/1991 og 98/1994.
34. Sbr 17. gr. ibid.
35. Fornleifaskráning Þjóðminjasafnsins ber nafnið þjóðminjaskráning — og er ekki til
þess að einfalda rnálið eða draga úr hættunni á misskilningi. Hún er þó aldrei kölluð
annað en fornleifaskráning.
36. Morgunblaðið 19. október 1999.
Swnmary
In Grafarholt in Reykjavík is a 50 tonne split boulder known as Grásteinn (Grey-stone),
which is said to house elves and has as such been protected under the Antiquities Act as
an álfasteinn (a stone believed to be inhabited by elves, very common in Icelandic
folklore). Recently, when the l’ublic Roads Administration applied for permisson to
move the boulder due to planned road changes around Grásteinn, the applicadon was tr-
eated in the sarne way as a proposed disturbance of archeological remains would be.
This article is based on a report concerning as to whether Grásteinn should be pro-
tected by law, prepared by the auther for the National Museurn and the Reykjavík
Museum. According to the 16. article of the Antiquities Act, remains should be a 100
years or older for thern to be classified as archaeological. Although the law includes the
concept of álfasteinn, despite there not being any ntan made structures associated with
thern, it is the view of the auther that such areas should follow the sarne rule as other
archeological areas, that is, that any folklore beliefs associated with the area should be at
least a 100 years old. Research into the origin of the history of Grásteinn showed that
folldore beliefs connected to it date back to around 1970, when road workers connected
various accidents and ntishaps to the fact that the stone had been rnoved. Psychics were
brought to the stone, and confirmed that it was indeed inhabited by elves. Grásteinn was
recorded as an álfasteinn by the National Museurn, and later in Fornleifaskrá Reykjavík-
urborgar (The Reykjavík Archaeological Survey) published by the Reykjavík Museunt.
Due to that survey, it was considered that the stone was protected by archaeological laws,