Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.06.2003, Qupperneq 26

the reykjavik grapevine26 may 15 - may 29, 2003
THE SEA HORSE
F O L K S A G A S
by Björk Bjarnardóttir
Iceland is said to be the land
of fire and ice, pure nature and
magnificent landscape. But
what many people don’t know is
that Iceland is also the land of
monsters, elves, trolls, ghosts and
little people. When the first settlers
came to Iceland about 1000 years
ago, every hill and rock was said
to have been alive with all kinds
of creatures. Folklorists have
traced the roots of these Icelandic
creatures to Scandinavian and
European folk beliefs. However,
in Iceland these creatures have
taken their own distinctive shape,
a shape that is not to be found
anywhere else in the world. This
uniqueness comes from the
inner mind of Icelandic people
and is heavily influenced by the
nature that surrounds the people
and the creatures. Folktales and
legends are not always built on
reality, however, through the
tales one can read the attitude
to morality and the faith people
had back then. Icelandic nature
plays a big role in the Icelandic
folktales. The harsh environment
and the unpredictability of nature
shaped many of the stories along
with the fear people have of the
unknown. As time passed the
stories were collected and moved
from oral tradition to large written
collections of Icelandic folktales
First published around the mid
19th century these books continue
to be in great demand and I dare
say that there is not a person in
Iceland that has not read some of
them at one time or another.
The creatures of the tales differ
greatly some of them have been
known to be very helpful to the
Icelandic people, but beware,
they can also be vengeful and
dangerous if proper care and
respect is not shown in their
presence or in their habitat. When
you travel around Iceland, keep
in mind that trolls inhabit the
mountains and most small hills are
the homes of the hidden people or
elves. The lakes and the sea are
home to various mythical beasts
like mermen, sea horses, sea
monsters and giant worms.
If you were to ask an Icelander
today if he believes that hidden
people, trolls or ghost really do
exists, you are unlikely to receive
a straight answer. An Icelander
will very likely say something like
“ I believe that there is something,
I can’t say for sure because I
have never seen one but people
talk about these creatures so
who am I to say that they don’t
exist?” People in Iceland do not
necessarily believe that these
creatures exist but they are very
unlikely to deny their existence
either as such a denial might
anger the ones that cannot be
seen. There are many people in
Iceland that do believe that, some
if not all, of these creatures still
live in Iceland.
The modern era it has not been
an easy one for some of these
creatures, for like other things
that belong to nature, Man is
constantly demanding more
space for his houses, factories
and infrastructure, which drive the
beings of nature to seek peace
and quiet somewhere else.
So please, when on your travels
around Iceland, take care not
to drive off the road and show
respect to the country, because
you never know if you might be
in the presence of trolls, ghosts
or hidden people. Angering these
creatures of old might well incur
their wrath and then nothing can
save you aside from some very
old magic formulas that are known
to precious few living Icelandic
people.
The Sea horse
The sea horse or water horse lives
in rivers, lakes and occasionally
in the sea. In Icelandic it is
called Nykur or Nennir. It looks
very much like a horse and is
usually grey in colour, although
occasionally known to be brown.
Its hooves and fetlocks are special
in that they are the opposite of
normal horses. In winter, when
cracks appear in the ice-covered
lakes, a loud roaring sound may
be heard; this is said to be sea
horse neighing. The sea horse
bears foals like other horses,
but does so in water. Sea horses
have been known to impregnate
mares belonging to humans. If
the resultant crossbreed is ridden
over a river or lake and the water
touches its underbelly, it will lie
down, a habit said to be inherited
from the sea horse. The sea horse
tends to lurk near lakes and rivers
that are difficult to cross, where
it’s tameness lures men into
mounting it. When this happens
it will plunge straight into the
water and lie down, submerging
the rider. The sea horse is highly
sensitive to certain sounds and
at the mention of his own name,
or indeed any word that sounds
vaguely similar to it, it runs off into
the water. If on the other hand, it
hears the sound of church bells, it
will disappear into the ground.
Once upon a time four children
were playing in a hayfield near
a farm by a large lake. Suddenly
they saw a grey horse and ran
over to it. One of the children
mounted it, then another and
another until only the oldest child
was left on the ground. The three
urged the remaining one to join
them as there was still plenty of
space, the horse’s back being so
long. The oldest child refused,
claiming not to be bothered. The
horse immediately ran off and
disappeared into the lake with the
three children on it’s back. The
oldest child ran home and told the
tale of what had happened. It was
clear to everyone that this had
been a sea horse. ( Taken from
the book Myths and Monsters in
Icelandic Folktales)
If you were to ask an Icelander today if
he believes that hidden people, trolls or
ghosts really do exist, you are unlikely
to receive a straight answer.
Cover image of the book Myths and Monsters in Iceland.
Illustration by Guðrún Tryggvadóttir.
The sea horse in action.
Illustration by Guðrún Tryggvadóttir.
The book Myths and Monsters
in Icelandic Folktales shows
you the other side of Iceland:
that aspect of the Folk-tales that
acquaints you with the mythical
beasts that inhabit and protect
Iceland. These stories have
been specially retold by Björk
Bjarnadóttir and illustrated by
Guðrún Tryggvadóttir. This
book is for the whole family and
gives a perfect insight into the
mythical hidden world that exists
in Iceland.
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