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Why Icelanders Believe In Elves

為什麼冰島人相信精靈的存在?[1]

Iceland is a country riddled with stories of elves (smaller, human-like creatures with pointy ears), ‘hidden people’ (interdimensional human-like beings, called huldufólk in Icelandic) and fairies (if you’re thinking Tinkerbell, you’re not far off). They’re believed to be peaceful creatures, co-existing alongside humans and indulging in the same day-to-day activities, including fishing, farming, raising families and – if the legends are any indication – occasionally lending a helping hand to humans who otherwise would die without intervention.

冰島是一個充斥著精靈（一種矮小、像人，有尖耳的生物）、「隱匿一族」（跨維度的類人生物，冰島語稱為huldufólk）和仙女（如果你想到了彼得潘中的小叮鈴[2]，那就差不多了）故事的國家。一般認為這些生物愛好和平並與人類共存，他們平時喜歡做些和人類差不多的日常活動，包括捕魚、耕作和養家糊口，除此之外，如果傳說是真的，他們偶爾也會向瀕臨死亡的人類伸出援手。

According to a 2007 study by the University of Iceland, an estimated 62% of the nation believe that the existence of these beings is more than a fairy tale. However, this statistic covers both sincere believers and agnostics who lean toward the ‘why not’ end of the spectrum.

根據冰島大學2007年的一項研究，據估計冰島大約有62％的人認為這些生物的存在不僅僅是一個童話故事而已。不過，這項統計數據卻也包含了完全相信者和最終選擇「寧可信其有」的不可知論者[3]。

Magnús Skarphéðinsson has a theory. Skarphéðinsson runs Reykjavik’s only Elfschool, an extension of the Paranormal Foundation of Iceland that introduces travellers to the topic of Iceland’s magical creatures. Iceland, he argues, has been uniquely primed to be open to non-traditional ideas, making it a safe place for elves to reveal themselves. Even though the Elfschool is a playful take on what Skarphéðinsson sees as an important subject, he is very serious when discussing the topic of Iceland’s declining belief in elves.

雷克雅維克唯一一所精靈學校的經營者Magnús Skarphéðinsson對此提出一個理論。這間學校是冰島超自然基金會的分支，平常負責向遊客介紹關於冰島上神奇生物的議題。他認為，冰島特別對非傳統的想法抱持著開放的態度，也是這種態度，使這裡成為精靈們能夠安心地現出它們身影的地方。雖然精靈學校是以一種輕鬆玩樂的方式呈現出對Skarphéðinsson而言頗為重要的議題，但在討論到關於冰島對於精靈信仰程度降低的問題上，他的態度卻相當嚴肅。

 “We would be living in a totally different society if the Enlightenment had not started in the 1700s,” he told a recent Friday afternoon class. “But the Enlightenment had a terrible price. It killed faith. Faith is one of the glues that keep civilization together. Not only did it kill faith, it killed myth. And psychic ability. Many people believe in elves in Iceland because we were isolated. The Enlightenment didn’t come to Iceland until 1941 when the American army invaded Iceland. Then we had the Enlightenment and it began cleaning the elves away.”

在最近的一個星期五下午的課堂上他說:「如果18世紀的啟蒙運動沒有發生，我們將會生活在一個完全不同的社會裡。不過啟蒙運動的代價太慘重了，它扼殺了信仰。信仰是穩固連接文明的膠水。啟蒙運動不僅扼殺了信仰，更摧毀了神話和通靈的能力。許多冰島人會相信精靈的存在是因為我們曾經與世隔絕。直到1941年美軍入侵時，啟蒙運動才進入了冰島。在我們接觸到啟蒙運動後，它就開始掃除精靈的信仰與存在。」

Icelanders who do believe in elves seem unconcerned with it sitting side-by-side with atheism or traditional religion. During his class, Skarphéðinsson tells stories of Icelandic priests baptising huldufólk children (a move, he theorises, to build a bridge between the two communities); and the Icelandic Fairytales handbook he passes out to the class contains a story of The Elfchurch of Tungustapi, about a human discovering an elf church.

相信精靈的冰島人似乎並不關心世人將它與無神論或是傳統宗教相提並論。在他的課堂上，Skarphéðinsson提到了幾個冰島神父為精靈兒童進行受洗儀式的故事（他認為這個行為有助於建立兩個群體間的交流）。此外，在他課堂上傳下去的冰島童話故事手冊中就包含了一篇關於Tungustapi精靈教堂的故事，這是一個關於人類發現一座精靈教堂存在的故事。

Pam Shaffer, a licensed therapist, argues that believing in something bigger than yourself can inspire other positive beliefs. If your world is already wide enough to include elves, why not think even bigger?

有執照的治療師Pam Shaffer認為，相信比自己更加強大的事物可以激發積極的信念。如果你的世界已經大到可以容得下精靈的存在，那為何不能將眼界放得更寬更遠呢?

“Magical thinking is actually an advantage for humans in general,” she explained. “Even if you haven’t interacted with elves or huldufólk yourself, believing that they are out there can expand your world view, which leads to flexibility of thought and open-mindedness. This is beneficial because being mentally and emotionally flexible helps people overcome obstacles in life and have better relationships overall. Essentially, believing in a world outside of our own expands the horizons of what our world can be.”

她解釋說:「整體而言，『異想天開』對我們來說確實有好處。即使你從未親身與精靈或huldufólk產生過任何互動聯繫，單純相信他們的存在就可以擴展你的世界觀，而這樣的信念將能讓你的思維更加靈活開放。而在精神上和情感上保持活躍則有助於我們克服生活中的障礙並在各方面上都能維持更好的關係。基本上，相信著在我們的世界以外存有另外一個不同的世界就能擴展我們對這個世界的看法。」

It’s difficult to determine how many Icelanders hold a sincere belief of elves or huldufólk. Certainly, the very fact some do believe has become tied up with the country’s ever-expanding tourism market. Next to puffins, they’re a popular souvenir subject – and ‘seers’ willing to take tourists on walks to meet elves has become a cottage industry.

很難確定到底有多少冰島人真正相信有精靈或huldufólk的存在。可以確定的是，相信精靈存在這件事卻和該國不斷擴大的旅遊市場有關。除了海鸚之外，精靈也是一個受歡迎的紀念品主題。另外還有「能見者」願意帶遊客去看精靈，而這種活動甚至已經成為一種家庭產業。

However, the idea that daily life in Iceland is designed to be elf-inclusive is highly simplified.

但是，若要說這是冰島特意把日常生活與精靈的話題牽扯上，卻也說得太過輕巧了。

In 2013, a group led by Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir protested a road that was scheduled to cut through the homes of a huldufólk community located in a lava field. (It’s generally believed that elves and huldufólk make their homes inside large rocks found mainly on beaches and lava fields – which Skarphéðinsson says are more stable between dimensions.) The construction was halted while the government worked to find an amicable solution. However, G Pétur Matthíasson, head of communication at the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, sees the change of plans as a practical move, not one motivated by belief.

在2013年時，一個由Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir所帶頭的團體抗議當時政府的一項道路計畫，該項計畫預計穿過一個位於熔岩地的huldufólk社區。（當地人普遍認為，那些能夠在海灘和熔岩地找到的大型岩石就是精靈和huldufólk的家。據Skarphéðinsson所稱，這些岩石在不同維度間比較穩固，所以適合精靈居住。）最終該項計畫被叫停，而當地政府也設法找出能夠和睦解決的辦法。冰島公路沿海局的對外溝通負責人G Pétur Matthíasson則認為確實該變更這項計劃，而這還不僅僅是出於信仰而已。

 “One of the protesters, she was doing the elf angle,” he explained of the protest and resolution. “She was interested in this one big rock that was in the line of the road. We then look at it, not through believing in elves, but believing that elves or hidden people are part of our cultural heritage. We looked at this big rock formation and saw that it was unique, and decided that because we could move [the road], we would try to do that.”

在說明這次抗議以及相應的解決方案時，他說:「其中一名抗議者，她是從精靈的角度看待這件事，她對這條路上的一塊大石頭特別感興趣。當我們並不是以單純相信精靈存在的角度去看待這塊石頭，而是把精靈或隱匿一族當成是我們文化遺產的一部分，那麼，從這個角度來看，這塊巨大的岩層將變的獨一無二。因此我們決定既然我們可以變動道路的位置，那麼我們就會試著去這樣做。」

Certainly, in a population of around 340,000 people, taking your neighbour’s beliefs and values into consideration is important in keeping the peace. In the Reykjavík suburb of Hafnarfjörður, for example, elf shrines (small altars, sometimes with candles) and undisturbed lava rocks dot the yards of houses, particularly those surrounding Hellisgerdi Park – a spot known for its extensive elf activity, and the location of many elf-seer walks. There’s even a large stone in the yard of Þjóðkirkjan, the neighbourhood’s branch of the Icelandic national church, that has been left in place rather than risk disturbing any inhabitants. These, along with cartoonish signs mentioning the presence of elves, serve as a reminder of Iceland’s otherworldly presence, even as daily life grinds on.

確實，在這個人口大約34萬人的國家中，這種為鄰居的信仰和價值觀著想的作法，是維護和平的重要方式。例如，在哈夫納夫約杜爾靠近雷克雅維克的郊區，隨處可見精靈神殿（一些小祭壇，有些還會放著蠟燭）和一些點綴在院子裡未被移動的熔岩石，特別是在Hellisgerdi公園附近的地區。這個地區以其大規模的精靈活動聞名，這裡也是許多精靈能見者帶遊客觀看精靈的地方。在冰島國家教會的鄰近分支Þjóðkirkjan裡，甚至還有一塊一直都被放在院子裡的大石頭，因為擔心可能會打擾到任何居住在石頭裡的生物，所以沒有人去移動過它。即使生活中有著各種現實的磨難，以上這些事件以及在這裡隨處可見標示著有精靈存在的卡通告示，都在提醒著眾人冰島上存有其他超脫凡俗的存在。

Michael Nawrocki, the American co-director of the forthcoming documentary Iceland: A Story of Belief, walked the same streets while filming. He describes encountering a similar level of acceptance in the belief of huldufólk during his first trip to the country in 2016.

即將上映的紀錄片「冰島：信仰的故事」(暫譯)的美國聯合導演邁克爾·納羅羅基在拍攝時也走在同一條街道上。他提了一個他在2016年首次到冰島時遇到的一個跟這件事類似的huldufólk信仰故事。

 “Say you’re a homeowner and you have a rock formation in your backyard that has been designated as an elf rock, and you want to put in a hot tub. You start to break that elf rock apart, and your neighbour comes out and says ‘What are you doing, that’s an elf rock?’,” he said, recounting one of the stories he uncovered while filming.

他說的是一個在拍攝期間發現的故事:「假設你是房子的主人，在你家後院有一塊被稱為精靈巖石的石頭，然後你想要在後院裡建一個熱水浴池。當你要破開那塊精靈巖石的時候，你的鄰居會說:『你在做什麼啊?那可是精靈巖石耶。』。」

 “That’s going to mean trouble for you. About 80-90% of Icelanders will leave [the rock] alone. Part of that is that belief that maybe there’s something there. Part of that is a cultural heritage. I’ll forgo my hot tub for my elf rock.”

「這就麻煩了。大概有八到九成的冰島人都會選擇將那塊石頭放在那邊不動它。有一部分是因為相信石頭裡面可能住著某些東西，另一部分則是因為這些石頭是文化遺產。所以他們會為了精靈巖石而放棄熱水浴池。」

But for believers like Skarphéðinsson, the existence of elves is more than just a chance to play ‘what if’. He describes his belief as an opportunity to apply science and reason to some of life’s biggest questions – and embrace the fact that no-one will ever have all the answers.

但是對於像Skarphéðinsson這樣的信徒來說，精靈的存在不只是一個「如果有的話」的問題。他認為這個信仰有可能可以利用科學與理性來解決人生中的大問題，以及接受沒有人可以得到所有答案這樣的事實。

 “We don’t have a clue why these creatures are pulled back and forth between dimensions,” he said. “The only thing you can do is to collect all people’s experiences. The only source of information is to find all possible witnesses and ask them in detail: What do they look like? What were they wearing? What is their opinion on God and eternity? Why are they here?”

他說，「我們不知道為什麼這些生物會在不同的維度間來回移動。我唯一能做的就是收集所有人的經驗。但這些消息來源卻只能靠著找到所有可能的目擊者並追問他們一些像是 『他們長的怎麼樣？他們穿什麼？他們對上帝和永恆的看法是什麼？他們為什麼會在這裡？』的問題。」