Classification: Legendary & Supernatural Humanoids

Temporal Range: 11th Century to present

Geographic Range: Iceland

Diet: Similar to that of humans

Horde: Nordic

Able to turn invisible at will, the Huldufolk of Iceland are a race of elves that have existed since around the 11th century. Their name literally means “hidden people,” and they look almost exactly like us, except for their ability to vanish. It’s said that the Huldufolk live in a parallel world to ours and go about their daily lives, doing much the same activities we do, we just can’t see them.

Some origin stories of the Huldufolk are rooted in Christianity, claiming that they are the children of Eve (or Lilith, if you believe she was Adam’s first wife). The story goes that Eve (or Lilith) tried to hide these children from God, but as punishment, God made them invisible to hide them from her. Other tales offer different origins, but this is the most common.

Huldufolkare known to be guardians of nature and still play a key role in Icelandic culture today. Various sites across Iceland have been declared as home to Huldufolk and are therefore protected. One of the most famous examples is a road where people refused to destroy a group of large rocks to build over them because it was believed to be home to elves. Reportedly, several pieces of machinery broke before the decision was made to build the road around the rocks.

So, next time you see a strangely shaped rock, it might be safer to steer clear,  there could be a family of Huldufolk living there, and you just can’t see them.