Tea at Trianon: Iceland's Elf Obsession

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Iceland's Elf Obsession

From National Geographic:

Roads have been diverted around boulders where the elves, or álfar in Icelandic, supposedly reside. A former member of parliament even swears his life was saved in a car accident by a family of elves. A wintertime elf-themed stroll through Hafnarfjörður spotlights the 13 Yule Lads, pranksters with names like Hurðaskellir (Door Slammer) and Kertasnikír (Candle Stealer). Local children often leave out shoes for the Yule Lads to fill with treats.

The holidays are an especially fortuitous time of year to see elves; on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, they’re known to be on the move, searching for new homes. Walks often pass Hamarinn, the cliff where the elfin king and queen are said to hold court, and Hellisgerði Park, a solidified lava flow the elves find especially homey. In December visitors can embrace the Yuletide spirit even further at the popular Christmas market downtown. (Read more.)

Hans Georg Lundahl said...: Be it noted: this has gone on through not just Lutheran but also Catholic centuries of Iceland.

In other words, believing in existence of álfar, without obviously worshipping them with either latria or even dulia, is not inconsistent with the Catholic Faith.; January 2, 2016 at 8:56:00 AM EST
julygirl said...: It is the same in Ireland, but involves their beliefs regarding Fairies. Farmers will plow around mounds that are thought to be inhabited by Fairies. There is a story about an English construction company that was developing a piece of property and destroyed an area known to be inhabited by Fairies. The company suffered all sorts of trouble such as a ship load of construction equipment sinking, etc. I believe they eventually abandoned the project.; January 3, 2016 at 12:51:00 PM EST
Hans Georg Lundahl said...: And Ireland is Catholic to this day. Or, at least used to be so up to 1986.; January 4, 2016 at 8:47:00 AM EST