Paper short abstract:

Looking at legends about enchanted places in nature is an effective way to approach folklore. Legends give those places agency, especially when the unwritten rules and taboos are broken. They also connect the past and present, placelore, posthumanism, belief and environmental issues.

Paper long abstract:

In Iceland many folk legends focus on the relationship between man and nature. Some of them are narratives about enchanted places, which are surrounded by various unwritten rules and taboos. If they are broken the revenge of the place or the supernatural forces or beings who the place belongs to is to be expected. The places gain agency and the consequences can be severe; illness and death of important livestock, or even in some cases, people.

In this talk we will focus on enchanted spots in Strandir region, a rural area in the Westfjords of Iceland. Over 100 places there are connected with stories of this kind, some of them derived from personal experience while others are traditional belief narratives. These legends are still today found in oral tradition, passed on from one farmer to the next, giving these places symbolic meaning and renewing their sacredness. In the region belief in these legends and places still exists. Most locals try to obey the rules, or at least they do not risk damaging those places, prompting an interesting discussion about what constitutes belief.

It is also interesting to note the social context of legends focusing on enchanted places, and how they have in the last few years been used in relation to transgressive discourses about environmental issues and nature conservation.