Elves and trolls are coming + author update
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Well, Reader, the sun now sets at 4:30pm and it finally snowed! Which means it's officially winter season and the elves and trolls are coming! Icelandic folklore is full of stories of trolls and elves (or as they call them, the Huldufólk), but have you noticed how many of them seem to take place during the winter? This happens for several reasons. #1 - The sun largely disappears across most of the island. In the south-west capital city of Reykjavík, on the shortest day of the year, the sun won't rise until 11:30am and it sets at 3:30pm. This gives precious four hours of daylight. In some remote fjords, the sun never makes it above the mountain tops, offering only a faint glow in the southern skyline. And what better time for spooky stories than the darkest period of the year? #2 - If you've ever seen a sampling of the Icelandic landscape, it can get rather spooky under the cover of darkness, which makes it the perfect time for trolls and elves to start creeping about. Whether it's the steep and jagged mountains of the east; the desolate, barren landscape of the north; the broad, massive mountains to the west; or the often active volcanoes in the south, there is plenty to ignite the imagination. #3 - At the time when Icelandic folktales were collected, society was highly religious, with Lutheranism being the dominate branch of Christianity. During a time of the year when people were stuck indoors, looking forward to midwinter celebrations, stories were a necessary reminder for people not to overindulge or succumb to their temptations. #4 - And spending so much time indoors with each other (whether the company was desirable or not) offered plenty of opportunities to tell stories. It's not hard to imagine how that meant ample time to recite the sagas, tell tales from the bible, and scare one another with fantastical stories of trolls and the huldufólk. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some of this winter folklore with you along with some pictures from my winters in Reykjavík, to give you a taste of just how dark it can be. We'll be...
And, if you stick around, you'll get free access to my new short story right after Christmas! Oh, and if you're here for my author updates—I'm currently 50,000 words into my goal of 70,000 words of my first novel and should be ready for beta readers in January. Stay tuned for that announcement. Until next time, Natalie Guttormsson PS - Final 10 days in the Free Sci Fi and Fantasy November Giveaway (click here) Read The Stories: The Fall of the Queen of Elphame (Free) In the Company of Elves |