One day God announced to Eve that he would go to dinner with her, to meet all his children. Eva, like any mother, began to wash and prepare her children for the event, but, since they were many, she could not bathe in three. In order not to show them in disorder before God, he hid them in the closet.

During dinner God asked Eve if all those who sat in the room were all her children and the woman confirmed. Then God who is omniscient continued: "that which is hidden from God, will be hidden forever also from men!" Eve ran desperately to the wardrobe, but found it empty.

God had made the three children invisible to men. Only those who have a pure heart can see them. The men called these invisible elf creatures. Every good Icelandic has three little houses in the garden to house Eva's three children, so that their closeness is helpful and a good omen for the family.

The elves in fact, unlike the evil and spiteful trolls, are good friends of men and often intervene to help them. All Icelanders believe a little in this legend and if you ask someone: do you believe in elves? The answer will always be: why not?

Anyway, today reminded me of the power of a good story. Stories make us feel , they make us think and they make  us understand things in life.  I figured that the elves represent the spirits of nature to me. If we act violently towards nature, it will cause us harm eventually. But if we treat nature with respect, without harming, violating or damaging it, it will reward us with endless presents.

Today it was a magic day! We walked in the tale world of elves , trolls and other mythical creatures.   Hafnarfjordur is apparently  a quiet town on the sea but the richest place of elf population  in Iceland and  the story teller Sibba  was our guide in this hidden world . We all were like children,  curious  to discover this new world and at times it really seemed that we could see an elf behind some rocks in the beautiful gardens of the colored houses. After thi visit I started to better under stand  how Icelandic culture is stricly related to its geological and natural features .Over the centuries people needed to have spiritual support to face and survive in  estreme natural conditions and this ridde magical world made of elves, trolls, gnomes and other creatures felpe  them . It was interesting  that  most Icelandic people  believe in this world still today, they retains their beliefs related to the past, feel love for their nature and have  respect  and gratitude to their country.

For a long time no one has been able to rationally explain the overbearing and unpredictable phenomena such as volcanic eruptions under glaciers, geysers or thermal pools. Iceland was for a long time isolated from the rest of the world, for the inhabitants who spent dark winters it was comforting the idea of ​​living with other invisible beings.

It was very impressive today to hear the ancient stories about elves told by a modern storyteller on the streets of Hafnarfjordur. In the silence the wind blew tree branches, grass and moss on the rocks. The Icelandic natural environment is mystical, there is an ancient magic between stones and caves, where small invisible creatures live: elves. Every element of nature is alive and must be respected, even the rocks have a history and a soul that the Icelanders still know how to feel thanks to their close connection with the environment in which they live. In fact, in 2016 the Reykjavik road department decided to divert the construction of a road because the population has asked to protect the rocks where, according to ancient beliefs, the elves live. To take a road to protect a rock: a great lesson of civilization, humility and respect for the environment.