The manly trolls of Gulfoss…
… and the worms (um, gold collecting dragons, you know the type) of Gulfoss…
… the Golden Falls … 
… look across to the female trolls across the gorge, which are riding a worm…
.. and if the worm has the head of a ram, well, this is Iceland, after all.
And the flag … this flag:
… flies between them.
So now you know, too.
Here’s an ancient troll in Dimmuborgir, keeping an eye on those flighty humans.
And a modern one in Víðimýri, doing the same good work.
Thanks guys, for the hand.
Even the trolls did it.
Some good head action by the troll team at Þingvellir.
Nicely blocked by Team Iceland!
When you’re in Iceland, it’s good to get off the beaten track. No tour guide will lead you to this troll at Skriðuklaustur.
Or this one. If people laugh about your troll finds, does that really matter?
You might even find an entire troll narrative. What does it matter if there are no physical entities called trolls?
You can find pictures of those things in bookshops, for children, without an explanation of the politics behind them. What is that politics? Guess.
Contemporary ecology is based on stories of trolls from Norway in the 1920s. I think it’s possible that ecology in the 2120s will be based on stories of trolls found today.
Well, forget the tourist pamphlets, that collect old folktales from the 19th century. Those were created in an attempt to sort out folk stories from the many traditions of Icelandic settlers. Truth is, there are no trolls, not as a non-human, humanoid species.
Skriðuklaustur
There is, however, a human ability to centre landscapes in human form. It is this centring, this inseparability from place, that you will find in Iceland, if you wander there outside of books. The secret of trolls is the secret of recognition, because they are the same thing. Many Icelanders today look to New York or London for their mirrors. Not all. You don’t have to, either. A troll is where you find it. You are where you find yourself. Now, recognizing yourself when you see it, ah, now that’s a trick.
So, like, you want to see trolls, eh. Well, there’s the troll park at Fossátun.
Cartoon trolls. Fibreglass shells. 3D graffiti.
If you carefully turn around, you’ll find the real thing.
Sure, laugh.
Sure they do.
Mysteriously, mind you, and in slow motion. You’re not in a hurry, are you?
Don’t let the dragon in the canyon bottom worry you. He’s in slow motion, too
~
Hengifossá Canyon
