Page 128 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

108 Mysterious Creatures

tle pranksters. Naughty children sometimes But the bits of the “unbreakable” drills
have their hair pulled and their toys hidden by began to shatter one after another. An old
the nisse, who is always watching with disap- farmer came forward to repeat the warning that
proving eyes any sign of misbehavior or dis- the crew was trespassing on land that belonged
obedience. And a cat that becomes too curi- to the hidden folk. At first the workmen
ous will likely have its tail yanked good and laughed at the old man and marveled that such
proper by the annoyed nisse. primitive superstitions could still exist in mod-
ern Iceland. But the drill bits kept breaking.
The nisse is also the farmer’s friend, and it
often sleeps in the barn to keep watch over Finally, the manager of the plant, although
the animals. If a hired hand should be slow in professing disbelief in such superstitions,
feeding the cattle or other livestock, the nisse agreed to the old farmer’s recommendation
will be certain to give them their grain—and that he consult a local seer to establish con-
to mete out punishment to the sluggish hired tact with the hidden folk and attempt to make
man who was tardy in his duties. The nisse peace with them. After going into a brief
might trip him as he walks up the stairs to his trance-state, the seer returned to waking con-
bedroom or spill his hot soup on his lap at the sciousness to inform the manager that there
evening meal. If treated with respect, the nisse was one particularly powerful member of the
remains an effective guardian over hearth and hidden folk who had selected this plot as his
outbuildings. He does demand payment for dwelling place. He was not an unreasonable
the performance of his duties, and the wise being, however. If the processing plant really
householder will be certain to leave hot por- needed the plot for its expansion, he would
ridge on the step at night and to make it agree to find another place to live. The hid-
known that the nisse is free to take whatever den one asked only for five days without any
grain from the bin that he might require for drilling, so that he could make his arrange-
his own needs. ments to move.
Closely related to the nisse are the hul- The manager felt a bit strange bargaining
drefolk, the hidden people, the fairy folk of with a being that was invisible—and as far as
Scandinavia, who are generally quite benign if he had previously been concerned, imaginary.
treated with respect. If one should be foolish But he looked over at the pile of broken drill
enough to anger them or violate their territo- bits and told the seer that the hidden one had
ry, they can become extremely malicious. a deal. Work on the site would be shut down
Generally, though, as the following story illus- for five days to give him a chance to move.
trates, the hidden people are quite reasonable. After five days had passed and the work-
men resumed drilling, the work proceeded
In 1962, the new owners of a herring-pro-
cessing plant in Iceland decided to enlarge smoothly and efficiently until the addition to
their work area. According to Icelandic tradi- the plant was completed. There were no more
tion, no landowner must fail to reserve a small shattered bits on the unbreakable drill.
plot of his or her property for the hidden folk, M Delving Deeper
and a number of the rural residents earnestly Booss, Claire, ed. Scandinavian Folk & Fairy Tales .
pointed out to the new proprieters that any New York: Gramercy Books, 1984.
extension of the plant would encroach upon Jones, Alison, ed. Larousse Dictionary of World Lore.
the plot of ground that the original owners New York: Larousse, 1995.
had set aside for the little people who lived Mack, Carol K., and Dinah Mack. A Field Guide to
under the ground. Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other Subver-
The businessmen laughed. For one thing, sive Spirits. New York: Henry Holt, 1999.
they didn’t harbor those old folk superstitions. Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins:
For another, they had employed a top-notch, An Encyclopedia. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998.
highly qualified construction crew who pos- Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology.
sessed modern, unbreakable drill bits and Trans. by Angela Hall. Rochester, N.Y.: D. S.
plenty of explosives. Brewer, 1993.

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