I agree with all of the previous reviews. They eloquently detail the historical and cultural context of the story as so beautifully told. I would add that the relationship to nature is a subtext. Do we view ourselves as apart or as part of what we see around us. This is the essence of animism in that rather than seeing ourselves in a struggle to pacify and shape a hostile environment we instead consider ourselves at one with it. Therefore we avoid disruption and seek harmony for selfish not altruistic reasons, viewing balance with nature as essential to maintaining calmness and tranquility. We view despoiling the environment as a disruption of our own lives and that of those around us in a more profound way. That children, before "corruption" by our taught values and by maturity see this in a more concrete and less abstract manner is appealing and speaks to our understanding of our place in a larger ecosystem. The belief in elves is an anthropomorphism of a more basic concept that we affect the environment, but it too shapes and nurtures us.
Review of Huldufólk 102
