Relations between humans and trolls have drastically diminished in recent years, and nowadays dealings with monsters such as kelpies, mermen and shore-lollers are practically unheard of. All the more reason, then, to celebrate these colourful tales of past encounters with creatures of this kind. Such stories add a fresh dimension to the traveller’s journey, and the images they conjure of strange-looking natural phenomena bring alive the landscape.

The learned folklorist, Jón R. Hjálmarsson (1922–2018), in his inimitable retellings of Iceland’s best-known legends about trolls and monsters, paints a vivid picture of their protagonists.