Every once in a while something comes along that seems to be a well-placed joke or well-written satire. That would appear to be the case with Icelandic MP Árni Johnsen. Many Icelanders have a fondness and belief in elves. Johnsen is one of those people.

Johnsen arranged for the transportation of a 30-ton boulder to his home. It wasn’t for landscaping purposes. It was because three generations of elves live there. Let me tell you, three generations of elves in one boulder is a rare thing indeed. From the Iceland Review Online:

Árni first encountered the elves’ dwelling when he was in a serious car accident in January 2010. His car overturned and landed beside the boulder 40 meters away from the highway, Morgunblaðið reports.

His SUV was damaged beyond repair but Árni escaped the accident unharmed. He considered whether the boulder might be a dwelling for hidden people and had it saved from landing underneath the south Iceland Ring Road when the highway was widened.

“I had Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir, a specialist in the affairs of elves from Álfagarðurinn in Hellisgerði, Hafnarfjörður, to come look at the boulder with me,” recollected Árni. “She said it was incredible, that she had never met three generations of elves in the same boulder before.”

“She said an elderly couple lives on the upper floor but a young couple with three children on the lower floor,” the MP described.

The specialist concluded that the boulder’s inhabitants were content with the move. “But they asked whether the boulder could stand on grass. I said that was no problem but asked why they wanted grass. ‘It’s because they want to have sheep,’ Ragnhildur replied,” Árni continued.

There’s something to learn new everyday. Elves have sheep. I just hope there is enough grass so that the elvish sheep don’t graze Johnsen’s lawn too low.

Johnsen agree to the demand, and the elves and their sheep are presumably happy.

Having seen a few boulders in my day, this is the first time that I have heard that boulders are multi-floored. Silly me, I just assumed boulders were round, square or some odd solid shape of an aggregate of minerals. In the eyes of elves, quarries must be the most evil place on earth.

The elves had one other demand too. They asked that the windows be placed facing the best view. Boulders have windows? I guess those darned elves have always kept the curtains drawn when I’ve looked at boulders.

The boulder was moved by ferry, but the elves were placed in a basket with sheepskin to make their journey more comfortable. Those elves really do like their sheep, don’t they?

Iceland suffered terribly from the 2008 financial crash. It is starting to make sense why.

Here is a link to a video of Johnsen, the boulder and basket. The video is in Icelandic, but the pictures say it all.