Iceland restores buried rock to appease upset elf population

A rock that's fabled to be the home of elves has been restored in Iceland, after it was accidentally buried by road workers.

'Elfin lady stone', in the northern coastal town of Siglufjörður, was covered last year when workers dumped 10 cubic metres of soil onto the site.

They were unaware that the rock had cultural significance, and had to work quickly to clear a road that was blocked by a landslide.  

In an interview with Iceland paper Morgunblaðið, Sveinn Zóphóníasson – one of the men who was working on the road repairs – said the project was plagued with mysterious problems after the rock was buried.

Image / Guide to Iceland 

Workers were injured, machinery broke down and a television reporter sank waist-deep into a pit of mud and had to be rescued.

"I never saw anything like it," Zóphóníasson said. "I've seen mudslides and flooding before but nothing like this."

Some have questioned whether elves were to blame for the difficulties, with local fables sometimes pinning mishaps on the mischievous creatures.

Hopefully the upset elves will now be appeased, as the rock has been dug up and power-hosed clean.