National Power Company of Iceland Hires Exorcist to Rid Farm of Jealous Spirit

*(Tobias Wayland / Singular Fortean Society)*

The National Power Company of Iceland, Landsvirkjun, hired an exorcist last month to rid an old farm of a troublesome spirit in advance of the building being torn down, according to RUV.

The power company hired Reverend Kristinn Ágúst Friðfinnsson to perform the ceremony at the farm, which is located near Hvolsvöllur—a small town in the south of Iceland about 65 miles east of Reykjavík.

According to the farm’s owner, Daníel Magnússon, the farm was in dire need of an exorcism.

"It was probably around 2002 that I noticed my cows were perturbed. I had a dog then, who would fetch them while I was tending to the cowshed," he said, explaining that on this occasion, to his discomfort, the dog did not come when called like he usually did.

Magnússon saw a thick fog rise out of the ground and the dog disappeared into it, he said, something which upset his cows even further.

“They ran out of the cowshed bellowing and wailing,” he said. “I didn’t feel well, but when I calmed them down, I went into the cowshed and it was like I had been splashed in the face with icy water. I hesitated, but kept going, and it was such a strong feeling, like I had been plunged into water several meters deep. I finally left when I couldn’t breathe anymore.”

Magnússon regained his breath shortly after the incident, explaining that it soon became clear that whatever was causing it was going away.

It was then that he felt like he was contacted by a decidedly more helpful spirit.

"Then it is as if a hand was placed on my shoulder, and I was told 'Be calm. It's about to attack you. He is trying to steal you away,'” he said.

The farmer said he consulted with a seeress, who said the attack was due to a spirit in his garden which had become jealous because he was so successful with his cows.

"She said that such [helpful spirits] were closer to doing things like me, to being successful, rather than lying to others like [the jealous spirit]," he said.

Although it may seem unusual for the National Power Company of Iceland to hire an exorcist to banish such a spirit, Ólöf Rós Káradóttir, project manager at Landsvirkjun said, “We thought it was self-evident and natural to go with the wishes and recommendations of Daníel about getting an exorcist before the building was demolished. He knows the area best of all.”

"So the [farm] is next to an elf hill, and we've designed everything around the hill. We will not touch [the elves], we will not accept the sin of appeasing them," she added.

It is unclear whether the spirit(s) being held responsible for Magnússon’s encounter are ghosts or the huldufólk, or hidden people, also commonly referred to as elves. In Icelandic folk tradition, the huldufólk are faeries tied to various features of the landscape, and are still generally respected enough today that even municipal decisions are made with them in mind.

To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to support the Singular Fortean Society, please consider becoming an official member by signing up through our Patreon page—membership includes a ton of extra content and behind-the-scenes access to the Society’s inner workings.